I was reading VeggieMama the other day and she said ‘For some reason, I’ve found myself drowning in boxes of muesli. Muesli I don’t remember buying, because it’s untoasted, and I’m frightened of untoasted muesli.’ And I thought, ‘OMG – so am I…So why is my cupboard full of the stuff too?’. So I thought that I would whip up some of her delicious simple muesli muffins and then create some special muesli bite treats {okay for toddlers and Mamas alike}.
I like having a treat on hand. And I am trying to be good and lose those last few baby kilos that somehow like to hang around even though I am running around after two little boys under the age of two.
I’m pretty sure if I didn’t have a ‘good’ treat on hand, I would be that mother hiding in the cupboard eating nutella out of the jar with a spoon or popping the kids in the car to take them down the road for some hot chips. But as long as I have a ‘good’ treat on hand, I won’t binge.
The muesli is filling, the pumpkin seeds go super crunchy, the dried cranberries are sweet and the dark chocolate is a special treat without too much ‘naughty’. Plus I don’t feel bad if my toddler enjoys two or three whilst we play.
Dark chocolate {particularly the good stuff which is about 70 per cent cacao} is packed full of healthy chemicals like flavonoids and theobromine, which are like a disease-killing bullet.
As long as the cocao content is that high, says Mary Engler, Ph.D., from University of California at San Francisco, you can reap the benefits from eating small amounts. But because of chocolate’s high fat and sugar content, limit yourself to 200 grams a week.
Best thing about this treat is that the portion control has been done for you!
MUESLI BITES
3 cups untoasted muesli
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup cranberries
100g butter, melted, cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten
100g butter, melted, cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten
dark chocolate melts
Place your muesli, flour, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, melted butter and egg in a bowl and mix well.
Spoon the mixture into a mini muffin pan {or two}, and then place a dark chocolate melt on top.
Place in a 160 degree oven for 15 minutes {or until the muesli is toasted and the melt has melted}. Allow to cool, before turning out and devouring.
Do you like untoasted muesli? Do you ever look in your cupboard and think ‘how did that even get in there?’ Want to whip up this recipe and hashtag it { #GoodFoodWeek } on Instagram?
