Simple, gluten free muesli served with yogurt, and topped with a plum and rhubarb compote.
Did you know that May is Women’s Health Month? I sure didn’t, which is why I’m mentioning this right at the end of May.
I only realized it was Women’s Health Month because I received an email from an insurance agency (Oscar Health Insurance, to be exact). Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t a sales-pitch. Or spam. Instead, it was an email was asking whether I felt like sharing an infographic about women’s health on this blog. Since the infographic had some useful information on it, I figured, why not?
So here it is (click on the graphic for a larger version):
Please note: This is not a sponsored post, and I have absolutely no affiliation with Oscar Health Insurance. I just like infographics.
To be honest, I used to look at online ‘health news’ a lot. I thought it would be good to be informed about the latest health foods, studies, etc. But one day I just couldn’t do it anymore. Because health news is a freaking vortex.
There are millions of studies – some of which are conducted with tiny sample sizes (read: bad study!) – and on top of all of that is a ton of emotion. Seriously, never read the comments on a health article, unless you’re looking to see a low-carb vs high-carb verbal bloodbath (which can be entertaining).
And then you get the diet advocates. The paleo people, the 30 bananas a day people, the anti-fruit advocates, the sugar warriors…
Sometimes I feel like it will get to the stage when the only permissible food will be zucchini. But then you just know someone will find a problem with zucchini. Then what will we do?
Eventually my mind simply couldn’t handle reading all the conflicting information about what to eat and when to eat it and how to cook it. So I stopped reading. Okay, not exactly. The plan was to stop reading, although admittedly I still look at online health pages from time to time.
So I guess my advice this Women’s Health Month is don’t let health world drive you nuts.
Moving on to what this post is actually supposed to be about: breakfast! The long name of this recipe makes it sound more difficult than it is (I’ll be the first to admit I’m not good at thinking of names). This is actually a very simple breakfast. Both the compote and the muesli can be made in advance – just store the compote in the fridge, and the muesli in an airtight container.
Muesli may seem odd if you’re not used to it. It’s like granola’s simpler cousin. Natural muesli is unbaked, oil-free and sometimes sugar-free. If muesli’s not your thing, you can omit it from the recipe below and substitute your favorite granola (or other cereal).
I’ve also included a single-serving version of the muesli in the recipe notes, as I know many people (myself included) are in the breakfast-for-one market.
In my mind this breakfast counts as healthy (or at least ‘reasonably healthy’), but feel free to disagree. After all, there are grains – aka the latest boogyman in the health world.
- Plum and Rhubarb Compote
- 4 plums, halved
- 1 cup frozen chopped rhubarb
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 star anise
- 2 cardamom pods, bruised
Pistachio Fig Muesli- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup chopped pistachios
- 3 tablespoons shredded coconut
- 6 dried figs, chopped
- Pinch of salt (optional)
To Serve- Good quality natural yogurt (or non-dairy yogurt)
- Make the Plum and Rhubarb Compote: Place all the ingredients for the compote in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Simmer for 8 - 10 minutes, or until the fruit has softened and the sauce has thickened. If the fruit cooks before the sauce has thickened, remove the fruit from the saucepan and continue cooking the sauce. If the sauce has reduced before the fruit is ready, add more water.
- Remove the star anise and cardamom pods. If not using immediately, allow to cool and store in the fridge.
- Make the muesli: In a bowl, mix together the rolled oats, cinnamon, pistachios, coconut and dried figs. Mix in the salt, if using.
- Serve the muesli with plenty of natural yogurt and top with the Plum and Rhubarb Compote. Enjoy!
If making muesli for one, mix together ⅓ cup rolled oats, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios, 1 tablespoon shredded coconut and 2 dried figs, chopped. Serve with yogurt and as much of the Plum and Rhubarb Compote as you would like.
Fresh Rhubarb
While I've only tested this recipe with frozen rhubarb, I imagine 1 cup chopped fresh rhubarb would be fine. You may need to add a little more water if the sauce reduces before the fruit has softened.
I loved reading your bit about getting sick of the health vortex online, and it’s easy to be pulled in. I personally only follow a newsletter from the Celiac Disease Foundation (so I have some idea what’s going on with my disease), and my GI told me they were a good source. I’ve never heard to the 30 bananas a day people. (Although, fun fact, before the gluten free diet was discovered as a treatment for celiac disease doctors used to prescribe their patients the banana diet, which did include a couple other foods, but mainly bananas. Now we know it worked because bananas are gluten free, and well, that’s the only known treatment for celiac disease. BUT, it’s crazy to think.)
ANYWAY, back to your recipe. It looks amazing! While all the ingredients sound like they blend together nicely, the plum is the star of your picture. Happy FF, and have a wonderful weekend!
Kaila (GF Life 24/7) recently posted…Gluten and Dairy Free Lemon Cake (or Bars)!
Thanks, Kaila! Wow, I’d never heard of bananas being prescribed to people with celiac disease! I can’t even imagine what would’ve happened if they hadn’t realized it was the gluten and instead thought bananas were a magical cure…
From what I’ve heard/read, the 30 bananas a day people are (mostly) raw vegans or fruitarians who follow ‘Freelee the banana girl’. I have no idea if they actually eat 30 bananas a day or if that’s just a name.
I hope you have a great weekend too! 😀
I love rhubarb and pairing it with lovely plums is such a great idea!
Julie is HostessAtHeart recently posted…Triple Chocolate Lamingtons
Thanks, Julie! 🙂
I alway combine rhubarb with strawberries…. but I’m sure it must be amazing even with plus. I will give this a try! Thanks a lot for sharing!
lapetitecasserole recently posted…Coffee rolls with hazelnut cream
I also love rhubarb and strawberries! If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to know how it turned out 🙂
I can completely relate to the “vortex” analogy. I’ve spent too much of my life worrying about which foods and “good” and “bad.” It’s difficult when someone in your family follows every new trend, first thinking the sugar in fruit is bad, then following a diet that only allows foods mentioned in the Bible (yes, apparently this is real.) Anyway, now I just eat what I like and what makes me feel good 🙂
Laura O recently posted…Mornings
I love current attitude towards food! I need to keep that in mind 🙂
And wow, I had never ever heard of a diet that only allows biblical food!
I love these simple and healthy muesli and the compote is over the top! I could see myself making this up in the beginning of the week and doling it out over the muesli every day. Thanks for bringing this to Fiesta Friday (oh and don’t forget to link back to FF!) and sharing with everyone!
frugal hausfrau recently posted…Chicken & Fruit Salad with Raspberry Dressing
Thank you! Have a great weekend 🙂
I absolutely adore this compote–it looks so beautiful and luxurious with the whole plum halves and the vanilla seeds! What an incredible breakfast…now if only I woke up early enough to have the time to make it!
And lovely, insightful discussion on health studies. Not particularly related, but I recently went to a seminar on PARP inhibitors as a cancer treatment (I’m not really certain how much I understood!) but the lady giving the talk explained that while the “bench to bedside” process was only around 10 years, it was actually built on over 60 years of accumulated research. When novel therapies are approved and implemented, they’re typically based on a large body of data…and so perhaps it’s alright to take our time when it comes to applying the results of clinical trials and other health studies!
tentimestea recently posted…poached rhubarb hazelnut tart
Thank you! You could always make the compote and muesli the day before – that way it would only take a few seconds to put together the next morning (hooray for not waking up early!) 🙂
I definitely avoid all the conflicting information on what to eat and what not to eat! I don’t have any food allergies or intolerances (other than pineapple and kiwi) so I just try and eat as healthy as I can with as little processed food as possible (which, admittedly, is more trying than actually doing!) which I think is the best way to do it!
This muesli looks awesome, I’m more inclined to eat that than granola because it tends to be less crunchy. Love it with pistachio and fig too, two of my favourite things. The compote sounds awesome too
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake recently posted…Strawberry and Black Pepper Frozen Margarita
Thanks, Michelle! I definitely think you’re right about just trying to eat as healthy as possible with minimal processed food. I’d never heard of an allergy/intolerance to pineapple and kiwi before – that’s so interesting!
Have a great weekend 😀