Muesli, aka the most addictive stuff on the face of the earth

Earlier this year, Megan and I were joking about how we're such granola people.  We cook from scratch, we like strange foods, we drive old cars (yep, I even drive a Volvo), and we like organic/health food stores.  We make our own granola bars, too.  Well, after discovering the joys of muesli, we can't call ourselves granola people anymore.  We no longer eat that honey-laden death trap that calls itself granola when there's something so delicious, so addictive, so easy, and so healthy as muesli around.

Okay, now that we're done with that.  This stuff is seriously good.  I eat it so frequently that there is a trail of oats around the apartment that I have to vacuum periodically.  But if you look at the ingredients and the preparation, you'll probably be a bit puzzled by how simple it all is.  It's something that people in Old Israel might have eaten (thank you, Isaiah class!), but it's something you won't be able to stop eating either.  Megan prefers hers with milk, as a cereal.  I like mine dry, as I usually eat cereal anyways.  Either way is delicious.  It is also infinitely adaptable - you can change the kind or amounts of dried fruits, nuts, and seeds.  Enjoy!

You might want to not use as much milk as I did, lest you need an excuse to use up the milk and pour some more cereal in, and then more milk to balance that out and, before you know it, the entire bowl is gone...  Good luck.

Muesli
Adapted from Honest Fare

5 cups regular oats
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs. whole flax seeds
1/2 cup raw almond slivers (you could also substitute any chopped nut, but I like the texture of the slivers)
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
5-6 figs, chopped*
4 large dried dates, chopped*
1/2 cup golden raisins*

*You can substitute any kind of dried fruit for this; just make sure you have about 1 cup total.  And if you get the chance, I would encourage you to try this combination, as it is quite good.

In a large bowl mix the oats, salt, and cinnamon together.  Add any chopped fruits (the oat dust will cling to their chopped edges and keep them from sticking to everything else), followed by everything else.  Mix well.  Store in a container that has room to dip your hand in, and shake every time before serving.

This picture is blurry because my other hand was reaching down to grab some of that goodness.  Yum.