One of the best feelings in the world is getting a care package from someone you love. The first time I got one was when I studied abroad in Nanjing, China, 9 years ago. According to Google maps, I was 6,204 miles from San Francisco. In other words, I was far, far away from home. It was my first time setting foot on China (let alone living there), and I had no idea what I was in for. My brother happened to travel to China while I studied abroad, and my family convinced him to schlep over a care package. In no particular order of importance, I got 40 energy bars, 2 bags of ground coffee, snow boots, a large coat and, of course, CHOCOLATE! I was ecstatic when I saw the goodies. However, it also felt odd seeing all these American products in my possession all of a sudden. Needless to say, I felt loved. Now that my nephew is away to college, I’m starting to think more about making care packages again. That’s why I’ve partnered with Bob’s Red Mill to design a delicious and nutritious care package that you can give to your friends and family—anyone who could use some extra love, really. Breakfast is the most important meal because it fuels me for the entire day. That’s why I came up with this breakfast-themed care package, designed to nourish your loved ones. It’s modeled after the breakfast muesli that I usually eat on the weekdays. I packed 2 bags of the tropical muesli (I love the macadamia nuts and fruit chunks), a bag of shredded coconut, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds in the box. That’s good enough for about a month’s worth of breakfasts. The overnight apple muesli is very easy to make—just throw all the ingredients together into a container, stir and refrigerate. It usually takes me no more than 5 minutes to prepare the night before. The muesli is topped with crisp chopped apples that are gently tossed with spices and a light drizzle of maple syrup. It truly is a tasty, nourishing dish to jumpstart your day!
COOKING NOTES FOR APPLE MUESLI
Variations: In this recipe, I use 1/2 cup of plain yogurt and 1/2 cup of low-fat kefir to soak the muesli overnight. You can use any combination of your favorite yogurt or milk that you enjoy. Note that if you are using non-fat Greek yogurt, you will want to blend it with something runnier, such as kefir or milk. I tried using 1 cup of non-fat Greek yogurt once, and the texture of the muesli was chalky.Flavorings: Besides cinnamon, I like flavoring the muesli with orange zest or dried culinary lavender.
MORE RECIPES WITH BOB’S RED MILL
Pumpkin Millet PorridgeHow to Make Milk BreadGluten-Free Crystal Skin DumplingsBaked Char Siu Bao (BBQ Pork Buns)
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill! To learn more about their products and to get more recipe inspiration, follow them on Instagram or Facebook.
