Jon’s Muesli Mix

In the May 2009 issue of Boys’ Life, REI’s Jon Almquist tells you how to pick the perfect backpack. Here, he gives you the recipe for something tasty to pack in it.

JON’S MUESLI MIX

• 10 cups thick cut rolled oats
• 1/2 cup skim milk powder
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (or less to taste)
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 cups wheat flakes
• 2 cups rye flakes
• 2 cups puffed wheat or Kamut
• 2 cups puffed millet
• 2 cups bran flakes (wheat flakes are good, or go half wheat, half oat)
• 2/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 2 Tbsp hulled sesame seeds
• 1/2 to 1 cup raw almonds — cut in half to thirds
• 1/2 to 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/2 to 1 cup dried apples, chopped
• 1/2 lb golden raisins
• 1/2 lb dried cranberries
• 1/2 lb date pieces
• Few pieces crystallized ginger, chopped fine (about ¼ cup max)

Note: Sometimes your local market’s bulk food section doesn’t have all the ingredients listed above, so feel free to mix and match with whatever is available or sounds good to you.

To prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. In large stainless bowl (or large “soup pot”), mix oats, milk powder and brown sugar until all lumps are gone.

3. Add other dry ingredients (everything except the dried fruits and ginger) and mix.

4. Pour into two 9 x 13 baking pans and heat in oven (at 300 degrees) for 30 minutes, mixing every 8 or so minutes. To mix, I remove the muesli from oven, pour both trays back into the large bowl or pot to mix, then pour back into trays which go back into the oven.

5. Let cool, then add dried fruit and ginger, and stir.