The last day of 2009 – New Year’s Eve and the inevitable new year’s resolutions. In anticipation that some of us will wake up tomorrow resolving to eat less, drink less, grouch less, exercise more, give more, chill out more – at least for a couple of days – here’s a muesli recipe to start you off on your new resolutely healthy day!

It’s so easy to make: just chuck it all in a big oven tray and bake for 20 minutes, then toss in some dried fruit. I like to use cranberries and dried apricots because they look pretty, plus my nephew and niece don’t like raisins and I usually give them a container full to eat while it’s fresh. You can use any ingredients you like but I like to use health-foodie stuff that my family wouldn’t normally touch such as linseeds, wheat germ and oat bran. The batch I made this week uses whole linseeds but you will likely absorb more nutrients from ground linseeds. I buy a ground linseed, sunflower and almond mix from the refrigerator section of the health food store. It’s a rich source of unsaturated fat – great for skin, hair, nails and heart – with a bit of plant estrogen as an added bonus. But all that lovely fat can quickly go rancid, so store it in the fridge and use as soon as possible.

Here are the rough amounts. Alter it as you wish and try other nuts or seeds. Serve with yoghurt, milk and fresh fruit. If the past few weeks have been marred by dietary and alcoholic excess, a bowl of this muesli will have you feeling virtuous all day.

4 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup oat bran

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup linseeds

1/2 cup coconut threads

1/3 cup chopped almonds

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

Combine all ingredients in a large baking tray. In a pot or microwave heat 1/2 cup honey, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup oil, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla until bubbling. Mix into muesli. Bake at 160 (340F), stirring frequently, for 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and add 1/2 cup of chopped dried fruit.