There are days when I am down with a lot of work and my mornings are super rushed, and I literally have neither the time nor energy to cook a healthy breakfast. Grabbing a parfait bowl, a bagel or a donut are my only breakfast options. But ever since I started working on my healthy regime, I realized that most of these foods, specially bagel or donut contain a lot of ingredients like all purpose flour, sugar which have an inflammatory reaction on the body. Even what might seem like an healthy option like a parfait may be loaded with high quantities of added sugar in the yogurt. Moreover there was the obvious wait time when picking up these items, so was I really saving time? Having just a few ingredients at home, I can now whip up my super healthy and delicious parfait in less than 5 minutes.

Health benefits of homemade parfait

• Yogurt is packed with calcium and protein. It also contains other vital nutrients like vitamin B-2, vitamin B-12, potassium and magnesium. It also contains probiotics/ healthy bacteria which helps to maintain the gut microbiome.
• Granola is made from oats and healthy nuts which regulates blood pressure, reduces cholesterol levels, reduces blood sugar, improves gut health and provides many antioxidants.
• We are already aware of the health benefits of having fruits since ages now, so I won’t bore you with that.

Servings - 2

Course - Breakfast/ snack

Days it lasts - 2-3 days

Ingredients

• 3 cups plain greek/ normal yogurt. Vanilla yogurt can be used but an yogurt low in added sugar is preferable
• 1 Tbsp raw honey/ agave/ maple syrup only if using plain yogurt
• 3/4th cup granola of preference. Preferably homemade but there are also healthy store bought granola options which are gluten free and have very low added sugars. Always check the labels and ingredient list
• ½ cup fruit of choice
• ⅓ rd cup rice or corn flakes (optional)
• 1 Tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 1 Tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, honey/ agave/ maple syrup, fruits, cinnamon, vanilla and the rice/corn flakes. I have used pomegranate and pineapple as the fruit adding. You can also use raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, banana or any other fruit of your choice. Fresh fruits are preferable as it won’t make the parfait super soggy like frozen fruits.

   

2. Scoop the mixture into 2 separate serving bowls or mason jars if you want to have it on the way to work. Top them with the chunky granola and more fruits. I have used crunchy and chunky dark chocolate granola.

Although this can be made ahead of time, I like making it just before having it as it preserves the texture of the fruits and the crunch of the granola better in my opinion. I like mixing everything together as it requires lesser effort and time than layering and tastes exactly the same. I hope you enjoy this super easy parfait recipe.

I also try the layering parfait when I have a bit more time.

Instructions

1. Mix together the yogurt, honey/agave/ maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla in a bowl.
2. Add ¼ th of the yogurt mixture into each of the 2 serving bowls/ mason jars.
3. Top each of the bowls/jars with 1/4th of the fruits, granola and rice/corn flakes.
4. Repeat step 2 and 3.