I love those yogurt parfaits you get at McDonalds or Panera. YUM! All of that sweet creamy yogurt, tart fruit, and crunchy granola just makes me smile. I also love that when I eat fruit and yogurt for breakfast, I feel good! I don't feel all full and gross, like..."why did I eat ALL of those little donuts?" HA! After a breakfast of fruit, yogurt, and oats, you know you have a great start to your day!
I made a batch of Homemade Perfect Granola this weekend. The recipe comes from Amy's Finer Things blog. It's just SO EASY! The smell of honey, cinnamon, and oats wafting in your kitchen will inspire you to always keep some on hand. We eat it with milk (like cereal), on applesauce, with yogurt, and just by the handful! I usually add some dried fruit, like cranberries, apricots, raisins. This time I had cranberries so the parfait has quite a red & pink flair to it, perfect for this time of year!
I had some frozen raspberries in my freezer and as I am bound and determined to start eating some of my freezer stash.. I put together a yogurt parfait for eating at my desk.(I'm lucky enough that my employer allows such a thing.) Before leaving my house, I put the frozen fruit in a jar big enough to contain the entire parfait once it is assembled, added a lid, and put it in my bag. I bring with me a container of vanilla or flavored yogurt, some granola, a spoon, and I'm good to go!
Here, again, is my granola recipe. It's so very easy. No expensive ingredients, except maybe the honey and I just try to find the best deal I can on that.
Homemade Perfect Granola (Lazy Granola)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup oil (I use Canola)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 7 cups oats (I use old fashioned, NOT quick cooking), chopped pecans, sliced almonds, etc. (just make sure your combined oats/nuts only equals 7 cups)
Instructions:
Mix brown sugar, oil, and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil. Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon and vanilla.
Mix oats and nuts in a large bowl. Pour liquid ingredients over. Stir well until well coated.
Spread in a 10×13 pan. (I use a broiler pan for this. I either spray it with Pam first or use a sheet of parchment paper - which I fold up and reuse over and over every time I make granola). Bake at 375° for 10 minutes.
Take out and stir.
Return pan to oven. Turn oven off. Keep peeking and stir occasionally until the oven cools and your granola is the golden brown color you prefer.
Add any dried fruits after the granola is cooled. Break apart and store in ziploc bag or large glass jar.
Parfait Ingredients
Layer in a jar/dish:
- Bottom layer: Fruit
- Second layer: Yogurt
- Top layer: Granola/dried fruit, etc.
Enjoy!
Gina
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