Go for a healthy, make ahead breakfast with a yogurt parfait.

It is often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that does hold true in a number of ways. I don’t know about you but I have been known to miss a morning meal or two when things get a little hectic or I decide to hit the snooze button a few too many times. The importance of a balanced diet cannot be overstated and every meal offers nutrients in one form or another; the key, in my opinion, is portion control. Breakfast can be a make-ahead meal and yogurt parfaits are one of the easiest to put together.

What is in a Parfait

When it comes to deciding what to put in your parfait the first question to ask is what type you want to make. Today most of us relate a parfait to breakfast and that predominantly means yogurt. By contrast the classic parfait was originally made with a custard like product made from egg yolk, sugar and milk. From the base ingredient there are any number of ways to customize a parfait and make it your own.

The parfait is often a simple layered dish of your base, fruit and nuts, seeds or grains. It does not take more than a mental stroll through the supermaket to understand all the options that are at your fingertips with this generic of a description. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, kiwi, and bananas all make an excellent parfait. You can choose to focus on one fruit or decide to mix and match your own blend to satisfy your taste buds. When it comes to nuts a similar decision needs to be made. Walnuts, almonds, and peanuts are all great in their own way, even pumpkin seeds could be utilized to add a little crunch to this dish. Often you will find that granola, of one flavour or another, available with most store bought varieties. The choice is really up to you.

Is a yogurt parfait healthy?

When it comes to your health, diet plays a large part along with exercise. While fruits are considered healthy, they do have a considerable amount of sugar. For this reason watch the volume you are consuming if it is an issue for you, however unless you are trying to loose weight on a large scale this should not be a major concern for you.

One easy way to reduce the sugar in a parfait is to use either a plain or greek yogurt in your parfaits. These yogurts generally contain a fraction of the sugar of other flavoured varieties.   In a dish like this the fruit you are most likely to add will balance out any loss and the serving will certainly still be palletable.

Parfaits offer a number of other health benefits. According to healthline.com they offer a rich source of calcium, and may reduce the risk of heart disease, osteoperosis and can offer some assistance in weight management. The phosphorus, magnesium and potassium can possibly aid in issues with blood pressure, metabolism and bone health. The protein levels present in parfaits help you feel fuller for longer, which as long as you are not emotionally eating should assist in lowering your overall calories without starvation.

Some yogurts even offer probiotics. These can be of special importance when facing off with issues such as IBS and other digestive issues. Notice I said some, not all; read the label.

What yogurt to use for a parfait?

Making the decision on the type of yogurt to use is a personal one when you are making a parfait at home. By far the most popular yogurt used today is vanilla due to its signature flavour that most people enjoy, however any yogurt can be featured in this dish.

Using a fruit flavoured yogurt can either add to the fruity flavour, or take away from the featured fruits in the glass. If you can think up a flavour for yogurt it probably exists. While working my way through the yogurt aisle there was a laundry list of fruit based yogurts, I even found a lime yogurt! Not recommended for this application. Going beyond fruit there are cappuccino yogurts and yes from time to time I have even come across nut flavoured varieties.

Depending on your parfait goals sometimes plain or greek yogurt can be a suitable option. Lowering the sugar content of any dish is an achievement for anyone trying to manage their weight and that is one where these two types shine. Check the label to ensure the variety in your hand is truly low in sugar because some brands may sneak additional sugars into their plain or greek yogurts as well.

How long does a yogurt parfait last in the fridge?

In today’s busy world a lot of us are always looking for make ahead meals and other ways to spend the time, when we have it, in order to free up some additional minutes when we do not. That fact leads many to this question: How long will a parfait last? As for most things in life the answer is; it depends.

If you plan on putting your cups together a few days ahead, refrigeration will keep all of your wonderful works of art safe for two to three days. The yogurt and fruit should not suffer any ill effects in that amount of time. One word of caution, if you do enjoy granola or any other grains to add an element of texture to your parfait, keep it separate until just before serving. Otherwise the grain could very possibly soak up some moisture from the fruit or other ingredients and make for a less than desirable topping.

If you are looking for a way to extend that life you are in luck. Yogurt and fruit generally freeze quite well. The same rules apply to the grains as mentioned in the previous paragraph. Freezing does keep parfaits for much longer, I would want to use them up within a month. When freezing your parfaits be aware of a few key factors. You are going to need to remember to remove any you will require at least ten hours before or else you might be out of luck for breakfast tomorrow. Additionally they will require an air-tight lid, otherwise you can end up with some freezer burn or other forms of dehydration.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup vanilla flavoured yogurt

¼ cup of mixed berries (we used defrosted frozen berries)

2 Tbsp. granola (check for our granola recipe)

Directions:

• Layer the yogurt and berry blend in four sections into a glass, ramekin or other serving dish.
• Top with granola.
• Serve or freeze for later use, keeping the granola separated if being stored.

When it comes to morning meals, especially though the week, speed and simplicity are often the two most important factors. A yogurt parfait, your yogurt parfait, can be thrown together in less than five minutes; if you make them ahead or craft them in small batches it could be as simple as grab and go! As in nearly all dishes it is easy to put your own twist on a yogurt parfait. When preparing for yourself, or a group of people, the most important factor is offering something your tablemates will enjoy. The next time you are deciding on your morning meal, give a yogurt parfait a try. You won’t be disappointed.

 

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