I love parfaits.  You can add any fruits  — berries, melon, oranges, apples slices, grapefruit, bananas or kiwi.  It’s an elegant way to serve fruit, too.  In this recipe, you simply layer fruit with yogurt and add crunch with toasted oats or flax seeds with a drizzle of honey.  This recipe can found in my book, Total Body Diet for Dummies, too <grin>!

First, toast dry oats in a stainless steel skillet over medium high heat on the stovetop.  Toasting the oats brings out a nutty, crunchy flavor and texture.

toasted oats

I am making these parfaits with fresh blueberries.  You can use frozen wild blueberries, too. I love Wyman’s Wild Blueberries.   If using fresh ones, be sure to rinse and pat them dry prior to using them.  I love blueberries as they add such a nutritious punch with antioxidants and their colorful skins offer a whole host of anthocyanins, which a fabulous for keeping your cells healthy!

Blueberries 1

Next, layer with plain Greek-style yogurt. I enjoy Siggi’s yogurt. It’s Icelandic Skyr (pronounced skeer) — a   cultured dairy product.  So you’ll not only be getting a protein boost, but a probiotic one, too!

Blueberries 2

Layer toasted oats – there’s your fiber kick, primarily beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that does wonders for keeping your cholesterol in check.

Blueberries 3

Add sweetness with a bit of honey over each oat layer.  Honey adds a subtle sweetness. If you’d like, you can use pure maple syrup or brown rice syrup.   Just a drizzle will do, too.  Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and top with a couple of fresh mint leaves.

Try my brain boosting #recipe: Toasted Oats and Blueberry Yogurt Parfaits #vsrnutritiontoday #simplecravings #realfood Click To Tweet

parfaits 2

Toasted Oats and Blueberry Yogurt Parfaits 

parfaits 3

Makes 6 – 1 cup servings

Ingredients

½ cup raw whole oats

6 cups plain Greek-style yogurt

2 cups fresh blueberries*, washed and dried

1 Tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

12 fresh mint leaves, washed and dried

Directions

  1. Toast the oats in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown.

  2. In each of 6 fluted glasses, place 1/3 cup of plain yogurt. Add 1 tablespoon of blueberries, 1 tablespoon of oats, and a drizzle of honey. Repeat until each glass is filled to the top.

  3. Top each glass with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a sprig of mint.

  4. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Frozen blueberries can be used in this recipe.

Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories 205 (From Fat 39); Fat 4 g (Saturated 3 g): Cholesterol 15 mg; Sodium 172 mg; Carbohydrate 28 g; Dietary Fiber 1 g; Protein 14 g

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