Yogurt Breakfast Parfait

I know mornings are rushed for all of us; I get up early and start in on the packing of lunches and all that good stuff. But it's also important to grab a bite to eat for breakfast. I need to make sure I fuel my body for a busy day with preschoolers.

Depending on how quickly I get going, I have more time some days than others. There's also days where I'm not so hungry, yet I know if I leave the house without anything, my stomach will be growling by 10:00.

Not so much even a recipe, but I love having these parfaits for my morning meal. I'm not generally a big eater so these will keep me feeling full until lunch time. I love making a batch of granola on the weekends to last us through the week or so, even the kiddos enjoy these for breakfast or snacks.

While I've tried making my own yogurt before, it's just not feasible right now for me to do so. We love purchasing this particular brand, it's locally made and we've even had a chance to visit their dairy where they produce their products.

During the summer months we love fresh berries or peaches in our parfaits, but now that it's winter, we love adding pomegranate seeds. They offer a nice tartness and crunch plus they're so good for you!

What is your go-to breakfast in the mornings?


Yogurt Breakfast Parfaits

Ingredients:
1 cup yogurt
1/3 cup granola
pomegranate seeds, or other desired fruit

Directions:
Layer ingredients into a cup or bowl as follows: yogurt, granola and lastly, fruit. Enjoy right away. Serves 1

Yogurt Bites

I'm probably the last person to finally try these, better late than never. I've been serving these to the kiddos for snacks lately and they just love them. Both my own and daycare kids are big yogurt eaters so I knew these would go over well and they're such a fun twist on regular yogurt.

If there is any downfall to these, it would that they melt fast. They'll be perfect though for snacks outside this spring and summer and the mess will be minimal.

Another great snack idea for warm weather: frozen fruit. I still have a gallon sized bag of raspberries that I froze from last summer that they've been devouring. Instead of popsicles I can serve frozen fruit, same concept but only healthier.

With the weather getting warmer and school ending in another few weeks, what are some of your favorite healthy snacks to serve? We do a lot of fresh fruit and veggies, these yogurt bites, string cheese and smoothies. I'm always looking for fun new things to serve so I'd love to hear some of your ideas!


Yogurt Bites

Ingredients/Supplies:
Your choice of yogurt
Plastic baggie
Cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

Directions:
Add yogurt to a sandwich sized baggie, snip bottom corner. Drop small amounts of yogurt onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in freezer for 2 hours or until frozen. Remove from cookie sheet and serve. Store remaining bites in the freezer.

Homemade Yogurt

Yogurt is a healthy breakfast option, snack and a great addition to smoothies. I know it can also get expensive depending on what kind you enjoy and if you're able to find a good sale. Our family goes in spurts but we do enjoy eating yogurt each week and incorporating it into our fruit smoothies. I try to stock up when I can find a good sale.

I've been hearing about making your own yogurt for awhile now and finally decided to give it a try on Friday. It's my one day off during the week and it was a fun little project for our youngest and I to enjoy together. I really can't get over just how easy this was, the end result was great! I will forever now make my own yogurt and in return save our family some money.

If you decide to make this for yourself, which I hope you do, you'll need to remember your yogurt will not taste as sweet as what you buy in the store. We added some homemade strawberry freezer jam and fresh fruit to sweeten ours up and it was just enough. It's also not as thick as what you buy; the longer you let it set, the thicker it will be. Also using whole milk will result in a thicker yogurt, but feel free to use whatever kind of milk you have on hand.

Homemade Yogurt

Ingredients:
4 c whole milk
1//4 c instant nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 c plain or vanilla yogurt (Once you've made a batch, you can then use this as your starter)

Directions:
Heat milk in a large saucepan until a thermometer registers 180 degrees F. The milk will be steaming but not yet boiling. Turn off heat and slowly whisk in dry milk powder. Let the mixture cool to 115 degrees F, about 20-25 mins. While mixture is cooling, preheat a slow cooker on low. Once milk mixture is cool, whisk in plain yogurt.

Pour mixture into preheated slow cooker and turn off. Cover with lid and wrap slow cooker with a thick towel. Let sit for 10-12 hours, the longer it stands the thicker your yogurt will become. Do not stir it while in the slow cooker.

Once the yogurt is done, spoon into a container and transfer to the refrigerator. When ready to eat, you can sweeten with jam, honey or fruit if desired. Makes about 5-6 cups.

Adapted from: Ten Dollar Dinners