I love parfaits.  You can add any fruits that you like — any berry, melon, oranges, apples slices, grapefruit, bananas or kiwi.  It’s the perfect elegant way to serve fruit.  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 things 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.

I am making these parfaits with fresh blueberries.  You can use frozen wild blueberries, too.  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!

Then you layer with plain Greek-style yogurt.  Personally, I love Siggi’s yogurt. It’s Icelandic Skyr (pronounced skeer) — a   cultured dairy product. (Disclosure: I get freebies from Siggi’s yogurt as a brand ambassador.)  So you’ll not only be getting a protein boost, but a probiotic one, too!

Layer the toasted oats — there’s your fiber kick, primarily beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that does wonders for keeping your arteries clog-free allowing your blood to flow smoothly.   That’s what we all want, right?

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 it, too.  Sprinkle with roasted cinnamon and top with a few sprigs of mint.

Toasted Oats and Blueberry Yogurt Parfaits 

Makes 6 – 1 cup servings

Ingredients

½ cup raw whole oats

6 cups plain Greek-style yogurt (like Siggi’s skyr)

2 cups fresh blueberries*, washed and dried

1 Tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

6 sprigs fresh mint, 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 lieu of fresh ones in this recipe, too.

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