With May upon us, many might be feeling the need to shed winter eating and, with it, hopefully a few pounds. For me, one of the meals most easy transformed into a lighter, healthier option is breakfast. Instead of frying up the bacon — or at least limiting it to once each weekend — try making a fantastic fruit, nut, and yogurt parfait and serve it in its own edible cup made with oats and applesauce:
What I really adore about this dish is how simple this base is and, therefore, how you can help it shine by choosing stunning ingredients to fill it. I love a lightly-sweetened vanilla Greek yogurt topped with a bevy of fresh berries and sliced almonds. It's beautiful and delicious while also being an incredibly healthy choice. For me, opting for a weekend breakfast like this for just one of my traditionally decadent weekend breakfast meals makes a huge difference in how many calories I'm consuming and how well those calories treat my body. Besides, starting out with a meal like this inspires me to make my other meals live up to the standard that breakfast sets!
Of course, you can opt for other fillings too. A scoop of cottage cheese and diced melon can be very inviting. Even a small slather of cream cheese, a generous spoonful of applesauce, and some chopped walnuts can have you envisioning breakfast pie! Put together your favorite or opt for a variety to let your friends and loved ones make breakfast their very own!
Granola Parfait Cups
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup rolled oats — NOT instant
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Grease a muffin top tin and set aside.
Whisk together the first three ingredients (applesauce through vanilla extract) in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Portion the batter into the muffin top cups, gently pressing up the sides.
Bake the granola cups for 15-18 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. To prevent crumbling, allow them to sit for 20 minutes before attempting to remove them from the tins.
Set each cup on a serving plate and fill with your choice of yogurt, fruit, and nuts. Enjoy!
- Yields: 5-6 servings
- Preparation Time: 45 minutes