Yogurt Parfait
May 30, 2019Warmer weather means my oatmeal breakfast days are slowly dwindling down and the cooler breakfasts of smoothies + yogurt parfaits are coming out! Breakfast in this house is a BIG deal and when I say BIG deal... I mean HUGE deal in my kids eyes! I mean they don't fall far from the apple tree if you know what I mean!?!
Breakfast is MY jam! I HAVE to eat it! I don't do well skipping it and well, studies back me up (1, 2)... Eating breakfast can help stabilize your blood sugar which will help with reducing inflammation, may assist with your weight loss goals by helping kick start your metabolism, and will help you focus + have the energy to do what needs to get done!!
If I can't eat breakfast in time I typically grab a banana and cashews or walnuts to at least give me something to help me out! (you don't want to be around me if I haven't had breakfast! I can get #hangry because my body depends on it to stabilize my blood sugars and to give me the fuel I need to start my day!)
If you're a breakfast skipper, I encourage you to try out these yogurt parfaits and see how your body responds to it after a week! (I say a week because one day doesn't show us enough and doesn't allow your body to adjust... as some studies show eating breakfast every morning can help your circadian rhythm! #sleepbetter)
I have a special way to make these yogurt parfaits.
Why?
Because I INTENTIONALLY use food to help out my body.
Not only is breakfast important but what you PUT INTO your body is even more important than the time of day you put it in! Let me break it down for you based on my health conditions, so you can see how it may fit into yours!
Migraines: I haven't had a migraine in a long long time (knock on wood) because I know my triggers and because I know what my body needs to PREVENT them! Migraines are an inflammatory response, so having a high anti-inflammatory diet is key for me! The ground flaxseed and walnuts give me the Anti-Inflammatory Omega 3 Fatty Acids.
- Seasonal allergies used to cause nasty headaches which could turn into migraines. Using the local honey on top of my parfaits helps with my allergies, which in turn prevents head pain!
Anxiety: Same thing with migraines! Anti-Inflammatory! Plus the walnuts are a good source of magnesium and magnesium is great for relaxing muscles (Yup, when we are stressed/anxiety. We typically have more cortisol in our bodies which in turn can cause our muscles to be tense, as a byproduct of cortisol metabolism is lactic acid... remember the last time you had a muscle cramp?! ya, walnuts help).
Thyroid: The thyroid is super sensitive to free radical damage - so a diet rich in antioxidants is CRUCIAL! Insert blueberries for my morning antioxidant dose! 
Dietitian Tip: This recipe can be made SO many ways. I am a sucker for blueberries because of their high antioxidant content and their taste reminds me of picking them off my grandfather's pond/lake in New Hampshire. #memorylane Swap out the blueberries for peaches, strawberries, cherries, raspberries etc.. Have fun with it!
Meal Prep Tip: Don't stress on making this every day. Yogurt parfaits are an EXCELLENT meal prep. I like to make an assembly line with this because I can make breakfast for a week for all 4 of us in the family in under 5 minutes!
1. Line up your containers (glass is best if you can to avoid hormone disruptors #thyroidhealth)
2. Line each container with yogurt first, then move onto flaxseed, then berries, then honey, and last nuts
3. If you add cereal / granola, wait until morning of or you'll have soggy cereal.
Serving size is for 1, just so you know what to add into each parfait but remember meal prep these and make like easier on yourself!
Time: Under 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 C Yogurt of Choice (I like Forager Cashew yogurt but a grassfed plain cows milk yogurt works too!)
1 Tbsp Milled Flaxseed
1/4-1/2 C Blueberries
1 tsp Vanilla extract
2 tsp Local Honey
1/4 C Walnuts
+Optional: Granola or a high fiber cereal (we do a lot of Kashi that have 5g of fiber or more per serving)
Directions:
1. Add ingredients in a bowl or mason jar. Add them in order in which they're listed in the ingredient list.
2. Good in fridge for up to 5 days once made
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References:
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25755093
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5409691/
