Fruit and Oatmeal Breakfast Parfait

Oatmeal is a heart healthy powerhouse food.  This recipe is a fabulous way to get your daily dose of oatmeal in an entirely different way.  While fresh is best, frozen berries also work well in this recipe because they release extra juice as they defrost, which will add moisture and sweetness to the parfait.  It's best to prepare the oatmeal/yogurt mixture the night before, to allow the oatmeal to reach the desired consistency.

1/4 cup old fashioned oats, dry 
1/2 cup 0% Greek yogurt 
cinnamon to taste
sugar, honey, or preferred sweetener to taste
1oz. unsweetened vanilla almond milk, light vanilla soy milk, or skim milk
3/4 cup frozen strawberries, defrosted or 11/4 cup fresh 
1 tablespoon almonds, slivered or sliced or 1/4 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal


In a small plastic container with a lid, combine the oats, yogurt, cinnamon, sweetener of choice, and splash of chosen milk.  Cover and put in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.  It will seem wet when mixed but the oatmeal will absorb the extra liquid.

When ready to eat, take a tall glass, and place ½ of the oat mixture in the bottom. Then top with ½ the of strawberries, and ½ of the almonds or Kashi Go Lean Crunch.  Repeat for the top layer. 

Makes one serving.  237 calories, 5g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 57mg sodium, 6.3g fiber, 13g sugar, 16.6g protein.

Tips and Twists:

GLUTEN FREE OPTION: Use gluten free oats and almonds instead of the Kashi Go Lean cereal.

This recipe can be made with your fruit of choice, but the calorie/sugar content will vary.

When in season, fresh fruit makes this parfait fabulous!  If you desire the "juicy" effect, simply microwave your fruit for 30 seconds to one minute, or until you see some juices forming.

Remember that the nutrition facts do not include added sweetener.  Each packet of artificial sweetener contains approximately 4 calories, each teaspoon of sugar or equivalent is 16 calories.