Portable Parfaits

Put Your Breakfast in a Jar

As you may recall, I have had my struggles with breakfast.  It’s such an important meal, yet one that is hugely challenging to do well in our hectic lives.

As someone who values breakfast, but is decidedly not a morning person, I need something that’s as quick and portable as it is healthy and satisfying.  It’s a tall order–and despite my best efforts, I continue to come up short.

Enter the Portable Parfait.

Why not chop fruit in the evening and mix it with yogurt and oatmeal, then take it with you the next day? A tragically simple concept, a beautifully satisfying solution.  I packed it into an empty peanut butter jar made of lightweight plastic so it wouldn’t weigh this bag lady down.

The beauty of this dish is that it’s open to endless iterations. My first parfait combined one of the season’s last nectarines with layers of banana and greek yogurt, topped with raw oatmeal and cinnamon.   Think of all the possibilities: adding dried fruit, chopped nuts, a little bit of honey or jam, a dollop of peanut butter… I think tomorrow I’ll do apples and raisins with tiny bits of candied ginger.

If you make one of these, please take a picture and share with me!

Recipe: Portable Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

1 ripe nectarine
1 ripe banana
3 tbs greek yogurt
1/4 cup raw oatmeal
sprinkle of cinnamon

Cut the nectarine into small cubes and thinly slice the banana.  In a clean peanut butter jar, layer half the nectarine with half the bananas and 2 tbsp of the oatmeal.  Add the rest of the nectarines, the bananas, and the yogurt.  Finish with the rest of the oatmeal and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Screw the lid on tight and you’re ready to go!