quick snacks for everyone

This recipe is our “go to” snack for everyone in the household. It can be made ahead of time, but since it only takes a few minutes to put together we rarely do so. If you are looking for a fresh alternative to the roster of cheese sticks, fruit leathers and yogurt tubes your kids grab on the go, a yogurt parfait will fit the bill. Not only does it taste good, it looks appealing as well. A child can certainly make this on their own, as long as the ingredients are readily available in your refrigerator.

I highly recommend using fage yogurt or other similar Greek strained yogurt, because it does not leak between the layers. The texture of the yogurt makes a difference in appearance as well as flavor.


YOGURT PARFAIT
½ cup of homemade granola
2 cups of yogurt
½ cup of two or three different types of berries or cut fruit
Agave syrup (substitute granulated sugar, honey, or omit)


Makes 2 parfaits
Using 12 oz. clear glass or plastic cups, carefully spoon 2-3 tablespoons of yogurt into the cup, evenly distributing it across the bottom and avoiding the sides. Layer one type of fruit over the yogurt insuring you cover the entire area so that it can be seen from the outside. Drizzle the
Agave syrup over the fruit (the amount depends on the sweetness of the fruit and individual tastes, but I use ½ -1 teaspoon). Continue to build the parfait with another two or more layers of yogurt, alternating fruit and Agave until you fill two-thirds of the container.

For the very top of the parfait, artfully arrange the fruit and over it, sprinkle ¼ cup of granola. eat immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

EASY CRUNCHY NUTTY GRANOLA
I hope everyone gives this a try because you will be greatly rewarded with homemade granola that tastes so fresh and delicious that you may never buy it from a store again. This is something fun to make with kids because it doesn’t involve cooking over the stove and they can munch on healthy snacks throughout the process.

Before making my own granola, I poured over tons of recipes and was discouraged because they all had too many ingredients, each with their own measurements. It really seemed like it just couldn’t be worth the effort. But, finally, after trying a few of them, I realized that you don’t have to be so exact with the measurements. Just use what you have and like. The process involves assembling the ingredients and baking them on a small cookie sheet for about 20 minutes. Easy!!


Preheat oven to 350°F

2 cups of oats
1 cup total of nuts, coconut, and/or dried fruit (use what you have)
1 cup of (1/3 each) canola oil, liquid sweetener (like molasses, or my favorite – Agave syrup) and honey (most recipes call for heating these together before adding to the oats, but it really doesn’t make much of a difference in the end).
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Healthy option – add couple of tablespoons of wheat germ

Stir together and spread it out into a greased small cookie sheet, so it is about an inch or so high. The taller the mixture, the larger the clumps you will have in the end.

Bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes depending on the depth of the mixture.

Don’t let it get too brown in the oven. It may become somewhat golden in color, however. It will be slightly wet and soft when you take it out, but as it cools (on a cool day, stick it outside), it will harden into the granola you are familiar with. If it doesn’t get as hard as you desire, feel free to return it to the oven for another 5-10 minutes. I try to take it out in the largest pieces possible, so that it is chunky, but you can break it up however you like. Store in a sealed container or baggie.

Serve on top of
Yogurt Parfait.




RECIPES

 

Yogurt Parfait

Tabouleh

Soup

Pasta

4th of July Flatbread

Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote

Sunday Tomato Sauce