I’ve been really into making fun breakfasts lately.
After a near month-long string of cereal + sliced banana + almond milk in the morning, I figured it was time to put a little more effort into the most important meal of the day. Especially after finding out that one of my girlfriends, who has two kids under the age of 5, manages to get them, herself, and her husband out the door with freshly made smoothies in hand every morning. THE SHAME!
Anyway, the aforementioned smoothies have become a popular option. Ben and I both enjoy sucking down the blended-to-hell combo of 1 cup (ish) frozen berries, a frozen banana, 1/4 cup old fashioned oats, 1 tsp chia seeds, 2-3 cups (ish) baby spinach, and a huge glug of almond milk in the mornings.
He drinks his on the way to work then texts me, I’M SO FULL, as he pulls into the parking lot. NO SERIOUSLY, I’M SO FULL, comes an email 30 minutes later. Bahahaha. If my meat and potatoes man can get full off of a smoothie, ANY man can!
DIY Frozen Breakfast Burritos are always a popular option, but when I’m craving something really, really fresh yet filling – and FAST – in the mornings, Make-Ahead Fruit & Yogurt Breakfast Parfaits have become my go to.
Creamy Greek yogurt is mixed with heart-healthy old fashioned oats, chia seeds, and a splash of milk, then layered with frozen fruit and berries in a jar for a make-ahead, grab-and-go breakfast. Make one, two, or 10 at a time – they keep for several days in the refrigerator!
Make-Ahead Fruit & Yogurt Breakfast Parfaits are basically layered overnight oats, which I used to make allll the time several years ago. The combination of yogurt and oats mixed together then left to sit overnight in the refrigerator is so dreamy. The oats become nice and chewy, then the frozen berries melt to create a sweet berry sauce that permeates every bite. They are fantastic!
And easy to make, too. Layer up a bunch of these on Sunday night then sleep well knowing you’ll have breakfast taken care of during the week. It’ll save you at least, what, 10 minutes every morning which you can use to sleep in a bit, hunt for your blessed missing shoe, or, gasp, get to work early! ;)
Start each parfait with 6oz Greek yogurt. You could purchase the big tubs of yogurt to make several breakfast parfaits at once, which is usually more economical, but these babies were 10/$10 at the grocery store this weekend, causing me to freak out and pile, well, 10 containers high into my arms, as Ben was in the card aisle with the cart. I’m sure you can guess what happened next.
Sneaker caught. Flying Greek yogurt. Loud plops. Girl frantically scurrying around dairy aisle on hands and knees. Husband turns corner. I KNEW that was you. D’OH!
Anyway, spoon the yogurt into a bowl then add 1/3 cup certified gluten-free old fashioned oats. Heart-healthy and full of fiber, old fashioned oats provide a nice, chewy texture to these breakfast parfaits.
Next add 1 teaspoon chia seeds (available at all grocery stores, usually in the “health food” section or bulk bins) and 2 Tablespoons milk then stir everything together
Spoon half the yogurt mixture into the bottom of a wide-mouth mason jar or tall container.
Then add 1/2 of 1 cup frozen fruit + berries. Frozen fruit works great in these parfaits because they melt in the fridge and create a yummy berry sauce that gets mixed in throughout the entire parfait. YUM.
I used a few Tablespoons each frozen pineapple and frozen blueberries.
Plus frozen raspberries. This combo was absolutely delicious, but again, use what you like.
Top with the remaining yogurt mixture and berries then stick in the fridge. These parfaits stay good for up to 3 days post assembly, so grab and go throughout the week for a convenient, healthy, and filling breakfast. Enjoy!
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Make-Ahead Fruit & Yogurt Breakfast Parfaits
Description
Make-Ahead Fruit & Yogurt Breakfast Parfaits are a quick and easy gluten-free breakfast recipe. Assemble once then grab and go for easy breakfasts all week long!
Ingredients
- 6oz Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup certified gluten-free old fashioned oats (raw)
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 2 Tablespoons milk, any kind
- 1 cup frozen mixed fruit and berries
Directions
- Stir together yogurt, oats, chia seeds, and milk in a bowl. Layer half inside a wide-mouth mason jar or tall container then add half the frozen fruit and berries. Layer in remaining yogurt and berries then refrigerate at least overnight and up to 3 days.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
sounds yummy…. can’t wait to try. I love berries with greek yogurt……does it need to be made with frozen berries or can it be made with fresh berries as we are having a great supply of fresh strawberries blackberries and blueberries right now? Thanks for sharing!!! :)
kbgfeldman@gmail.com
Kristen, I used one layer of frozen berries (raspberries) and then fresh blueberries and strawberries in mine–the frozen berries thaw and make a great “sauce”. I loved the frozen + fresh fruit combo, so you could make it either way.
The second I saw your photos, I knew I HAD TO make these! I’ve tried other overnight oats in the past (but with just almond milk instead of yogurt) and couldn’t handle the texture. Two nights ago I made a double batch of these and they were a huge hit with my kids, hubby and me…made them at 10pm, gone by 10am! Last night I made 8 more of them…we’ll see if they last through the weekend. :) I’m *loving* the “sauce” that the frozen raspberries make–so delicious! These may even become my new dessert treat without the guilt. :) (P.S.–I used the new Fred Meyer/Kroeger’s brand Greek Lite flavored yogurt, which has 40% less calories and lower sugar and they were still creamy and perfect, no gritty taste.)
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This was a great idea! I was worried about a texture issue (I’m weirded out my milk in my oatmeal!), but I was ready for another jar. :)
Mason jars always trip my trigger! This recipe is just great. I usually follow the recipe to the “t” the first time and then mess around with it after that. I’m adding ground flax to the yogurt mixture and then some more liquid to make it go into the mason jars nicely :) I got excited and ran out late at night to get the ingredients and just realized this weekend that the berries and chia are tons cheaper at Costco. I might need a little crunch in here too!n Loved it with mango! Husband loves it! These seem to take me forever to eat and keep me full for hours! Great idea! Thanks!
This has become by go-to breakfast! So many delicious combinations with different yogurts/fruits, and it keeps me full for hours. I love the idea of making them up at night. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Any issues with the pineapple juice turning the yogurt sour?
No not at all!
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I have been eating these for breakfast at least 4 days a week. Thanks for getting me out of my 2 year + addiction to bagel thins for breakfast, this is way more filling.
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Do you use the all the yogurt???
smoothie question: was the recipe you posted for 2 servings for you and your husband or just for your hubby?
It’s for two servings!
thanks! I have all the ingredients so plan to make it tomorrow for breakfast for the both of us :)
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Any idea about the carb grams in this? I know oatmeal is good for you but it runs my blood sugar out the roof.
This recipe looks amazing. Can’t wait to try it. Can I use Quakers instant oatmeal. Do they need to be cooked?
I’ve never tried using instant oatmeal, but I imagine it’d come out ok! The oats should be uncooked, too.
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If I don’t use chia seeds do I still need to add the milk to the yogurt?
Yeah, it helps soften the raw oats.
Love this idea. Summer vacation is literally around the corner and my kids love fruit and yogurt. #spending time away from the stove
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I kind of disagree with the quantities, having just tried this. I doubled the recipe – so 12 oz yogurt (from a larger tub), 2/3 cup oats, 2 tbsp milk. Mixed that up, had a pint canning jar and a coconut oil jar (slightly skinnier but slightly taller, should be the same volume) to split it into, planned to use frozen pineapple and mango in one and a frozen berry mix with cherries in the other. I hadn’t even finished the pint jar and I had used up nearly 3/4 of the mix! I fished some out and put in WAY more fruit, but I wound up with my options being one with almost no fruit or two with a TON of fruit and not much actual oatmeal/yogurt/more solid food to them. Kind of frustrating. :(
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I made some overnight oats last night for my daughter and I and just used milk and oats (I didn’t have yogurt in the house) and they were good but soupy. Anyway, every recipe I’ve seen has Chia seeds in it. Is there any other purpose other then for an extra crunch and/or extra nutrition?
Hey Lara! Yeah unfortunately if you don’t add the Greek yogurt the mixture will be soupy. Chia seeds are a super food – here’s a post where I explain a little bit about them:
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These are FANTASTIC! And because they’re so fantastic, they’ve become a staple in my fridge :)
I love all your ideas, posts, and recipes! Fingers crossed that a cookbook is in the works?? hint hint, wink wink :)
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Would you suggest this a good way to help lose weight? They say people who eat breakfast tend to have better luck than losing weight. I’m a naughty no breakfast eater and this is a good way to change that! :) Also can you substitute chia seed with flaxseed? Ground or otherwise?
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Hi, did you happen to do a calorie count on a batch. Been struggling with my weight and I use diettools.com for help along the way and I have to enter the calorie count for what I eat daily. I made these last night- a bit different (used what I had in the fridge Dannon plain nonfat yogurt and different fruits) and I really enjoyed it. I just didn’t have the calorie count to enter in my tracker this morning. Any help would be humbly appreciated.
Thanks
Nikki
Hey Nikki! I don’t post nutrition info for recipes because as you mentioned, calorie information will vary depending the brand/type of products and ingredients used. I would recommend Livestrong’s recipe calculator tool to calculate that info though! http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/create/
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Can you freeze them and then let them thaw when you want them?
I think that could work!
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Since the Mason jars are not heated can the lids be reused?
Oh definitely!
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