Coconut Yogurt Parfait With Homemade Granola

I’ve always enjoyed granola, especially my mom’s recipe. Sometimes I like eating it like cereal topped with milk, but my favorite combination is to use it as a topping to yogurt. My mom shared her granola recipe with me many years ago and I attempted to make it once. Unfortunately I burned it to a crisp! I was pretty upset about having to dump the nuts and oats, and never attempted to make it again until this morning.

After burning the heck out of my first attempt at homemade granola, I switched to buying granola. Bare Naked Fruit and Nut granola was a long time favorite of mine. I used to keep a bag of it in my office and be able to easily throw a yogurt and other toppings in with my lunch for an easy breakfast. I ate the same breakfast every day at work for many years; Greek yogurt topped with granola and usually some sort of fruit. It may sound odd, but grapes are one of my favorite toppings in a parfait. Let me know if you try it!

Over the last couple of years the pandemic has changed many of my previous routines and habits. I’ll be starting a new job in a few weeks and I’m gearing up to get back to packing meals for work. I’m also using the new job as a chance to reset and bring back some healthier habits that have fallen by the wayside over the last couple of years. I’m looking forward to not having full access to my refrigerator all day. Sometimes being limited to eating what I pack in my lunch bag is very helpful!

Coconut Yogurt Parfait

Does anyone else struggle with yogurt? My ideal yogurt would be flavored but contain minimal added sugar, and not offset by artificial sweeteners. Chobani Less Sugar Greek Yogurt comes pretty close, but still contains 9 grams of total sugar with 5 grams of those being added sugar. I’m not a huge coconut person, but toasted coconut yogurt is one of my favorites for a parfait. I probably need to just get used to using plain Greek yogurt as a base!

On the topic of sugar, a parfait is definitely a sweet start to your day and the sugar can really add up. The yogurt, dried fruit and granola can all have quite a bit of added sugar if you aren’t watching your food labels. Some of these ingredients as well as fresh fruit also contain natural sugar. Recommendations for added sugar limits are 25 grams for women and children, and 36 grams for men. The American Heart Association has a great infographic that summarizes this information.

Breakfast With the Kids

The kids could smell the granola this morning before any of us had eaten breakfast. Neither of them really knew what I meant by granola when they asked what I was cooking. I explained that it was like a granola bar but a loose topping that you can sprinkle on yogurt. They liked the idea of picking their toppings!

I haven’t done a price comparison, but I am confident that making your own granola is less expensive than buying the premade versions. I’d love to hear if you try this recipe. It turned out great with no burning this time!