Joey´s Quick Healthy Breakfast Parfait Recipe

Are you looking for a quick and easy breakfast that´s both good for your health and gluten free? If so, why not try a breakfast parfait? Brown Cow makes a delicious full-fat or low-fat yogurt. If you avoid lactose, you could substitute soy yogurt or another lactose-free yogurt on the market. Or you could try your hand at making yogurt at home.

You can choose a gluten-free granola such as the one pictured, which is sold at Trader Joe´s. Granola is also easy to make at home. Please find a recipe for homemade granola at the end of this page. Add fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup and you´ll have a breakfast that will nourish your body and keep you going all morning.

I prefer blueberries, raspberries and blackberries for my breakfast parfait, but you could also try chopped apples, banana, pineapple, orange sections, kiwi, mango, or anything that strikes your fancy. Finish with a sprinkling of chia or flax seeds for extra nutrition.

This delicious granola recipe comes courtesy of Emeril Lagasse.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup salted butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, gluten-free if desired
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dried fruit, such as craisins

Instructions:

1. Combine butter and honey in a Pyrex measuring cup and melt in the microwave. Stir.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine oats, almonds, pecans, seeds, sunflower seeds, cinnamon and salt.
3. Pour butter mixture over oat mixture and stir until well combined.
4. Pour onto a large baking sheet and spread in a thin layer. Bake, stirring two or three times, until golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes. Do not over bake.
5. Cool the granola and store in an airtight container.

Yogurt is actually very easy to make at home and contains more active bacteria than commercial varieties. You´ll need to buy a yogurt culture, which can be found online at Amazon or culturesforhealth.com, which is where I buy my cultures.

Just stir the powdered culture into 2 liters of milk, pour into yogurt jars and set the timer of your yogurt maker. It´s that easy! Seven to ten hours later (depending if you use whole or skim milk), you can refrigerate the yogurt and enjoy it chilled.

Keep one of the seven jars of yogurt to re-inoculate your next batch of yogurt. Just stir the already prepared yogurt into the new milk and repeat the process. Yogurt should be prepared weekly to keep the culture strong.

Scientists have found that berries have some of the highest antioxidant levels of any fresh fruit. Especially blueberries are rich in anthocyanins which, according to a 2009 study, "may possess analgesic properties in addition to neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory activities."

So what does that mean for you? Antioxidants possibly prevent a number of diseases, ranging from cancer to Alzheimer´s. Antixodiants may also be effective in preventing a number of age-related diseases and may slow the aging process.

As the body ages, tissues suffer oxidative stress. Free radicals circulate in the body and may cause cellular damage to DNA. Over time, this damage is irreversible and can lead to disease. Antioxidants clear free radicals from the bloodstream. This reduces signs of aging by minimizing wrinkles and preserving skin texture. Antioxidants can even protect your skin from sun damage.

So don´t forget to load up on berries of all kinds, whether fresh summertime berries of frozen berries sold in the freezer section of your local grocery store. Not only are berries good for you and your family, but they´re also delicious. It´s hard to beat the nutritional value of berries served with homemade yogurt and granola. Why not whip up a breakfast parfait today?!

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