Wish your immune system a “Merry Christmas” and a “Wholesome New Year” with friendly cultures from yogurt and antioxidant-rich berries!
Naturally Sweet!
I prefer to sweeten yogurt with natural sweeteners instead of purchasing artificially flavored and heavily sweetened yogurt.
I swirl Organic Grade A Dark Robust Maple Syrup (purchased from Azure Standard) and a little of my handcrafted Madagascar vanilla extract into a carton of Aldi’s organic whole milk vanilla yogurt to serve to my family. (I have made my own yogurt in the past, but Aldi’s organic variety tastes great and is creamy!)
In a rush?
I mixed vanilla whole milk yogurt with unflavored whole milk yogurt to save some steps (on Christmas Day every minute counts!) We never need our yogurt as sweet as the grocery store variety anyway.
When Sweet Home Farms sent me a family sized carton of their delicious non-GMO granola I was thrilled. Our farmhands (a.k.a. children) can put away much more than one of those little pouches of granola for breakfast, so the family sized carton is perfect for us!
If you want to make your own granola cereal, our Maple Oat Crisp Cereal recipe works well and is very easy to make!
For a simple and even lower sugar option than granola in this recipe, layer freshly rolled oats or any type of raw oatmeal with the fruit and yogurt. If you refrigerate the parfait for a few hours it will soften up the oats. We eat raw rolled oats often in our family!
I make freshly rolled organic oats for the recipe. I purchase oat groats in bulk from Azure Standard and roll my own with an oat flaker attachment on my Ankarsrum Mixer. You can purchase freshly rolled oats from Ingrained (send us a message at Bethany@ingrainedliving.com if you are interested.) Freshly rolled oats are
Sweet
Flavorful
and Chewy!
They taste nothing like store-bought oatmeal (which we now think tastes like cardboard compared to freshly rolled oats!)
I saved this granola for a special occassion when I would want to serve something delicious but quick and easy. As it turns out, this cereal made its debut at our annual family Christmas brunch in the form of Maple Pecan & Mixed Berry Yogurt Parfaits. A light and fresh side is always a nice accompaniment to heavier brunch fare such as sausage balls and grits casseroles!
Presentation is Everything!
My Little Farmers eat yogurt, berries, and granola often, but they thought these parfaits were extra special.
Why?
Usually we just pile the ingredients in an enamel bowl and stir it together. They liked having their own little cup — plus, it was pretty! My mantra is that “Presentation is Everything!” You can transform everyday food into party food with a simple tweak in the presentation!
Transform “ho-hum” into mmmm… yum!
You can apply this principle to any “healthy food” that you serve your family. Take the time to arrange your wholesome fare on a platter, cut it into fun shapes, or serve it in an different container. (I like to do this with raw vegetables!)
Any food tastes better when you take the time to make it “pretty”! You feast with your eyes as much as you do with your mouth!
- 1 quart (32 fl. oz) Organic Whole Milk Yogurt flavored with
- — 2-4 tablespoons Organic Dark Robust Maple Syrup
- — 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-3 pints fresh or frozen Mixed Berries – Strawberries (diced), Blueberries, Blackberries and/or Raspberries
- 1/2 carton (~10 oz) Maple Pecan Granola by Sweet Home Farm or your choice of naturally sweetened granola or muesli (see recipe for Maple Oat Crisp Cereal by A Spoon Full of Yum)
- Layer 2 T. berries, 1/4 cup yogurt, and 2 T. granola in small cups or bowls. Repeat layers until container is sufficiently full.
- Glass bowls, 4 or 8 oz. mason jars, or clear plastic cups make a nice presentation!
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
Here’s to Wholesome Holidays!
~Bethany
p.s. What is your all time favorite Christmas brunch food? Drop us a line below!