LEMON YOGURT PARFAIT

I'm kind of proud of this yummy treat.  Let me start by saying I definitely am not much of a fan of plain greek yogurt, but if I add all these yummy ingredients - this is one of my favorite breakfasts.  I stumbled on to adding lemon zest when it was winter time and I had no fresh fruit to put on top of my plain greek yogurt.  I am familiar with using lemon zest in recipes; I know that the zest (and not the juice) is what provides that great lemon flavor.  I find the zest from 1/2 to a whole lemon works out well here.

The bonus here is you end up with flavored yogurt that is a natural flavor and doesn't include the who knows what ingredients that you find in flavored yogurt at the grocery store.  Furthermore, even if you want to add fresh berries or other fresh fruit on top - the lemon flavor compliments just about everything.

INGREDIENTS

Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt - Stoneyfield Organic
Lemon Zest - from an organic lemon
Granola - Organic
Organic Sugar
Organic Berries (Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, etc...)
Chia Seeds

***Note #1 - Sometimes I don't have any fresh berries on hand, and I have found the lemon zest adds just enough flavor.  Just plain greek yogurt, granola and lemon zest - Mmmmmmmm.

***Note #2 - I don't measure anything here so I haven't provided any indication for specific amount.  Just add the ingredients based on your personal preference.

Here is what I do:

(1) Put yogurt in a dish

Greek Yogurt

(2) Use a zester or a fine cheese grater to sprinkle lemon zest on top of yogurt.  This may look like a lot of lemon zest but the flavor is amazing. What is pictured here is the zest of a whole lemon.

Lemon Zest

(3) Sprinkle just a little bit of sugar. If you are using a sweeter already flavored yogurt - you probably want to skip the sugar as your yogurt is probably sweet enough already.

Just a little sugar.

(4) Add granola. I add enough to cover the yogurt in my bowl.  I keep some granola in a Tupperware with a plastic spoon so I an easily spoon it on to my yogurt.

Granola

(5) Add berries.  My favorites are raspberries, but blueberries, blackberries and strawberries are all good options.  No berries?  Just the lemon zest provides a good amount of flavor.  Try it without the berries and I think you will be surprised.

(6) Sprinkle Chia Seeds.  These are really good for you.  I try to sprinkle them on anything I can - salads, yogurt, oatmeal...

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One more tip - don't let this sit around too long as the granola will get soggy as it sits in the yogurt.