I mentioned last week that my focus for 2016 was to get stronger. That I not only wanted to get stronger physically and get back into a fitness routine, but want to have stronger relationships, have a stronger grip on my finances, be a stronger contributor to my community and to be more organized in my life.
Being stronger and more organized, not only regarding this blog but in all areas of my life, is definitely a top priority on my journey to embrace the “New Year New You” mentality. Like most people, my life is extremely hectic as I try to juggle many tasks and balance all the things this beautiful life has to offer. From blogging (and all the little time consuming tasks that come with it) to other work and projects, to general household chores and errands and of course fun things like evenings spent enjoying dinner with friends or cuddling up to watch a new movie or finally read that best seller!
One thing that helps me accomplish all of these things is meal planning, not only our dinners but consciously thinking about and planning out all of our other meals including breakfast, lunch and snacks. You see, normally when I go grocery shopping, I bring my list of things we need for dinners or items we are out of and then just throw random things into the cart for breakfast or lunch. Not only does this mean I often spend more than I plan, I often don’t even get things to put together in a real meal. Like have you ever gotten home and realized you only had bread and nothing to sandwich in between it? Or, maybe that’s just me…. Anyways, in an effort to be more organized, I have really started to try and put some thought into all of our meals and food purchases. Not only does this mean I am not going over budget, it keeps us from wasting food- little steps to make me stronger financially!
Keeping all this in mind, when I was getting ready to do some grocery shopping recently, I wrote down some things on my shopping list to pick up for breakfast and lunch. One of my favorite things for breakfast is fruit and yogurt parfaits. I mean that and smoothies is pretty much the ONLY things I ever eat for breakfast. So to my shopping list, I added all my favorite smoothie and parfait ingredients and headed to Walmart. While roaming the aisles, making sure I got everything on my list, I discovered some new Jif Peanut Powder. I love adding a spoonful of peanut butter to my smoothies and so when I saw this I was instantly intrigued. I have heard of peanut powders before, but was always skeptical. Then I read that Jif Peanut Powder, is made of just one ingredient, fresh roasted peanuts (with no added sugar or salt), and has all the protein benefits as traditional peanut butter, but with 85% less fat. I was sold and I decided I would give it a try!
Anxious to try the peanut powder, I decided to add it to my favorite breakfast and these Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Parfaits were born! And let me tell you, I honestly could not believe the peanut butter flavor these parfaits had! So delicious that I seriously can’t stop making and eating these for breakfast every morning and even for my afternoon snacks! The ten minute skillet granola is a huge game changer as well! I have always loved making homemade granola but don’t always have the time for the lengthy process. Skillet granola is a great way to get that homemade granola that I love, with half the work involved. Score!
- 10- Minute Skillet Granola:
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup Jif Peanut Powder
- 2 tablespoons flax seed powder, optional
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- --
- Peanut Butter Banana Parfait:
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons Jif Peanut Powder
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 small bananas, sliced
To make granola: Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir honey into granola and bring to a boil. Stir in rolled oats, Jif Peanut Powder, ground flax seeds, cinnamon and salt; stirring until oats are evenly coated. Cook for 5 minutes, or until oats are golden brown; stirring occasionally.
- Remove granola from heat and transfer to a plate or baking sheet to cool completely (granola will harden some as it cools). Store cooled granola to an airtight container for up to one week.
To make parfaits: In a small bowl whisk together honey, Jif Peanut Powder and Greek yogurt; whisking until well combined.
- To assemble parfaits, in small glass jars or drinking glasses; spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the prepared yogurt into the bottom of the jar. Top the yogurt with several banana slices and 1-2 tablespoons prepared granola. Repeat layers until jar is filled. Serve immediately.
This looks delicious! The perfect way to get a day started, too. I love peanuts and adding them to a parfait with some granola would be a great breakfast, or a nice treat after a workout! YUM! {client}