If you’re not a morning person like me, the thought of making yourself a big, balanced breakfast is probably…overnight-oatmeal well, non-existent. Perhaps that snooze button seems more appetizing than a stack of pancakes; however breakfast is incredibly important to start your metabolism, and day off right.

A great idea to cut down on time for breakfast is to prepare it the night before. Whether you bake breakfast muffins, make a breakfast in a jar concoction or a fruit and yogurt parfait, try to ensure you add fruit or something high in fiber to help your glycemic index stay low. This way you won’t crash or feel the need to snack as much throughout the morning.

Oatmeal in a Jar

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients

  • ½ cup old fashioned oats
  • ½ cup of Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • ½ cup diced peaches
  • 1 packet stevia powder
  • 1 tsp of chia seeds (optional)
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp of almond extract
  • 2 TBS chopped pecans (optional)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 ripe banana, mashed
  • 1 TBS canola oil

Directions 

  1. Mix oats, yogurt, almond milk, peaches, stevia, chia seeds, cinnamon, and almond extract together in a sealable glass jar or container.
  2. Cover the container and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.
  3. Top with pecans.

Nutritional Value

Calories/Serving: 455 kcal Total Fat: 25.4 g Total Carbs: 44.6g Protein: 13.7g

Berry Punch Parfait in a Jar

Makes 4 Jars

Ingredients

  • 1 pound strawberries
  • 1/3 cup Fruit Punch
  • 2 cups vanilla-flavored nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 2 TBS Fruit Punch
  • ¼ cup of granola

Directions

  1. Rinse, stem, and slice strawberries into bite-sized pieces.
  2. Heat the strawberries and 1/3 cup of fruit punch in a wide skillet or sauce pan over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes until strawberries are soft.
  3. Stir the yogurt and remaining 2 TBS of fruit punch together in a medium bowl.
  4. Spoon ¼ cup yogurt into each jar, then top with about 2 TBS cooled strawberries. Sprinkle with 1-2 TBS of granola.
  5. Repeat with another layer of each ingredient in each jar. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  6. Granola in each parfait will stay crunchy for up to 4 hours. After that it will be soggier, but still delicious.

Nutritional Information

Calories/serving: 192 kcal Total fat: 2.4g Total Carbs: 36g Protein: 8.2g