Tropical Yogurt Parfaits
I'm so ready for summer weather, it's not even funny! Snow just keeps falling, and as much as I love the snow...I really do, don't get me wrong...It feels wrong to have so much snow in March, which in my book is a spring month. Anyways, I'm taking all of us to some place tropical with these tropical yogurt parfaits, hoping to cheer up those of you who are anxious for sunshine and 80 degrees.
The story of this recipe starts with me cutting into a pineapple the other day and finding out that it was most definitely not ripe! I took a first bite of it as I was cutting and just ughhh! Not sweet, not juicy, not anything that you expect from a pineapple! What's with that? Another reason I'm ready for warm weather...all the delicious, in season fruit!
Well, not wanting to throw away an entire pineapple, I thought to try just jazzing it up a bit. I cut it up into small pieces and added it to a frying pan with some coconut oil, honey, and cinnamon, hoping to bring out it's juices (though they be few) and be able to enjoy what was inches close to being dumped in the trash. Thankfully my efforts worked! And the ultimate product was a tropical spin on a yogurt parfait.You guys know that I love the perfect snack, and that snacks are such an important part of my diet. It's easy in our culture to look at snacks as only extra calories (hello, that's diet culture for ya telling you that we can't trust our bodies!), I like to look at snacks as a way of showing myself some self care. I know that, for me, not eating consistently drops my energy and makes me "hangry". I also know that in order to make my snacks satisfying (so I don't keep thinking about eating when I have better things to do) and energizing, I like to include at least some form of protein, and fat.So, while getting your snack on, why not make it fun and interesting, like with this tropical escape in parfait form. It starts with a layer of diced pineapple caramelized in coconut oil, honey, and cinnamon. This layer is topped with a big scoop of plain greek yogurt. Then you want to layer on some pecans followed by caramelized bananas and topped with toasted coconut
(PS, I was so close to trying to call it something relating to hummingbird cake because these are the same flavors, but then there's no cake in here and that made me sad and I didn't want to disappoint you thinking this recipe had cake. That'd be just mean! Maybe another recipe in the future will have cake in the parfait! I like that idea!)
Ok, so once you layer up all your goodness, it's time to dig in!
Tell me...are you soo ready for summer now?
Tropical Yogurt Parfaits
2 cups diced pinapple
2 bananas, sliced
1 Tbs coconut oil, divided
1 tsp cinnamon, divided
2 Tbs honey, divided
2 cups plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup toasted coconut
more honey to drizzle on top
Start by caramelizing your pineapple and banana. In a medium frying pan, add pineapple first with coconut oil, honey, and cinnamon. Cook and stir until the pineapple gets a little more soft and caramelized. Next, do the same thing with your banana. To layer your parfaits, start by dividing the pineapple into 4 small cups. Top with yogurt followed by a sprinkle of pecans. Next add your caramelized banana followed by toasted coconut. Grab a spoon. It's as simple as that!*to toast your coconut, add it to a frying pan over medium heat and stir frequently, watching so that it doesn't burn. It can quickly go from perfectly toasted to burnt.Hope you enjoyed this recipe! If you try it, or want to try it, please let me know and comment below. Also, I'd appreciate you sharing with friends...sharing is caring...who you think would like this recipe!
We're so close to warmer "tropical" days, people! Hang in there!