Easy Parfaits

Having just written a post about how to make your morning routine run more smoothly, I thought this would be the perfect time to introduce a (first!) recipe to the blog. These simple parfaits can be made ahead of time and are really delicious and good for you! All you have to do is pull one out of the refrigerator for a quick, healthy breakfast!
Now, before I get into the recipe, a quick note: I love recipes and I love food blogs. But when I post recipes, I intend to keep them very simple. I grew up cooking with books like The Joy of Cooking which has (*gasp*) no photos and just the bare-bones recipe. That is what you will find with any recipes that I post: a few photos and the basic recipe. Because sometimes you just want to get to the recipe!

You'll need to start by making the Maple-Almond Granola:
4 cups oats (old-fashioned or quick-cooking)
1 cup coarsely chopped whole almonds
1/4 cup toasted red wheat bran
1/4 cup coarsely ground flax seed (I used a mortar and pestle)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Grade B pure maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sunflower oil 
2/3 cup chopped, dried apricots

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cover a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, wheat bran, flax seed, cinnamon and salt. In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, honey and oil; pour over oat mixture, stirring to coat evenly. 
3. Spread evenly on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until dry and lightly browned, stirring every 10 minutes. 
4. Cool to room temperature. Stir in apricots. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one month.
   

Now, to assemble the parfaits, you'll need:

Small mason jar or any smaller airtight container with a tight-fitting lid

Greek yogurt (I used plain; use your preferred flavor)

Maple-Almond Granola

1. Make sure your container is clean.
2. Put one scoop (about two tablespoons) of yogurt in the bottom of the container.
3. Drizzle honey or agave nectar over, if desired.
4. Sprinkle about two tablespoons of Maple-Almond Granola over.
5. Repeat steps 2-4.
6. Cover and put in your refrigerator until you're ready to serve and/or eat.