Would you like to wake up to a healthy breakfast that tastes like the best granola bar you’ve ever had?
You have to try my Honey Oat Yogurt with Fruit and Nuts. The best hotels do not have finer.
Treat yourself to this healthy luxury as often as you can!
Make a Quick Healthy Breakfast for Busy Mornings
Put the dry ingredients in a cereal bowl the night before to make a quick breakfast. In the morning just spoon the yogurt into the bowl and top with honey. Mix and eat! You’ll have a quick start to your day and you won’t get hungry before lunch time.
I worked on getting the proportions just right for my taste, but feel free to adjust it to what you like.
Honey Oat Yogurt with Fruit and Nuts
Individual container of your favorite yogurt (I use fruit-on-the-bottom Greek yogurt)
1/3 cup uncooked oats (I like “old fashioned oats” for the slightly nutty texture.)
2 Tablespoons dried fruit or 1/2 cup fresh fruit (I use craisins)
1/4 cup unsalted nuts ( I like crushed walnuts or sliced almonds)
1-2 Tablespoons honey (get the real stuff from bees in your area if possible)
Mix all in a good sized cereal bowl. Enjoy!
Health Benefits of Honey Oat Yogurt with Fruit and Nuts
- Fiber! Oatmeal, fruit, and nuts are all great sources of fiber. Oatmeal is good for your heart because it contains a high percentage of soluble fiber. Fiber promotes a healthy gut.
- Anti-inflammatory ingredients: oatmeal and some nuts are good for keeping disease away and making your muscles and skeletal system coordinate more easily. Great for staying in shape to exercise efficiently and it can also help prevent arthritis and possibly cancers. Fruits like blueberries and cherries contain good amounts of anti-inflammatory compounds. I sometimes use frozen blueberries instead of the craisins.
- Protein: About 20 grams! My yogurt contains 12.3 grams of protein per 5.3 ounces. Check your yogurt container to see what it offers. Dry oatmeal adds some. The “old-fashioned oats” I use contain 5 grams protein per 1/2 cup dry oats. Since I use just 1/3 cup oats, it’s maybe 3 grams. My sliced almonds have 6 grams protein per 1/4 cup, the amount I use. So the recipe has about 20-21 grams protein. That helps keep me from getting hungry too soon. (Also all the fiber keeps me feeling full.)
- Natural Antioxidants: Honey is known to contain antioxidants and also to help prevent allergies if the honey comes from bees in your area. Do not give honey to a child younger than 3 though. Blueberries and other fruits are loaded with antioxidants also. Some fruits have a lot more than others, so look them up online if you want to maximize your antioxidants. Of course if you have to minimize sweeteners in your diet you can leave out the honey. I enjoy it and it has been found to reverse some skin cancers.
- Gluten-Free Grain: Oatmeal is a healthy grain for those with wheat allergies, etc.
- Heart-Healthy Fats: Walnuts and almonds are rich in the kinds of fats recommended for heart health. The fats help you feel full longer also.
- Easily Digested Dairy: Yogurt is more easily digested than milk for most people. Plus it contains B vitamins that give you long lasting energy.
- It’s a “good mood food.” Yogurt contains probiotics (look for yogurt with live cultures.) There is evidence that probiotics can prevent/reverse depression because of the gut-brain connection. If you are suffering from anxiety or depression, you might want to have another serving of yogurt each day. Yogurt can make your digestive system work better and make your brain happier!
Keeping Costs Down for This Healthy Breakfast
- Buy in bulk at a warehouse club. We buy nuts, craisins, and yogurts at a warehouse club like Sam’s or Costco. Prices are sometimes half or less than what we’d pay at the local grocery store.
- Buy generics when possible. We buy generic oatmeal at our local Walmart for very cheap, but generic oatmeal at just about any store is really cheap. Honey can be store brand also, but be sure to read where it was collected. Sometimes it comes from countries that might be tempted to add corn syrup to a very little bit of real honey in the bottle. It has happened many times.
- Choose the cheapest fruits and/or nuts.
- Watch for sales on the ingredients.
- Use smaller amounts of the most expensive ingredients.
- Have this recipe fewer times per week or month.
- Eat half of the recipe one day and the other half the next day. Decide if you need to add a side of something, like a boiled egg or piece of cheese to feel full. These add cheap protein and can be had as a mid-morning snack.
- Save this for a weekend treat!
I hope you try this wonderful breakfast. It puts a smile on my face that lasts all morning!