The Conversation
When the summer heat is in full force, it’s hard to imagine eating anything hot or super filling for breakfast, let alone think about turning on the stove or oven. Well, we’ve got your first meal of the day covered for the season with these perfectly portable, icy cool Breakfast Parfait Popsicles. This recipe has everything you love about a healthy yogurt parfait — creamy yogurt, sweet fresh fruit and crunchy granola — but transformed into an icy pop you can eat on the go. Not to mention you can easily make a quick batch of these on the weekend to grab and go through the rest of your week. Your morning routine never looked so sweet.
Ingredients:
– yogurt
– granola
– fresh fruit
– juice from ½ a lemon
– 2-3 tablespoons honey
– ¼ teaspoon vanilla (optional)
Tools:
– popsicle molds and sticks
Note: Measurements may vary depending on the size and number of popsicles you make — estimate about ¼ cup of yogurt and 2-3 tablespoons each of fruit and granola per popsicle.
Instructions:
- Slice and chop your fruit into small bite-size pieces. We recommend you cut your blueberries in half and your strawberries into tall, thin slices.
- Transfer the fruit to a bowl and add the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of honey. Stir to combine and coat all the fruit, then set aside for 10-15 minutes to marinate.
- If you’re using plain yogurt, add a bit of honey and vanilla to taste. Feel free to use your own fave flavored yogurt in place of plain and just skip this step. Note: If you’re using thick Greek-style yogurt, add a few tablespoons of milk to thin it out so it’s easier to spoon into the popsicle molds.
- Add about ¼ cup of your yogurt mix or any leftover yogurt to the granola and mix to coat and slightly moisten the granola. This will help the granola to freeze and incorporate into the popsicle.
- Now start filling your molds! Â Add 1-2 spoonfuls of yogurt, followed by a spoonful of fruit and a spoonful of granola. Continue to layer in this order until the mold is almost full, then finish with a thin layer of yogurt and a sprinkle of granola.
- Repeat this process until all of your molds are filled and then add your popsicle sticks.
- Place your molds in the freezer until fully frozen, at least 6 hours. To remove the popsicle from the mold, run it under warm water for a few seconds to help it release cleanly and then — voila! You’re ready to eat.
Use your fave combination of fresh fruit and slice them up into small, bite-size pieces.
Adding lemon juice and honey to your fruit helps to macerate the pieces, amping up the flavor and drawing out some of the extra water. This makes the fruit the perfect texture for freezing.
If you’re using plain yogurt, add some honey and vanilla to taste to add some flavor. If you’re using Greek yogurt, remember to add some milk to thin it out for a more pourable consistency.
Adding a bit of yogurt to the granola helps it to freeze into the yogurt and create a more solid popsicle.
Time to start layering your ingredients! Start with yogurt, then add a spoonful of fruit and granola and repeat until full. It helps to press the fruit and granola down into the mold a bit so that there are no air pockets.
Add your popsicle sticks and they’re ready for the freezer!
The perfect summer breakfast!
Ready to dig in! These would do well as a totally delicious healthy after-school snack for the kiddies.
It’s hard to resist this classic combination of fruit, granola and yogurt. Get experimental and play with different combos of fruit or flavorings for the yogurt.
Tell us how you’re planning to beat the heat this summer in our comments below!
Sammi is a freelance fashion designer, food stylist and writer based in Toronto. An avid crafter, cook and general food obsessive, she's most in her happy place spending time in the kitchen making delicious messes.
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It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.
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