Lemon Curd and Yogurt Breakfast Parfait

Within my career field, fall and spring are the busiest times of year. It is the time when I spend more nights in hotel rooms than in my own bed. The days are extremely long, usually filled with a full work day and events in the evening. There is little to no time for relaxation, let alone taking care of myself. Last fall, I had to travel to eight cities in three states within three weeks!

I started working as an admissions counselor for St. John’s College in the fall of 2017. I am going to be honest, by the time September, October, and November of that year was over, I had horrible acne, was always on the brink of tears, and had gained about 10 pounds. All in all, I was a very unhappy traveler. I was not prepared for the demands of traveling to high schools all day, college fairs at night, and answering emails until far past 10 pm. I had no idea that I would have such little time for myself, so I swore that the next fall would not be an unhealthy repeat.  The travels of fall 2018 were a success and I am excited for spring 2019 travel!

So, what did I do to prepare for this travel season? A little bit of research and healthy habits did the trick!

Here is my advice for travel!

1. I created packing lists. The first list contained all of my clothing needs. The second contained all the work related supplies, such as power cords, my work computer, and everything necessary to do my job. The third list contained all of my sanitary needs. The fourth contained what I would buy at the grocery store once reaching a new town. Besides packing lists I also made a list of what needs to be done before I leave town, such as turning up the AC, and a list for when I come back home for a few days, such as laundry. All of these lists were then laminated. All I needed then was a dry erase marker to check everything off. Easy to clean and reuse again. No need to continually print lists!
2. I bought all black clothing for work. There is no need to be crazy with clothing while on the road. It makes your life easier when you only have five minutes to think of your outfit for tomorrow. Creating a uniform of black dresses and pants allowed me to have more time to relax and breathe. Saving those extra 10 minutes in the morning allowed me to actually sit down and have a cup of coffee.
3. I researched and had the addresses of the closest grocery stores to my hotel. Once arriving in a new city, I would stop by the store and buy healthy options. No more eating out for me! Too many tempting appetizers, entries, and desserts at a restaurant.
4. I packed tennis shoes and exercise clothes on every trip.  Scheduling morning workouts totally changed my outlook for each day. Starting out on a good foot made me feel better throughout the day. I didn’t even workout hard or long. Just 30 minutes on a bike was enough to push forward with a positive attitude.

With these few things, I have been able to worry less and didn’t need to think on my feet nearly as much. This past travel season was much more relaxed than the year before because I did what was right and needed for me.

The recipe this week is one of my go-to options while out on the road. My mother got me addicted to this. Hi mom! Thanks mom! I am going to teach you how to make an easy yogurt parfait. This basic and throw together recipe is something I easily made in my hotel room. Just make sure there is a fridge when booking your hotel! I eat this every morning for breakfast while on the road (and sometimes I eat it for dessert). It is healthy but feels like a treat at the same time.

For both yogurt parfait recipes you only need three simple ingredients.

1. Plain Greek Yogurt
2. Fruit Preserve, Jam, or Curd
3. Granola
4. Optional Fruit

See? I am telling you that this yogurt parfait is extremely simple.

I like to think of this yogurt parfait as my own personal healthy lemon meringue pie. Simply add your first layer of the yogurt, top it with the the lemon curd, and then add cinnamon granola on top. The curd naturally flavors and sweetens the plain yogurt. This acts like a creamy filling of a pie! The cinnamon granola adds the crunchy texture and flavor of crust. I personally have always loved blueberries on top of my lemon-based pies (once again, this is thanks to my mom!), so I always top my yogurt parfait with a few blueberries.

The plain Greek yogurt is an incredibly healthy option for breakfast. As someone with celiac disease, my gut health is highly important. The yogurt is packed full of all the good probiotics needed for my gut to be healthy and happy. Also, I used to only eat vanilla yogurt. When I finally look at the contents, I found that it has so much sugar! Plain yogurt has much less sugar. Just make sure to get all natural and Greek options!

This yogurt parfait and a cup of coffee help me jump start my day!  What healthy options do you eat while traveling? Let us know in the comments below. I could always use more options!

This is just a simple guideline. You can add more or less of all of the ingredients here. I actually don’t ever measure it out when I am on my own.

Lemon Curd and Yogurt Breakfast Parfait

Recipe by Emily

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Breakfast

Servings

1

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt

• 1/4 cup of granola (I use Kind Cinnamon)

• 2 Tbsp of lemon curd

• a handful of blueberries

Directions

• Mix the yogurt, granola, lemon curd, and blueberries in a bowl. Enjoy!

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