This easy, no-cook breakfast turns the typical yogurt bowl upside down, using the yogurt as a binder and encouraging heavier use of fruits you may not ordinarily consider.

Right off the bat I can think of quite a few reasons I’ve been starting my day so frequently with a cool, colorful breakfast bowl like the one pictured here.

Among other wonderful qualities, this meal is…

1. Healthy
2. Satisfying
3. Easy
4. Flexible
5. Perfect for “getting back on track” －and staying there

Amidst all the holiday parties with the heavy hors d’oeuvres, cookies, cocktails and eggnog － and all the other usual temptations (in my case, ice cream and chocolate!) －it really helps to start the day off on the right track.

But we’re all busy, right? A meal that we can whip up in minutes with ingredients we can easily have on hand is a must.

Of course, in order for any healthy eating habit to stick, it has to taste good and truly satisfy. And despite its utter simplicity, this one does.

We started talking about the merits of shaking up the usual yogurt bowl in a post called “How to Build a Better Yogurt Bowl.” ⬇︎⬆︎

For years, I made my yogurt bowls with (no surprise) a big base of yogurt, often reaching for a single-serve cup as the main component. Maybe I added a little bit of fruit and a light sprinkle of something crunchy. It was a grab-and-go meal that was more convenient than truly delicious.

Last summer, when we were awash in peaches and fresh berries, I found myself shifting the proportions of the various ingredients. It was such a simple change, but I loved it. And I’ve been on repeat ever since.

Thanks to the utter convenience of this meal, I was unwilling to say goodbye as the bounty of summer fruit dwindled. I found myself reaching for fruits that I had never before mixed into yogurt.

My latest favorite in the ever-shifting array of seasonal options is pomegranate, persimmon or blueberries (sometimes both) and banana, which I chop rather than slice for what I think is better allover flavor and texture in each bite. (These little details make a difference!)

Happily, there’s no need to wrestle those juicy seeds from a whole pomegranate or purchase the expensive cups. You can if you want, but I promised this would be easy, right? Frozen bags are readily available and, surprisingly, the arils maintain their pop of flavor and crunch quite well.

Persimmon season isn’t especially long, so enjoy them while you can and then move on. Experimentation is welcome and encouraged. Who knows what delicious combination you may discover?

Other delicious cool weather combinations:

• Pineapple, toasted coconut flakes, blueberries and almonds
• Sweet apple, pitted and chopped Medjool dates and walnuts or pecans
• Orange or clementine, dried cranberries or cherries (or mostly thawed frozen cherries)
• Pear, apple, banana and almonds or pecans
• Kiwi and persimmon or pineapple and berries
• Mango, banana and toasted coconut

A few more things…

➔ Feel free to mix and match!

➔Because it adds heft to the bowl and I like the flavor, I almost always add banana. Those who are not in camp banana may absolutely skip it in favor of more of another option.

➔For a more integrated bowl, I prefer chopping the fruit into small pieces.

➔Ingredients like chia, flax and hemp seeds are nutrient boosts that work with all of these combinations.

➔And my favorite new find? Those little greenish pumpkin seeds you can see on top are SuperSeedz Maple Sugar and Sea Salt. They’re equal parts sweet, salty and crunchy and so darn tasty sprinkled on yogurt, salads, etc.－or eaten by the handful.

What are the health benefits?

1. Yogurt － calcium, protein and probiotics
2. Fruit － Vitamins, anti-oxidants and wholesome carbs
3. Granola －whole grains, fiber and (depending on option) protein
4. Nuts, seeds, etc. －more protein, minerals, healthy fats

Winter Breakfast Bowl

Yield: 1 serving

In these nutrient-rich bowls, fruit provides the heft, so I aim for three types of fruit and use the yogurt as a binder, topping with granola for added crunch and flavor. Vary the fruit by season and according to what you enjoy.

Print

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pomegranate arils (frozen work really well!)
• 1/2 a persimmon, chopped (may substitute fresh or frozen blueberries)*
• 1 banana, chopped
• 1/3 cup yogurt of choice
• 1/4 -1/3 cup granola
• Extras and options: other berries of choice; chopped mango; pineapple; nuts and or seeds; flaked or shredded coconut; hemp, chia or flax seeds, etc.  

Ingredients

Place the fruit in a cereal or other serving bowl. Top with the yogurt and stir. (You can eyeball the yogurt; you need just enough to bind the fruit.) Sprinkle the granola over top  along with optional toppings of choice.

Notes

*Fuyu persimmons are delicious. They are the beautifully orange and rounder and squatter in shape then the more elongated Hachiya variety. The former is deliciously sweet and best eaten when it’s tender to the touch but not mushy (much like a pear), while the latter is rather astringent tasting unless it’s so soft that it can be eaten like pudding.

*Frozen blueberries are a good standby as they maintain a good bit of flavor and pop once thawed. When using either frozen pomegranate arils or frozen blueberries, I place the desired amount in a bowl in the refrigerator － if I remember － the night before. If I haven’t thought ahead, I allow the frozen fruit to sit on the counter for a few minutes or zap it in the microwave ever so briefly. Better to be a bit icy as they will thaw quickly when mixed with the yogurt and other ingredients.

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Nutritional profile: 1 serving. Calories per serving: 340, Total Fat 2 gm, Saturated Fat 0.5 gm, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 75 mg, Total Carbohydrates 75 gm, Dietary Fiber 11 gm, Protein  9.5 gm

Nutrition Tips: This recipe is loaded with vitamins, antioxidants and fiber from the fruits and granola and protein and calcium from the yogurt! You can use store bought granola for this recipe but be aware, there are many types of granola out there. Many can be loaded with lots of added sugar and fats. It is important to read the food label, and choose a granola that has less than 8 grams of added sugar, and less than 3 grams of saturated fat. Stay away from granola that has a lot of added dried fruits and chocolate chips, which can increase the added sugar content. Check the ingredients list, and if there are several kinds of added sugars like corn syrup, cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup or honey, or they are high up on the ingredient list, you can assume there is more added sugar than you need.

Recipe suggestion: Lolita’s Low Sugar Granola (which is shown in the photo above) has become one of my favorites to have on hand. With just 2.8 grams of sugar per serving, the recipe exceeds the recommendations above and tastes great, too. The recipe makes a big batch, and the granola will keep for over a month in the refrigerator and freezes well.