Apple Honey Nut Parfait #improvcookingchallenge

We've been trying to get back to a more healthy lifestyle here in the Hardy household after several months of drifting into old poor eating habits.

Our biggest goal, after some mildly troubling medical tests, has been to try to reduce simple carbs by a lot.  The usual suspects (white flour, white rice, white potatoes and sugar) have been creeping back into our daily meals and making themselves at home.

Now, we're not trying to completely cut any of things things, at least not right now.  But they do need to be occasional treats in small quantities rather than being featured at every meal.

He works from home so eating well without leaning on these things has been pretty easy - no lunches to pack or need to find refrigeration.

We find that a good snack helps a lot with satiety and this is one we've landed on that hits most of our craving buttons - a good hit of protein and probiotics, some crunchy crispness, and a bit of sweetness in the form of raw honey.

It's not difficult to make (hard stuff tends not to happen at all), and it really does taste great, whether as a snack, a quick breakfast alternative to cold cereal, or a light dessert.

Apple Honey Nut Parfait
serves 1

1 cup plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 apple, cored and diced into 1/2 pieces
1 oz (a small handful) chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans are good)
1-2 tsp. honey

Put half the yogurt into a parfait glass or small ramekin dish. Top with half the fruit and nuts.  Repeat, then drizzle with honey to taste.

Obviously, this can be switched around a lot to keep things interesting. With the apple and nut blend try sprinkling a little cinnamon or nutmeg over the top.

You can use whatever fresh fruit you have on hand (if it tends to be more sweet, reduce honey accordingly), or switch the nuts for a dried fruit and nut trail mix or some muesli.

We've been doing some version of this a couple times a week and it hasn't gotten boring yet!  I often find I don't need any sweetener at all beyond the fruit.

 The Improv Cooking Challenge is a monthly food collaboration - this month's theme was Apples & Honey.  Check out what others are doing:

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