Breakfast Parfait - my first recipe!

Cooking is another one of my passions; so I feel compelled to share some recipes on my blog.

I was diagnosed diabetic a few years ago.  This would be bad news for anyone; but it seemed to be particularly difficult for me.  First, my diagnosis came soon after my husband, Frank's, death.  I was trying to get used to preparing meals for one when I discovered that I was going to have to look at cooking in a whole new way.  Second, I had several hundred cookbooks collected over the years for a variety of dishes and cooking styles. Would I be able to use ANY of these cookbooks any more?  Third, I have a negative reaction to artificial sweeteners which discourages me from using it in my cooking for more than once in a great while.

Well, it's been a struggle.  I have gone through times when I just went into complete denial and ate potato chips by the bagful, and had cheesecake for dessert.  Of course, I didn't feel very well while I was doing it; but for some reason, giving in to my new eating requirements has been one of the hardest things I have ever done.  Every day is a struggle.

I wanted to tell all of you about this so that you will know that the recipes I am using now, or creating, must fit into my new lifestyle.  Fortunately, eating this way is good for anyone.  It is a balanced mixture of good foods in determined serving sizes that will not make my glucose level rise, and hopefully won't make our stomachs and waistlines bulge!

Breakfast has been one of the hardest meals for me.  I'm a bacon, eggs and grits kind of girl; and while I can make this fit into a diabetic diet, that doesn't mean that it won't expand my waistline.  So I've tried to come up with some dishes that are quick, inexpensive and legal!  Here's one of my favorite breakfast dishes:

Breakfast Parfait

1/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt
Some Mixed Fruit
1-2 tbsp. granola

Layer cottage cheese, yogurt and fruit in a serving cup.  If you're going to eat it immediately, top with granola and enjoy.  If you're going to take it to work or school, pack the granola in a small plastic bag, cover the container and take to work with you.  Add the granola just before eating.

I know this seems ridiculously simple - but to me, it tastes like all of the desserts I'm doing without now! Doesn't it look elegant in the little footed dish?

There are many substitutions you can make in this dish, which is why I have not run a nutritional analysis on it.  You can use full-fat cottage cheese, lowfat, or non-fat.  You can use vanilla yogurt made with artificial sweeteners - or another flavor of yogurt, if you like.  Your fruit selection is up to you, but my favorite is strawberries and blueberries.  Also, I'm supposed to eat 1/2 banana a day, and this dish is a good one to put the banana in.  And, of course, granolas can vary tremendously in calorie and fat count.  I like to use my own homemade granola for this; but since you are eating so little, you can use just about any kind.  If you want to add a lot of fiber to the dish, top with 1-2 tbsp. Fiber One Cereal which has the highest fiber content of any cereal I know.

I hope you try this.  It's so good!  So easy!  Even the kids should like it.  And to top it all off - it's good for you!