Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt & Quinoa Parfaits

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Layers of naturally sweetened banana cheesecake yogurt, fresh berries, and nutty quinoa give you a delicious and satisfying dose of fruit, whole grains, and protein. Healthy enough for breakfast, fun enough for a snack, and sweet enough for dessert, anytime of day is perfect for Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt & Quinoa Parfaits.

Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt & Quinoa Parfaits

Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt & Quinoa Parfaits - a fun, healthy breakfast, snack or dessert! | cupcakesandkalechips.com | gluten free, no sugar added

There are some cliches and sayings and phrases that drive me nuts. “It is what it is.” This was the single most overused phrase in one of my previous jobs. I guess when you are dealing with dangerous chemicals, lots of uncertainty, high stress, and tight timelines, you need to put things in perspective sometimes. “This is going to cause a serious delay in processing, which will impact not only this project but the next project, as well as the schedule for the entire facility.” “Well, it is what it is.” I think my issue with it is that when I just wanted to vent and air out my frustrations, those five little words shut me down pretty darn quick. And if you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I like to whine. JUST LET ME WHINE!

What about “back in the day”? The Hubby hates that saying mainly because he couldn’t stand a guy who always said “back in the day”, and when he was saying “back in the day”, he was referring to something that happened, like, six months ago. Not exactly “back in the day”. I think what irritates me about “back in the day” is that I am now old enough to legitimately say “back in the day”. I posted a photo on Facebook the other day of a college memento, and my old roomie said something about 1999. As 80’s music lovers, I thought she was just referencing Prince. No, that was about when that memento was from. And now 1999 is, like, ages ago. And I’m not talking about the song “1999” being from “back in the day”. The actual year 1999 is officially “back in the day”. Somebody shoot me now.

Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt & Quinoa Parfaits - a fun, healthy breakfast, snack or dessert! | cupcakesandkalechips.com | gluten free, no sugar added

And The Hubby’s favorite, which I totally can’t stand, is “To what end?” I don’t dislike “to what end?” on its own. I dislike it because he never just says “to what end?”. He always says, “As Brian always said, ‘to what end?.” The thing is, I don’t know that I ever heard Brian say “To what end?”, and I worked for Brian for about a year, and in the same department as him for about four years. But apparently Brian always used to say this.

Then you have “For what it’s worth.” Well, for what it’s worth, if you are saying “for what it’s worth” then I probably didn’t ask you in the first place, so it’s probably not worth much to me. And don’t even get me started on when people just type “FWIW” instead of writing it out. If you want to spout off your random thoughts and opinions and unsolicited advice, then go get a blog.

Oh wait…

Speaking of cliches, this, my friends, is “a day late and a dollar short”…

Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt & Quinoa Parfaits - a fun, healthy breakfast, snack or dessert! | cupcakesandkalechips.com | gluten free, no sugar added

OK OK OK, I know all the other good food bloggers out there are breaking out the apples and pumpkin. They are roasting squashes and copycatting hot beverages from Starbucks. And I’ve got berries. And red, white, and blue. Our last patriotic holiday for the summer was yesterday. Clearly I’m terrible at my job. But I have not popped open a can of Libby’s yet, and peaches are still way more abundant and way less expensive than peaches. I’m all about the berries. And cheesecake. It’s never the wrong season for cheesecake.

Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt & Quinoa Parfaits - a fun, healthy breakfast, snack or dessert! | cupcakesandkalechips.com | gluten free, no sugar added

When I was back in my quinoa chicken salad phase (ahem, Strawberry Lime, Mango Avocado, Bacon Ranch), I sorta had lots of cooked quinoa sitting in my fridge. Since I had been on a mission to find ways to get my kids to eat quinoa, I figured, how can you go wrong adding fruit and sweet, cheesecake-y yogurt. So  Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt & Quinoa Parfaits were born. I mushed up some super ripe bananas and mixed with some light cream cheese and plain Greek yogurt to fabulous banana cheesecake-flavored yogurt. I didn’t even have to add any sugar or honey because my banana was super gnarly, so very sweet. If yours isn’t as ripe and sweet, you can always hard a touch of honey, stevia, or your sweetener of choice. Fill up some bowls or jars with that yummy mixture, your favorite berries and some quinoa for some fabulous texture, or even just put out al the fixin’s and let everyone make their own.

This is a sweet treat with enough nutrition that you can feel good about serving it for a healthy snack or dessert, or even breakfast!

Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt & Quinoa Parfaits - a fun, healthy breakfast, snack or dessert! | cupcakesandkalechips.com | gluten free, no sugar added

I made two larger parfaits, honestly, because they were easier to photograph, but you can also make four little snack-size cups. Or double or triple the recipe to have grab-and-go containers in the fridge to last the whole week. Perfect for busy mornings when you are running out the door getting the kids to school, but you want to make sure they are fueled till lunchtime.

Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt & Quinoa Parfaits - a fun, healthy breakfast, snack or dessert! | cupcakesandkalechips.com | gluten free, no sugar added

What cliche or saying drives you crazy?

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Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt Quinoa Parfaits
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Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt Quinoa Parfaits

Layers of naturally sweetened banana cheesecake yogurt, fresh berries, and nutty quinoa make these parfaits a healthy breakfast, fun snack, or sweet dessert.
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Servings: 2 large parfaits or 4 smaller ones

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces cream cheese at room temperature (I used light cream cheese)
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 very ripe banana mashed
  • honey stevia, or another sweetener, to taste, if needed
  • ½ cup cooked and cooled quinoa prepared as per package instructions
  • 1 cup berries chopped if they are large (I used a mixture of raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries)
  • additional berries for garnish if desired

Instructions

  • In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and mashed banned with a whisk or hand mixer until thoroughly combined and smooth. Add additional sweetener to taste, if needed.
  • Layer about two tablespoons of the cooked quinoa in the bottom of your bowls, jars, or containers.
  • Top each with about a quarter of the berries and a quarter of the cheesecake mixture. If you are making two larger parfaits, repeat the layers. If you are making four smaller parfaits, just do a single layer.
  • Garnish with additional berries, if desired.
Nutrition Facts
Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt Quinoa Parfaits
Amount Per Serving
Calories 290 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 7g35%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 32mg11%
Sodium 117mg5%
Potassium 370mg11%
Carbohydrates 37g12%
Fiber 5g20%
Sugar 17g19%
Protein 10g20%
Vitamin A 489IU10%
Vitamin C 7mg8%
Calcium 111mg11%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Enjoy this Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt & Quinoa Parfaits recipe!

If you like this, you’ll love these parfaits…

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Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt & Quinoa Parfaits - a fun, healthy breakfast, snack or dessert! | cupcakesandkalechips.com | gluten free, no sugar added

Banana Berry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt & Quinoa Parfaits - a fun, healthy breakfast, snack or dessert! | cupcakesandkalechips.com | gluten free, no sugar added

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