This Breakfast Fruit Parfait was inspired by the one that had me babbling from pure joy at Another Broken Egg Cafe in Jackson, Miss.

Jeff could not get why I was having a religious experience over some yogurt, fruit and granola, but that parfait was swoon-worthy, from the artfully placed fruit on top to the “why didn’t I think of that?” strawberry yogurt in the middle.

It was prettier than it had to be. A tall glass full of inspiration.

Obviously, I needed to rip it off ASAP. And here we are!

I started by making my granola with things I already had in the pantry: oatmeal, coconut, brown sugar, sliced almonds, maple syrup and cinnamon. Combine those ingredients, add a few spoonfuls of vegetable oil, bake the mixture for about 15 minutes, and – bang! boom! voila! – granola.

(You can use packaged granola, but once you bake your first batch, you’ll never go back to paying $4 at the grocery. The insanity will make your butt twitch.)

As for the yogurt, any type will work – low-cal, low-fat, full-fat, Greek, fiber-filled, Jamie Lee Curtis-endorsed. Just be sure to choose two different flavors, preferably vanilla and your favorite fruit.

Why bother with two different yogurt flavors? Having the fruit yogurt in the middle gives the parfait an extra layer of flavor and prettiness without requiring any extra effort. On behalf of slackers everywhere, I’d like to say yesssssss.

Most breakfast parfaits are made with berries, so you could go with an all-berry parfait. I really liked the different colors and textures they used at Another Broken Egg, so I stuck with their fruit choices: banana, kiwi, strawberries and blueberries. I even sliced and arranged my fruit to recreate that nifty flower on top of my parfait.

But my imitation ended with the parfait glass.

I layered my granola, fruit and yogurt into a mason jar so that I could fasten a lid on top and hit the road.

Sophisticated? No.

Still swoon-worthy? Yesssssssssss.

And it was a nice reminder to make things a little better than they have to be.

Breakfast Parfaits

From Rebecca Crump (Ezra Pound Cake)

Inspired by the Yogurt, Fruit & Granola at Another Broken Egg Cafe in Jackson, Miss.

Makes 4 parfaits

Granola:
• 1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oatmeal (for celiacs, look for certified pure oats)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of cinnamon (optional)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

Yogurt:
• 2 cups vanilla yogurt (any kind)
• 2 cups strawberry or other fruit-flavored yogurt (regular or gluten-free)

Fruit:
• 1 banana, sliced
• 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
• 10 strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 cup blueberries

1. For the Granola: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix the oatmeal, almonds, coconut, dark brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon (if using). In a small bowl, combine the oil and maple syrup. Add the liquid mixture to the oatmeal mixture, stir them together, and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, stirring halfway for even color. Remove from the oven, and transfer to a large bowl to cool.
2. To Assemble the Parfaits: Using four tall glasses or Mason jars, alternately layer the granola, yogurt and fruit three times. (Use fruit-flavored yogurt for your middle yogurt layer.)

Gluten-Free Tip: Use certified pure oats and a GF flavored yogurt.

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