2 Kitchen Staples Make The Base Of A Protein Parfait That Tastes Like Dessert

When sweet cravings strike, a convenient cure isn't far away. Even if your kitchen is lacking in prepared desserts and easy-to-grab snacks, you can make a delicious treat using a few kitchen staples. Peanut butter and bananas can serve as the inspirational foundation you need to start making tasty parfait treats. 

Whether you dress up pretty parfaits with berries or add a bit of crunch with handfuls of your favorite cereal, neatly layering ingredients into a glass cup or jar can help elevate this pretty presentation. Not only is this a thrifty, quick dessert-for-breakfast idea, but you'll also have yourself a beautiful dish to spoon into and enjoy.

At the most basic level, you can dollop yogurt into bowls and top them with sliced banana, a drizzle of peanut butter, a handful of toasted nuts, and a quick sprinkle of cinnamon. These dishes can also be enhanced and customized to cut cravings with other ingredients you have in your kitchen. Layers of yogurt mixed with peanut butter can be sandwiched between homemade granola, finely sliced bananas, and carob chips or shavings of chocolate. Stir in chia or flax seeds to bulk up your dish or double down on the banana flavor with dried banana chips. For those with a demanding sweet tooth, look to sweeten servings with crumbles of cookies, candies, or peanut butter chips.

Drizzles of honey, Nutella, almond butter, or tahini can add texture and taste to your pretty dishes, and seasonal variations can be modified with pumpkin pie spice or fresh fruit that has been carefully sliced and baked. Consider using the blender to mix ingredients into a smoother, more creamy texture and add a finishing crown of homemade honey whipped cream to give this treat the decadent topping it deserves. Grilling bananas prior to adding it to your dish can add a caramelized touch to your dessert, or you can mix in a spoonful of flavored protein powder to boost the protein content of the yogurt base you've chosen.

Though efforts to build a better parfait can be mastered at home, this is also the kind of snack that can be prepared in advance and taken to the office so you have a treat to look forward to digging into midday. Meal preppers may want to put together a few parfaits in advance to store in the fridge and keep for easy, convenient access to sweetness.