Breakfast parfaits in mason jars are a favorite for all!

Whether you’re a holistic foodie freak, an athlete, a kid, or a university student, meal prepping a bunch of parfaits is the way to go! They’re super easy to make, you can get creative and make them with loads of different ingredients, and it’s easy to adjust to meet your macros and get your right balance of carbs, protein and healthy fats.

 

View or download your recipe here  

 

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This recipe is:

Dairy free
Gluten free
Grain free
Egg free
Paleo
Soy free

 

 

Here’s why we love rhubarb…

It’s super easy to grow (like a weed!) and has a ton of unappreciated health benefits. Just a half cup of cooked rhubarb provides more than one-third of the recommended dietary intake of vitamin K1 – which is crucial for blood clotting, helping the body generate energy, and even helps improve insulin resistance and boost brain health.

But mostly we know about vitamin Ks role in bone health. Couple this with the calcium in rhubarb (one cup meets 10% of your daily requirement for calcium), and you’ve got a powerful bone-supportive food right!  Most of us don’t think about bone health until we’re starting to get older, but given that reduced bone health and fractures are among the leading causes of reduced ability to remain active and stay fit as we age… AND that our bone strength is laid down during our younger years, caring about bone health while we are still young and strong is vital.  If you’re an athlete and want to keep being one for many years, eat your rhubarb!

Other rhubarb factoids:

• It helps you poop! Studies show rhubarb contains compounds like tannins and sennosides that act as stimulative laxatives. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4389350/)
• Ancient Chinese medicine also uses rhubarb for soothing stomach ailments.
• Is it a fruit or is it a vegetable?  It’s actually a vegetable.
• It might help with weight loss, due to its catechins – compounds known to boost metabolism. This could help burn body fat and aid weight loss.
• It kind of looks like long red, really sour celery!
• It may help reduce menopausal hot flashes and relieve PMS symptoms, likely due to its phytoestrogen properties.(https://www.webmd.com/menopause/news/20060915/rhubarb-may-cool-hot-flashes#1)
• It’s has natural antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, making it a great natural remedy for everything from yeast infections to eczema.

Why is rhubarb so sour?

Like super sour, right?!  It’s due to its high amounts of malic acid and oxalic acid. Malic acid is what imparts the sour taste, but the oxalic acid is what can actually be toxic in high amounts. And rhubarb leaves have very high amounts.  This is one plant that – unlike most others – you DO NOT want to eat the greens!  Eat the stalks only.

Is it toxic?

In the small to moderate amounts we see in baking and other cooked dishes, rhubarb stalks present little danger of toxicity.  You’d have to eat about 10 lbs of it for it to be problematic! However, for very young children (under 5), pregnant or nursing mothers, or individuals with kidney or liver conditions, consumption may not be recommended due to the oxalic acid. Rhubarb may also aggravate existing intestinal issues like diarrhea or constipation.

How to cook it:

You can either boil or bake it.  Either way, wash it and cut into about 1-2 inch pieces.  Sprinkle with sweetener of your choice – we prefer coconut sugar.  How much depends on your personal taste – experiment and see what works for you!  If you’re mixing it with other sweet fruit, like fresh strawberries, you may not need any extra sweetener.

If boiling, cover with water in a large pot, bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 10 minutes.  Baking is our favorite way to prepare rhubard because it retains more nutrients (some are lost in the water when you boil it).  You can either bake it in a baking dish for 20-30 minutes until soft to the prick of a fork, or try foil packs.  Again, sprinkle with sugar and wrap in a sealed foil pack and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes.   Voila – it’s ready to add to yogurt, parfait jars, oatmeal or your protein pancakes!

Nutritional Value of Rhubarb:

One cup has about:

• 26 calories
• less than 1 gram of fat
• 1 gram of protein
• 6 grams of carbohydrates (2 grams of fibre, so only 4 grams of net carbs)
• 1 gram of naturally occurring sugar

With parfait jars, you can easily adjust the amounts of each ingredient to adjust your macro split if need be. Need more protein – add more protein powder!  Need higher carbohydrates to support a high intensity or longer duration workout? Add more fruit.