A berry delicious - and healthy - treat

A healthy dessert may seem like a contradiction in terms.

But, after some trial and error, I've found one my family enjoys - parfaits.

On these hot Yuma days, we've been craving something cool and sweet.

However, with our family's current push for healthy eating, we didn't want to gorge on ice cream or popcicles.

That's where the parfaits came in.

On my first attempt, I tried offering up vanilla yogurt with layers of fresh raspberries, blackberries and granola.

My four-year-old daughter wrinkled her nose in disdain at the berries.

“Mom, I do NOT like berries.”

She handed the bowl right back to me.

So it was back to the drawing board.

On the second attempt, I decided to use the same ingredients, but this time, I pureed the berries, and then ran the puree through a fine-mesh strainer, eliminating all the seeds.

I repeated the layers, but instead of berries, I used berry puree.

Winner!!

My husband and daughter finished off their parfaits in record time.

Now, it's a staple in our house.

It's so simple to make, my young daughter can even help.

And, it's sweet, refreshing and, the best part of all, my daughter is getting a few servings of fruit and lots of calcium each time we have one.

And that, to me, is a win-win.

What you need:

* Yogurt (or frozen yogurt). You can use any variety or flavor - fat-free, low-fat, raspberry, vanilla ... in fact, that's part of the fun!

* Granola

* Berries - any variety will do

In a parfait glass or sundae dish, layer yogurt, granola, then the berries.

Repeat layers until dish is full.

Enjoy!