Quick and Easy Papaya Parfait
By Dennis Linden
This month’s recipe is as tasty as it is nutritious and designed to be put together quickly. This perfect starter meal for the busy working person with little time in the mornings was submitted by an expert in that sector, Julia Costanza, Melissa’s roaming representative in the Pittsburgh region, who knows a little about hitting the ground running early! Julia’s day begins tending to daughters, six-year-old Vienna AND five-year-old twins Mia and Briella!
“This recipe is absolutely a reflection of the stage of life I’m in right now,” reflected Julia. “I have access to so much produce knowledge, but my life feels like it’s moving 1000 mph all the time. So, if it’s a healthy, flavorful and quick recipe--count me in! This dish is a variation of what I eat for breakfast most days of the week. My mornings are always busy. I start very early almost every day to enjoy just a few moments of coffee alone, then it’s email checking, making my daily To-Do list, feeding the troops, packing lunches and then off to my office or out to stores I go!”
This writer can attest to the quick prep on this one. The dish was first staged in one setting for the title picture of this blog before the tasting (the best part of this job); then, a few days later, another setting idea came to mind that had to be tried. All that was needed was a fresh half of papaya, still had some of the crushed Snax® and the other few ingredients. It took maybe five minutes to assemble, measure and put a second serving together. The photo shoot of the same took a lot longer! A second tasting was thoroughly enjoyed! (See, the best part x 2!)
This recipe uses six simple ingredients, three from Melissa’s pantry of products. Each is packed with a unique set of beneficial vitamins, minerals, nutrients and antioxidants that support the metabolism in many ways. In the short term, this dish provides the energy and stamina needed for Julia’s day of store visits. In the long run, the dish is low in carbs and calories, good for digestion and heart-friendly. Admittedly, there have been a few more taste-testings. Sometimes brevity is appropriate, and if the text for Julia’s submission were any longer, it would not reflect the recipe’s central characteristic – short and sweet. Try it tomorrow morning!
Julia Costanza has been working as Melissa’s retail roaming rep in Pennsylvania for nine years this month. She works exclusively with one of the Melissa’s largest retail accounts, a chain store that operates 250 locations throughout the region. Julia visits them all, wearing several hats for Melissa’s as the job demands. She coordinates seasonal promotions and participates in-store cooking demos. As a conduit between the account’s corporate merchandising staff and Melissa’s procurement and sales teams, Julia says that her degree in Public Relations Communications has certainly been of great value in this ever-changing industry.
“My job takes on many roles. In a nutshell, I like to tell people I work to help stores with merchandising premium produce. Starting with close collaboration with our client’s merchandisers and buyers in the corporate office, then following through at the actual brick-and-mortar stores. I do it all, from creative communications and business reviews to in-store merchandising and cooking demos. My goal is to find avenues of growth for my account and then to execute them all the way down to the store level in an effort to present a different look daily to our amazing fresh products! Produce is so fluid and poses many challenges, from weather, logistics, availability, etc. Many of those things are out of my control, so seeing a growth strategy through to the end can be very difficult as well as very rewarding. I work closely with an awesome team in Melissa’s Marketing Department, and I am so grateful for the support. We have developed quite a team over the years; no problem encountered has not been overcome with this group effort. All in all, it’s fun and I love it!”
That describes Julia’s professional day, but not her workday by any stretch. This text left her dashing out to store visits after enjoying (too quickly, perhaps?) her Papaya Parfait starter. Now she is back home after a long day. The question had to be asked how she does it all with three young ones and many produce managers to keep happy. Her answer is a lesson to us all in maintaining an upbeat, positive attitude when responsibilities are tugging from all sides.
“It’s A LOT, I must admit! But I thrive on it. First and most importantly, I love what I do. It was much more of a challenge four years ago when I last participated in this blog and the kids were toddlers. Now older, honestly my girls are a lot of fun, definitively not duds. They also are my biggest helpers! They help me make dinner almost every night, then we normally go walk the dogs. (Yes, there are also pets to attend too!) Not to mention, I have been blessed with the most wonderful family & support system that helps tremendously. My husband, Marcus, really is my best friend (corny I know) but it’s true! I simply could not do this job without his constant support. When I need to travel or get a call from a store that requires that I GO right then - he holds the fort down and is my biggest cheerleader while I’m away. Truly 10/10, I married up! It’s a team effort around here and we’re thriving.”
With Julia’s busy professional schedule and full household, one would assume there is little time in the day left to follow any personal passions… you’d think.
“The girls can be a handful sometimes, but I always find a way to make kitchen time for myself. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to cook and bake! It’s my stress reliever, my love language and my creative outlet. I enjoy searching for recipes that will challenge me to learn new techniques and try new flavor combinations. Hand in hand with cooking, Marcus and I love to experience Pittsburgh’s culinary scene. Pittsburg has fantastic restaurants! I usually end up in conversation with either the chef or owner to learn their stories. I very much appreciate the passion professional chefs put into their food.”
Julia is one of the many who work behind the scenes with retailers on behalf of Melissa’s across the country. Those displays, special ads and exotic fruits and veggies from around the world are there because Julia dashes out the door every morning to keep her client posted on the season’s opportunities from January to December. She makes it possible for shoppers in the Pittsburgh region to make their own grocery lists with confidence of supplies as they linger over their own morning coffees before heading to the local market. Julia has already been there. Thanks for this powerfully good starter to launch the day quickly but properly – it’s delish!
Papaya Breakfast Parfait
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 Melissa’s Strawberry Papaya or Tai Nung Papaya
1 cup cottage cheese or Greek yogurt
¼ cup Coconut Clean Snax®, crushed
1 tablespoon Melissa’s Chia seeds
¼ cup fresh berries, any variety or mixed
Drizzle of Melissa’s Organic Blue Agave Syrup
Preparation
Slice papaya in half lengthwise & scoop out seeds. Fill the cavity with cottage cheese or Greek yogurt.
Blend the chia seeds into the crushed Coconut Clean Snax®, then spread mixture generously over the choice of filling.
Top with berries, drizzle with agave.
Plating: Sprinkle with Clean Snax® over all, enjoy and out the door you go!
“This recipe is absolutely a reflection of the stage of life I’m in right now,” reflected Julia. “I have access to so much produce knowledge, but my life feels like it’s moving 1000 mph all the time. So, if it’s a healthy, flavorful and quick recipe--count me in! This dish is a variation of what I eat for breakfast most days of the week. My mornings are always busy. I start very early almost every day to enjoy just a few moments of coffee alone, then it’s email checking, making my daily To-Do list, feeding the troops, packing lunches and then off to my office or out to stores I go!”
This writer can attest to the quick prep on this one. The dish was first staged in one setting for the title picture of this blog before the tasting (the best part of this job); then, a few days later, another setting idea came to mind that had to be tried. All that was needed was a fresh half of papaya, still had some of the crushed Snax® and the other few ingredients. It took maybe five minutes to assemble, measure and put a second serving together. The photo shoot of the same took a lot longer! A second tasting was thoroughly enjoyed! (See, the best part x 2!)
This recipe uses six simple ingredients, three from Melissa’s pantry of products. Each is packed with a unique set of beneficial vitamins, minerals, nutrients and antioxidants that support the metabolism in many ways. In the short term, this dish provides the energy and stamina needed for Julia’s day of store visits. In the long run, the dish is low in carbs and calories, good for digestion and heart-friendly. Admittedly, there have been a few more taste-testings. Sometimes brevity is appropriate, and if the text for Julia’s submission were any longer, it would not reflect the recipe’s central characteristic – short and sweet. Try it tomorrow morning!
“My job takes on many roles. In a nutshell, I like to tell people I work to help stores with merchandising premium produce. Starting with close collaboration with our client’s merchandisers and buyers in the corporate office, then following through at the actual brick-and-mortar stores. I do it all, from creative communications and business reviews to in-store merchandising and cooking demos. My goal is to find avenues of growth for my account and then to execute them all the way down to the store level in an effort to present a different look daily to our amazing fresh products! Produce is so fluid and poses many challenges, from weather, logistics, availability, etc. Many of those things are out of my control, so seeing a growth strategy through to the end can be very difficult as well as very rewarding. I work closely with an awesome team in Melissa’s Marketing Department, and I am so grateful for the support. We have developed quite a team over the years; no problem encountered has not been overcome with this group effort. All in all, it’s fun and I love it!”
That describes Julia’s professional day, but not her workday by any stretch. This text left her dashing out to store visits after enjoying (too quickly, perhaps?) her Papaya Parfait starter. Now she is back home after a long day. The question had to be asked how she does it all with three young ones and many produce managers to keep happy. Her answer is a lesson to us all in maintaining an upbeat, positive attitude when responsibilities are tugging from all sides.
“It’s A LOT, I must admit! But I thrive on it. First and most importantly, I love what I do. It was much more of a challenge four years ago when I last participated in this blog and the kids were toddlers. Now older, honestly my girls are a lot of fun, definitively not duds. They also are my biggest helpers! They help me make dinner almost every night, then we normally go walk the dogs. (Yes, there are also pets to attend too!) Not to mention, I have been blessed with the most wonderful family & support system that helps tremendously. My husband, Marcus, really is my best friend (corny I know) but it’s true! I simply could not do this job without his constant support. When I need to travel or get a call from a store that requires that I GO right then - he holds the fort down and is my biggest cheerleader while I’m away. Truly 10/10, I married up! It’s a team effort around here and we’re thriving.”
With Julia’s busy professional schedule and full household, one would assume there is little time in the day left to follow any personal passions… you’d think.
“The girls can be a handful sometimes, but I always find a way to make kitchen time for myself. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to cook and bake! It’s my stress reliever, my love language and my creative outlet. I enjoy searching for recipes that will challenge me to learn new techniques and try new flavor combinations. Hand in hand with cooking, Marcus and I love to experience Pittsburgh’s culinary scene. Pittsburg has fantastic restaurants! I usually end up in conversation with either the chef or owner to learn their stories. I very much appreciate the passion professional chefs put into their food.”
Julia is one of the many who work behind the scenes with retailers on behalf of Melissa’s across the country. Those displays, special ads and exotic fruits and veggies from around the world are there because Julia dashes out the door every morning to keep her client posted on the season’s opportunities from January to December. She makes it possible for shoppers in the Pittsburgh region to make their own grocery lists with confidence of supplies as they linger over their own morning coffees before heading to the local market. Julia has already been there. Thanks for this powerfully good starter to launch the day quickly but properly – it’s delish!
Papaya Breakfast Parfait
Serves 2
1 Melissa’s Strawberry Papaya or Tai Nung Papaya
1 cup cottage cheese or Greek yogurt
¼ cup Coconut Clean Snax®, crushed
1 tablespoon Melissa’s Chia seeds
¼ cup fresh berries, any variety or mixed
Drizzle of Melissa’s Organic Blue Agave Syrup
Preparation
Plating: Sprinkle with Clean Snax® over all, enjoy and out the door you go!
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