Greek Yogurt: Your Blank Canvas for Healthier, Easier, and Delicious Meals
Looking for something that’s versatile, easy to use, and can improve your health while saving you money? Sound impossible? Not when you have Greek yogurt and recipes on your side! Forget spending big bucks on those less healthy pre-made yogurt cups when you can use a container of plain Greek yogurt and your own recipes. This fermented milk product has beneficial probiotic bacteria, is lower in sugar, and provides protein for energy… but it has a “sour” taste that isn’t for everyone. That’s where recipes come in, because this creamy white food is your blank canvas for flavor and nutrition.
What is Greek yogurt?
It is the generic term for yogurt prepared by straining out most of the whey, making it thicker and retaining the ‘sour’ or ‘sour’ flavor. It’s naturally lower in sugar than regular yogurt and made with beneficial live cultured probiotic bacteria.
What Kind of Greek Yogurt Should You Look For?
Save money by selecting larger (not individual) containers of plain, unsweetened yogurt. You can take out as much as you need for your recipe or portion. Any brand will work, but look for ‘living cultures’ for maximum benefit. Avoid “Greek-style” because it may indicate added artificial thickeners, and avoid “fat-free” because the healthy fats in regular yogurt help you absorb nutrients. This sets up your ideal clean slate for recipes.
You need recipes.
Greek yogurt lives up to its reputation of being “sour” or “sour.” Simple Greek isn’t for everyone (maybe you’ve tried it before) and kids especially won’t pick it up. With easy recipes, you will be surprised how versatile it is. You can mix it up and make it undetectable, or have it as the star of the show, from sweet to savory to frozen and more. Most packaging doesn’t give any clues other than mixing in some ‘favourite fruit’, but that’s what the items are for: good ideas to get you started.
What if the recipes are so easy that you can get an entire one in just one sentence? If you’re meal prepping, you can try this one out for size. Leave the skin on and dice 1 sweet apple, then add to ¼ cup water, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon raisins (golden or regular), 1 teaspoon chia seeds, 1/3 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 pinch of nutmeg and cook over low heat. stove for 8 minutes.
That’s it, that was the full recipe and instructions. Their yogurt topping is ready in 10 minutes and is so much better for you because it’s packed with fiber (apple peel and chia seeds) with no preservatives, no high fructose corn syrup or refined sugar, and can change the flavor simply by changing the type of apple. Since it’s made ahead of time, this makes 2 servings that you can store in the fridge so breakfast (or snack) is right at your fingertips when you put it in your Greek yogurt. (Add pecans for crunch!)
yogurt for health
Of course, there is the usual calcium for bone health and protein for energy, but everyone knows them. But what about boosting metabolism? “MedicalNewsToday” cites a study that suggests a high-protein diet can increase the number of calories you can burn in a day. Probiotics are also on the list, they’re the beneficial bacteria that help you digest food, flush out invaders (like harmful bacteria and viruses), and some of them even encourage your gut to make serotonin, the chemical with the ability to reduce anxiety. . Forget the side effects, it’s time for the side benefits.
What don’t you have?
fiber. Greek yogurt is a fiber-free food, and many people don’t get enough fiber in their diet… So what can you do? Have a consistent mix. Anytime you look for Greek, look for chia seeds. Unlike this yogurt, they have zero flavor. No one can dislike them, and they’re packed with two types of fiber, plus their own protein, calcium, and omega-3 oils. The seeds are also very small, they won’t get in the way of your soup, sauce, popsicle, smoothie, overnight oats or spread. Cooked, raw, or frozen, when you combine this yogurt and chia seeds, you’re really on your way to healthy eating. Yet another benefit is knowing what the probiotic bacteria eat to thrive and continue to help you… that’s right, it’s fiber! You can’t digest soluble and insoluble fiber, but these little helpers can. When you consume both at once, it’s a double dose of nutritional power.
Because it doesn’t taste like chia seeds, you have to work with Greek yogurt before eating it. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to play with as you discover what you like best. It can go in pasta sauce for an extra touch of creaminess (same thing in soups), you can use it in salad dressings (with the added benefit of healthy fats, you’ll absorb more nutrients from the leafy greens, don’t forget ). fat dressings!), and just scooping a tablespoon or two into a smoothie is a snap.
However, it is usually not enough to simply “throw up some fruit” and try to eat it. It’s not regular yogurt, and you’re not going to convince any kids that way either. But that doesn’t mean you have to become a cook to be able to go beyond the shovel and the shakes. If you have a blender (of any kind), you’re on your way because you can add it to almost any homemade popsicle recipe to make them creamy. (Like a banana, this yogurt doesn’t solidify very well, resulting in a creamy texture.) Overnight oats are also a creamy, smooth-textured treat that’s ready for any busy morning.
This sounds too simple to taste as amazing as it is, but give it a “twist” in the blender jar: ¼ cup oatmeal, ¼ cup almond milk, 1 teaspoon chia seeds, ½ cup yogurt Greek, 1 frozen or fresh banana, 1 tsp vanilla, optionally ½ tsp cinnamon and let sit overnight, blend in the morning and enjoy. Of course, the mix can also be frozen in pop molds to enjoy later. If you’re interested in those pastel-colored smoothie bowls that are so popular on Instagram, Greek yogurt is a great way to achieve the hue you’re after, as well as the consistency to keep the ingredients elegant.
Recipe keys:
Where the Greek yogurt is fully blended is usually the best place for it. If you’re adding fruit, it’s best as a somewhat runny ready-made dressing, or all mixed up like in the recipe examples. This prevents too much of the tart flavor from ending up in one bite. The best way to combat sour or ‘sour’ flavors is with natural sugars in fruits such as bananas, raisins, pineapple and berries. In fact, you can have a delicious breakfast or snack by blending ¼ cup Greek yogurt, ¼ cup pineapple slices (fresh or frozen), about 4 fresh or frozen strawberries, and a splash of non-dairy milk in a blender. DIYing fresh or frozen fruit at home saves you from the really unhealthy levels of sweeteners that companies add to their ‘fruit yogurt cups’. These days, what you leave out of the recipe can be just as important as what you put in… when it comes to better health. With the guidelines and tips laid out in this article, let the Internet be your goldmine for ideas to suit your tastes and preferences. When you know in advance what is likely to work/taste good, you can pick and collect winners to try in the kitchen at any time.