Yes! More Greek Yogurt!
In last weeks ‘What I Ate’ Wednesday post, I discussed how happy I am to be enjoying Greek yogurt again – I just love it!
I’ve been playing around with different ways to flavor my plain Greek yogurt naturally because I find it a little too tart just on it’s own, but I also refuse to buy the flavored Greek yogurt because it’s LOADED with added sugars!
I’ve honestly looked at every single brand out there and there aren’t any flavored Greek yogurts I’ve seen that have less than 18g of sugar per 3/4 cup serving! (mine are all less than 10g!)
So, I’ve come up with some delicious ways to make my Greek yogurt taste just as amazing as the storebought flavored varieties, BUT my versions have much less sugar…sugar that comes from natural sources like fruit and pure maple syrup…and stevia (which is actually naturally sugar-free, but adds that extra desired sweetness!)
The three flavors I’m absolutely loving right now are:
Strawberry Kiwi – a combination of strawberries, kiwi, and stevia
Blackberry Maple – a combination of blackberries, pure maple syrup, and stevia
Peach Cobbler – a combination of peaches, cinnamon, stevia, and a sprinkle of oats/muesli/granola
They are so easy to make, and I love knowing that I’m not loading up on sugar when I’m enjoying my special flavored yogurt combos!
Basically what I do is make a “fruit preparation” like those you find in flavored yogurts, and I just add it to my plain 0% fat Greek Yogurt!
To make the fruit preparations a sauce-like consistency I heat the fruit, and combine it with the stevia then chill it. Once it’s chilled I just add it to my yogurt, stir it in, and voila! Naturally flavored & sweetened yogurt!
I’ve been making batches of my fruit preparations to save time, so when I want to enjoy my yogurt for breakfast, a snack, or post-workout, I just scoop some out of a tupperware, add it to my yogurt, and I’m good to go!
Berries are in season right now and they just have such a delicious flavor and freshness to them – I’m LOVING the strawberries, so this Strawberry Kiwi combo really hits the spot!
The Peach Cobbler is truly dessert-like with the sweetness of the peaches, the smell and spice of the cinnamon, and the crunch of the oats/muesli/granola (it varies what I’ll use, but all three work great!)
And let’s not forget, the Blackberry Maple, simple and delicious! A classic combination!
Making your own flavored and sweetened yogurt is really so easy and the combinations are endless – some others I’ve tried or have been meaning to try are:
Raspberry Vanilla – raspberries, a drop of vanilla extract, and stevia
Orange Ginger – orange, ground ginger, and stevia
Tropical Pineapple Mango – pineapple, mango, shredded coconut, and stevia
Blueberry Crumble – blueberries, cinnamon, stevia, and granola/muesli/or oats
- ¾ cup plain 0% Greek Yogurt
- Peach Cobbler:
- 20g fresh or frozen peach slices, diced very finely
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 packet stevia
- 1 tablespoon oats/muesli/or granola
- Blackberry Maple:
- 30g fresh blackberries
- 1 packet stevia
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- Strawberry Kiwi:
- 40g finely diced fresh or frozen strawberries
- 20g finely diced fresh kiwi
- 1 packet stevia
- In a small bowl combine fruit preparation ingredients (if doing the peach cobber, sprinkle the muesli/oats/granola on at the end)
- Microwave for 20-30 seconds (a little longer if you use frozen fruit).
- Mash with a fork until a soft consistency is reached, there may be small fruit chunks still which is fine!
- Chill fruit preparation in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- In another bowl add Greek yogurt, stir in fruit preparation, top with oats/muesli/granola if making the peach cobbler.
- Enjoy!
Nutritional Stats: Each with 3/4 cup Fat Free Greek Yogurt + fruit preparation
Peach Cobbler: 142 kcal, 16g Carbohydrates, 8g Sugar, 19g Protein
(Compared to Astro Original Fat Free Peach Greek yogurt 3/4 cup serving = 180 kcal, 28.5g Carbohydrates, 24g Sugar, 16.5g Protein)
Blackberry Maple: 135 kcal, 16g Carbohydrates, 10g Sugar, 18g Protein
(Compared to Liberte 0% Fat Wild Blackberry Greek Yogurt 3/4 cup serving = 150 kcal, 24g Carbohydrates, 22g Sugar, 15g Protein)
Strawberry Kiwi: 126 kcal, 15g Carbohydrates, 9g Sugar, 18g Protein
(Compared to Astro Original Fat Free Strawberry Greek yogurt 3/4 cup serving = 210 kcal, 34.5g Carbohydrates, 31.5g Sugars, 16.5g Protein)
As you can see, making your own flavored and sweetened yogurt using fresh or frozen fruit and stevia really saves you all the added sugars you get in the store-bought varieties! It takes a tad more work, but for a healthier, no-refined-sugar, still just-as-delicious version, I think it’s definitely worth the added effort!
Have a wonderful Monday!
Christal
Nutritionist in the Kitch
Hi,
I was wondering what happened to your WIAW posts. They were my favorite and I can’t find them anymore. Thanks!
Hi Lauren! I took them down when I re did my blog this summer! I felt that they didn’t really line up with the overall theme I was going for!
Thanks Christal. Well, I’d be eager to read one if you ever decide to do it again. I’m hoping to start the 4-day workout regime you have posted and I couldn’t remember what your calorie intake and fitness pal breakdown was. I get kind of numbers oriented when I start planning these things, haha.
Hey Lauren! No problem! 🙂 The workout is still there until Fitness! As for calories and macro breakdown, it’s best to use an online calculator for yourself then manually enter it into my fitness pal! 🙂 I like this one http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Great resource, thanks!!!!!
I hate how shop bought flavoured yogurts have so much added sugar.
I love Greek yogurt and these look perfect.
Thanks Nikki! Me too, it’s loaded with so much extra unnecessary sugar!!
love the idea of flavoring plain greek yogurt
Thanks Julie – yes definitely makes the yogurt a lot cleaner than the store-bought!