Sunday, June 27, 2010

Get Loaded: A Lesson in Loading Yogurt

So I totally love that you guys love sushi every bit as much as I do! I'm thinking a virtual sushi party is in order? Could we arrange that!? I'll start working on it now!

getting loaded.
If I had to pick just one snack for the rest of my life - it would undoubtedly be loaded yogurt. There's just so much you can do with it! No loaded yogurt is the same! When I first start making them, I didn't really have any set plan. I may or may not have just randomly thrown things in a bowl. Now however, after months of experience, I have a whole system. A super top-secret system which I would like to share with you now. Prepare your innocent little eyes because this post will self-destruct.

base.
First things first - the yogurt. Some people prefer soy yogurt, some people love their low-fat, but I (and I'm sure a bunch of you bloggies) will always heart greek yogurt. It's just so rich and thick! The perfect conveyor for all my loaded goodness. My favorite brand?



Why Fage of course! Though Trader Joe's also puts up a good fight for first. Don't take my word for it, though. Try out a bunch of brands! I've heard good things about Oikos, but I would definitely avoid the Yoplait. Yuck.

flavor.
Now I wouldn't advise this step if you're working with already flavored yogurt, but if you've got your little mitts on the plain or vanilla variety - you can spice things up a bit with just a dash of cocoa powder, carob powder, vanilla extract, brown sugar, cinnamon, whatever you'd like! I personally love choco-tizing my yogurt, but that's probably because I have some serious addiction issues with chocolate. I can quit whenever I want!


sweetner.
Now I don't know about you, but to me, greek yogurt tastes about as sweet as a spoonful of rocks. Why not cover those rocks in agave nectar, honey, maple syrup or jelly? Blueberry jelly, preferably. And no rocks. If you're crazy you don't have a gigantic sweet tooth like me, you could skip this step. I guess. But then we probably couldn't be friends.


Note to self: I apparently need to find out where they sell the industrial-sized agave nectar.

fruit.
Let's get real here - we wouldn't be health food bloggies if we weren't trying to slip fruits and veggies into every food possible. Why stop at loaded yogurt?! I personally tend to favor strawberries, blueberries and bananas in my loaded meal, but you could also have some success in blackberries, raspberries, kiwi, apples, maybe not oranges so much, but hey if that's your thing, roll with it. Go crazy.

crunch factor.
Everything tastes better with a little crunch. It's science, people. I don't make the rules. To get that sought after crunchiness, try adding some uncooked raw oats, granola, cereal, puffed rice, graham crackers, whatever floats your boat. I love love love Puffins in mine!


So good! I promise, they won't get soggy. I also like throwing in a handful of Honey O's or even some crumbled Kashi Cinnamon Shredded Wheat. Seriously. Yum.

naught bits.
Now comes my favorite part - the naughty bits. Things like dark chocolate chips, cacao nibs, crumbled cookies, muffins or vitatops, whipped cream, get creative! The only thing I would advise against is peanut butter. For some reason, the thick texture of peanut butter does NOT go well with the rest of the yogurt. Trust me on this one. But fear not, because where peanut butter fails, peanut butter sauce will never let you down. Just mix a little almond milk with your peanut butter and voila! PB sauce! It's totally genius. It's also changed my life dramatically in ways I never thought possible.


White Chocolate Wonderful. There's nothing better. I've given up even trying. So now, I'm dying to know:

What's your favorite loaded yogurt combo?

You know I'm always trying to squeeze new ideas from you guys. Don't front, you love it. (:

23 comments:

  1. Such a fun post. Fage I also my favorite kind of Greek yogurt!! However I discovered it long before I started reading blogs and greek yogurt was all the rage! I discovered it on vacation in Greece.

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  2. The "naughty bits" haha that's always the best part isn't it?! I love Fage + TJ's maple pecan granola + banana chunks + globs of almond butter. YUM!

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  3. Throw in TJs pumpkin butter too. And even a bit of maple extract. Cute post!

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  4. Love this post! Thanks for putting a smile on my face! I've been buying the flavored single serving Chobanis for work so I can grab them and go, but there is just too much sugar in them for me and buying plain in bulk will save me money so I will definitely take these tips to heart!

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  5. I actually love the taste of plain Greek yogurt! It is pretty divine with homemade peanut butter granola on top!

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  6. WOW that is quite the agave jug! i'd like to track one of those down myself... costco perhaps? i need a little sweet in my yogurt too, and my fave combo is Greek plain yogurt, about 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 packet of stevia (or some agave), a mix of berries, and Kashi Go Lean. never fails to satisfy me! :)

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  7. Oh, yummy. This morning I made a yogurt mess with Greek yogurt (duh), bananas, strawberries, liquid vanilla stevia, cinnamon and natural peanut butter topped with Kashi Honey Flax Granola. MMMMM

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  8. I love Greek yogurt with strawberries + granola. It's just so good.

    Jenn

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  9. One of my favorites is plain Greek yogurt, banana slices and MultiGrain Cheerios!

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  10. don't forget the babyfood! seriously, squash or sweet potato with stevia. it's great

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  11. I don't eat much yogurt--mostly because soy yogurt is too expensive for this gal.

    But I can comment on the virtual sushi party. That I will definitely be apart of. :)

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  12. omg i was hoping for a food porn pic of this. .but now uve made me use my imagination which is going wild right now with that combo. ohh lets see if i can think of something.. hmm

    kk granola with yogurt, cinnamon, honey, peanut butter and covered in coconut and carob chips!! YUM

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  13. Love fruit in mine! I need to try adding cocoa or something of that nature...sounds so good!

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  14. I learn so much from you. I only load my yogurt with granola...so many other possibilities.

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  15. I love those puffins! I also add a bit of flaxseed and some chopped apple to my daily yogurt fix.

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  16. This is my go-to breakfast when I'm too lazy to cook! I love plain low-fat yogurt topped with lots of berries, 1/2 a chopped banana, melted PB, and granola and a dash of cinnamon! So so so good!

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  17. Fage is my favorite too! I love it with blackberries, stevia, and a little granola!

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  18. I love Chobani, and can even get HUbbs to eat it... I layer:

    vanilla chobani
    blueberries, raspberries and blackberries
    grape nuts for crunch (though now I want to try PUFFINS!)
    and a squirt or two of whipped cream from an aerosol can

    Tastes like dessert!

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  19. That's IT! You've come into my house and taped me making my yogurt. Hand to the sky I use all the same ingredient, OK all but the agave (I use honey). Tis a perf combo of fresh, sweet, crunchy and thick.

    Right now I'm digging bluberries and Chex. MMM!

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  20. I keep my yogurt pretty tame, but I love the crunch factor! I usually add some kind of cereal.

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  21. i've never thought about adding cocoa to my yogurt! nice idea.

    i like adding flax seed or fruit. or honey!

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  22. I just stumbled upon your blog!
    I love yogurt and topping it will delicious items. I must say that before I found out I need to be GF, those Puffins were my favorite!! I love White Chocolate Wonderful though, but I usually don't pair it with yogurt

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  23. I eat this almost every dayyy in the summer and spring for breakfast!
    Step 1: Microwave half of a frozen nana until it is just soft enough to mash. Mash into Fage original with a dash of vanilla extract.
    Step 2: Crumble in a whole wheat pumpkin or banana muffin.
    Step 3: Top with crunchy almond butter.
    Nom nom nom....!

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