A New Fave & 2 Recipes

Breakfast is usually a hard meal for me to figure out. I need something filling with protein to get me through the morning, but I am perpetually running late, and I never have the time or energy to bother with an elaborate breakfast.

Recently I have been enjoying a yogurt parfait for breakfast. I make it with my new fave yogurt, Kroger brand {fat free} vanilla greek yogurt sweetened with Stevia. I love that it is quick to make, and if I am really running late I can throw it in a container and take it to work with me.

Reasons I am obsessed with this yogurt: it has the perfect amount of sweetness and vanilla flavor, it is loaded with protein, it is fat free, it is all natural, and it is sweetened with Stevia! Stevia is a plant based calorie free sweetener that is considered a safer alternative to artificial calorie free sweeteners. Although I have recently read several articles that claim Stevia is not as safe as people believe...who knows...at this rate anything and everything we are exposed to is toxic, unless you live a 100% clean eating lifestyle, which as much as I would love to, is insanely hard to do.

Once I get some of my yummy yogurt into the bowl I top it with Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal (also high in protein) and fresh fruit. Last week's choice was cantaloupe. The cantaloupes I have had so far this year are already so sweet and juicy, yum! I have also used blueberries, strawberries, and pineapple to make my parfaits. Here is a past post about a blueberry yogurt parfait I made.

Because I was so excited about my yogurt I decided to try it another way by making a delish dip I found via Pinterest.

This dip combines vanilla greek yogurt, honey, cinnamon, and peanut butter. I used mine as a dip for apples, but honestly it was so delish I could just eat it with a spoon for dessert. As is typical I didn't measure. I just spooned a little of each into a dish and mixed it up, but here is the source where I got the recipe and she shares her measurements.

Do you have any other yummy ways you use vanilla greek yogurt? Now that I am obsessed with it I am anxious to try it in some other recipes. What about Stevia? Do you use it or do you prefer another natural sweetener?

FYI--This post was not sponsored. All opinions are unsolicited and 100% my own.

Summer Blueberries

I l-o-v-e fresh fruit, and summer is a fruit lovers dream! This week I picked up a huge container of blueberries at Costco. They are super sweet and delicious, but I was worried about them going bad before I could eat them all (I am still convincing the hubby about the wonderfulness of fruit). Thankfully I had Pinterest to save the day and I found this blog post about preserving fresh berries. Score! I used my 1/4 cup measuring cup to measure out one part white vinegar and ten parts water into my bowl (side note: I seriously love all of the uses around the house for vinegar, but that is for another day). I dropped the berries in and swirled them around. After pouring them into a colander I chose to rinse them with fresh water because I am neurotic like that and I didn't want my blueberries to taste like vinegar. 5 days and counting and the berries are still fresh and delish!

I have been using my blueberries to make a quick and easy breakfast this week. I love using Greek yogurt because of the added protein. I started buying the plain yogurt in a large size container because it is cheaper than buying the individual containers, and you can add lots of goodies to make your own flavor at home. Added bonus: this saves you the extra sugar and calories you get when you buy the kind with fruit already mixed in. I add a little sweetener to the yogurt to tone down the tartness. I have been using Stevia because I like that it comes from a natural source and does not contain aspartame. Honey is another yummy natural sweetener. Once my yogurt is sweetened up I toss in my fresh berries, and breakfast is done. My yogurt recipe changes based on what I have in my pantry (from basic to froofy),  but this week I am keeping it fast, yummy, and easy!

Do you make your own yogurt recipes at home? What are your favorite mix ins?