What to do with all that YOGURT

 

Look at that thick, creamy homemade yogurt!  What should I do with it all?  Here's one idea...

 

Mmmm, honey.  Good start...

Oh, yes please.  Berries!

 

And some of that Pumpkin Spice Granola for some crunch...

 

Delicious!  The only problem was that I started with such a small serving dish.

 

So I wanted to tell you a little bit about why I thought I'd like to try to make yogurt at home.  I have been enjoying Oikos brand Greek Style yogurt for quite some time. I was thinking it was a rather healthy low calorie small meal or snack and it was especially good with homemade granola.  I loved many of the flavors... black cherry, apple pie, banana cream... and a few others. I kind of wondered about the sugar content in the yogurt but I kept gobbling it up. One day when I reached for a carton of yogurt on the shelf at the grocery store, I noticed the label looked different. The item was now labeled as a "dairy snack" and not "yogurt".  I still bought it but it sure made me wonder.  I kept wondering about it so I decided to call the toll free number which I found on the carton.  The folks on the line tried to assure me that their product still contained the same wholesome ingredients, but I never felt as if I got explanation that satisfied me as to why the product is now considered a "dairy snack" and not "yogurt".  It definitely made me think twice about having yogurt as a meal. 

 

A number of years ago at work, a Nurse Practitioner named Nona presented a class in Healthy Eating to a group of ladies at work.  What she said really stuck with me.  She gave two examples which really made a lot of sense; rice and apples.  She said if you can eat foods in their most natural state, unprocessed and unadulterated, it's better for you. 

 

Brown rice is best, white rice is not as good since it's more processed, crispy puffed rice cereal is highly processed and is not as healthful and lacks the fiber and nutrients.

 

A good old apple is pretty good for you, apple sauce is more processed and a lot of the natural fiber is removed, and apple juice contains no fiber and it's really concentrated and high in calories.

 

I sure liked the simplicity of Nona's advice.

 

My diet it is far from perfect and I certainly eat processed foods, but I like the idea that I know what is in the yogurt I made at home. 

A label from a carton of yogurt (Chocolate Covered Strawberry).