Go Greek!!

What is Greek Yogurt?

True Greek yogurt is made differently than traditional yogurt..

Both traditional and Greek yogurts start out the same – by fermenting milk with live bacteria cultures.

Greek yogurt is created when the yogurt is strained so that the liquid whey is removed. When the whey is gone, the Greek yogurt takes on a thicker, cheesier texture than traditional yogurt.

For traditional yogurt, if a cup of milk is used to make the yogurt, one cup of yogurt is produced. In Greek yogurt, it takes more milk to create one cup of yogurt, sometimes up to four cups of milk. This is why true Greek yogurts can be more expensive.

Why Go Greek??

1. Greek yogurt has twice as much protein as regular yogurt.
2.  Since the whey contains the lactose, when the lactose is strained, the yogurt loses some of its sugar and carbohydrates.  If you are watching your carbohydrate intake or have a sensitivity to carbohydrates like diabetes, then Greek yogurt is your ticket. Regular yogurts have 15 to 17 grams of carbohydrates per cup, where Greek yogurt averages around 9 grams.
3. Because Greek yogurt contains less carbohydrates than regular yogurt, it has less lactose, the sugar in dairy products that can sometimes upset people's stomachs. This is especially helpful for people who have lactose intolerance.
4. Greek yogurt can be used for many dishes. Due to its thick texture and rich taste, many people use it as a substitute for milk, sour cream and even use it for baking. I love to use it in baking and a substitute for mayo in chicken salad!!

Be sure to buy the plain Greek yogurt. If you buy flavored, you will most often get added sugar and other ingredients.  I like to buy plain and add my own ingredients.

Greek Yogurt Snack Ideas

Here are a couple of my Greek yogurt snack ideas.  Get creative and add the ingredients you like to keep the Greek yogurt healthy and clean.

Greek Yogurt With Berries:
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup berries (fresh or frozen thawed out will both work)
1 tablespoon of Truvia (or more to taste)
I like to heat whatever berries I am using in the microwave for a few minutes to make them more juicy..this is really good with frozen mixed berries warmed in the microwave.  Sometimes, you have to add more truvia depending on how sour the berries are at the time.  Just mix it all together and enjoy!

Greek yogurt

strawberries fresh from Glenmary Gardens

1 tablespoon of truvia the warmed in the microwave

add the Greek yogurt

yummy strawberry Greek yogurt

Greek Yogurt With Chocolate and Granola
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons of cocoa
1 1/2 tablespoons truvia
sprinkle of clean granola and semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix all together..sometimes I have to add more truvia depending on the brand of cocoa I use...

add cocoa and truvia to yogurt and stir

that granola is found at Ingles and called Simply Granola in the cereal isle