yogurt

This is one of those times when I feel like my iPhone photo app doesn't do the product justice. Course, it could be that I was just in too big of a hurry to get the pic taken before it melted and I needed to go deal with a child who has an increasingly louder scream when it comes to sudden onset of hunger.

I'm still enjoying my stock-up on sale priced organic Stonyfield yogurt that I moved to the freezer for preservation. I wanted a thicker, ice cream-style frozen yogurt for lunch last week. I used frozen strawberry yogurt, half an orange, and four medium-large flash frozen strawberries. My treat came out thick enough to serve in a bowl and to be eaten with a spoon. I've already made this recipe twice, and I hope to use up the rest of my frozen yogurt this way. For people who aren't fans of yogurt at all, this one really did just taste like fruit-flavored ice cream.

Cost to Make Upgraded Frozen Yogurt

• $0.32 Strawberyy Yogurt (Publix)
• $0.50 Strawberries (Maitland Farmer's Market)
• $0.05 Orange (Holianna Groves)
• $0.87 Total

Recipe for Upgraded Frozen Yogurt

• 1 cup strawberry yogurt, preferably frozen
• 3-4 Whole flash frozen strawberries
• 1/2 juice orange, like Tangelo, juiced

Whirl all ingredients until strawberries are chopped. Makes one serving.

I love the fact that I was in the right place at the right time. I got a 4 32 oz. cartons of Stonyfield yogurt on sale with coupons and froze it. With the strawberry yogurt, I made myself a yummy smoothie with half a juice orange as my liquid, frozen strawberries, and a ripe banana. The fresh quality of the fruit adds all the sweetener I need, making this drink easy and healthy.

With the April weather making for lovely warm, but breezy afternoons, I am really enjoying these cold drinks that use the winter orange and the spring strawberry.

Cost to Make Strawberry Smoothie

• $0.16 Strawberyy Yogurt (Publix)
• $0.50 Strawberries (Maitland Farmer's Market)
• $0.05 Orange (Holianna Groves)
• $0.21 Banana (Costco)
• $0.92 Total

Recipe for Strawberry Smoothie

• 1/2 cup strawberry yogurt, preferably frozen
• 3-4 Whole flash frozen strawberries
• 1 medium-sized ripe banana
• 1/2 juice orange, like Tangelo, juiced

Whirl all ingredients in a blender until mixed and at desired consistency. Makes one serving.

Three of the magazines I subscribe to: Parenting The Early Years, Parents, and Bon Appetit, had falafel recipes in their March 2010 issues. (Sorry, only Bon Appetit seems to have their recipe on line.) Is this some special month or just falafel screams "SPRING!"? Either way, the stories brought back great memories of our research of "The Best Falafel in the World" when we were a couple weeks away from a trip to Paris last year. The difference being, we are in Sunny Florida and no where near the Stravinsky Fountain. I knew I just had to give one of the recipes a shot.

After a little comparison, I chose the Parents recipe, and was quite happy with it. Just for kicks, I may try the others. . .or I may track down someone who has a secret ingredient that will make it out of this world.

In reading up on how to get children to eat healthy, I learned that some foods should be given more creative or less scary names. I took this step when adding spinach to my smoothies. The spinach (green tops) reminded me of eating fresh mint or even the tops of organic berries in my drink when you aren't worried about eating the leaves. The bitterness of the spinach is non-existent; so, I have no fear of suddenly realizing that the "tops" aren't tops at all. I have fought "green smoothies" for quite some time, but the fruit hides the look, which makes me more likely to drink it. Also, the additional vitamin C from orange juice increases absorption of iron, which is just as important for my body as eating the iron to begin with.

Sadly, my fetal-brain-drain kicked in and sometime last weekend I failed to put my frozen bananas back in the freezer, and they weren't very acceptable for smoothies after spending the night in the fridge. I used frozen peaches (Yes, we have a variety of fruit in our freezer. Just wait until all the applesauce and squash come into season.) as an alternative. The downside was that the color came out funky. One person at work thought my drink was pasta sauce to go with my EMT's pasta, and another person thought I was drinking salsa. Well, no matter the look, it tasted just fine.

Recipe for Berry Banana Smoothies

Serves 2

• One frozen banana
• 1/4 cup frozen raspberries
• 6 large frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt

I defrost my strawberries for a minute in the microwave because the banana often adds enough thickness on its own. Blend the raspberries first because they're smaller. Add the strawberries for some liquid, then spinach, banana, yogurt, and juice. Lighten up on the liquids if the smoothie is getting too thin or add an extra banana. The raspberries are the strongest flavor so those are what you need least extra of. If spinach is necessary in your diet, too, you can get away with adding more "green tops" without tasting the bitterness.

As with all smoothies, it's easy to be creative and explore. No two are alike. For my mid-morning drinks, I used just strawberries (defrost again) and peaches with the juice and spinach. I eliminated the yogurt because at work it takes me a while to sip my drink.

Paul had been reading up on the quality of Stonyfield Organic yogurt, and he wanted to buy some plain kind at Publix this week. Ironically, I got to taste a flavored sample at Costco yesterday, and we decided the yogurt is a good deal like European yogurt, which is often thinner than American yogurt, generally due to less additives. Paul left the cover of the big container on the counter this morning, and it had a fabulous advertisement about how cooking with yogurt (instead of mayo, sour cream, and not-useful-for-the-body oils) decreases total calories and fat while raising protein and calcium intake. So then, I go to StonyfieldFarms.com and see a replacement calculator for cooking to help make substituting yogurt for less healthy items easier. I'm all over it.

Once we left Paris, we had an interesting variety of breakfasts. In Caen, the Kyriad Hotel had a great variety of rolls, cheeses, sliced meats, cereal, and granola. They had juice dispensers instead of juice poured out of pitchers, which was more institutional than quaint. And they even had hot chocolate powder. Amusingly, the hot chocolate mix was Nesquick! I also remember a basket full of fresh fruit.

Down in the basement of the La Tour Notre Dame Best Western was a small room with brick walls and archways and nice tables with chairs crammed up against the wall to provide enough seating. Many Europeans don't do breakfast. At most, it's a hot drink and roll. Occasionally, juice accompanies the meal. I learned pineapple juice is quite popular in France.

Creamy Zucchini Soup has to be the fastest and easiest soup recipe ever--not to mention cheap! Dinner was on in about 10 minutes, if not less. The recipe from the Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet was really straight forward. Sour cream or yogurt was what made the soup creamy. I used yogurt instead of sour cream (because that was what we had in the house) and am quite curious to know what the flavor would have been like with the sour cream. I also used dried dill instead of fresh, as that is my preference. I challenged myself with this recipe because it does taste as simple as it sounds. It's is a light soup that does not send every taste bud bouncing crazily.

This is a great snack or dessert option. On occasion, Paul and I will have a breakfast item for dinner, especially if we had rich lunches and were still a bit full from a late lunch. This night, we had small smoothies with peanut butter toast. Certainly, if I can get a concoction that I really like and can remember, I won't want to make so many trips to Planet Smoothie. This recipe makes 16 ounces of smoothie, which is perfect for us. Sometimes, if I make more than that, it goes to waste.

Recipe for Smoothie

• 8 frozen strawberries
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2-3 Tablespoons peanut butter

Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

This post is in honor of our dear friend, Garalynne, a nutritionist in Savannah, Georgia. Garalynne has been taught how to eat well, and when she and her husband, Trevor, lived in Orlando, they would come over many Saturday nights for smoothies. Paul has a 3-ish cup blender that is perfect for individual drinks. We love our memories with our friends.

The best healthy late evening snack is smoothies and popcorn. Be creative with both. Here are some options:

This is a little something of my own. The idea came from Bosphorous, a restaurant in Winter Park, Florida. I liked the concept of the dip at the restaurant and could not find a recipe on line; so, I made one up. It must have been good because it went for a potluck and none of it came home!

Have you ever walked up to a counter at a restaurant and felt as if the people behind the counter were reading your mind and knew exactly what you wanted? Of course it sounds impossible, but that was the way I felt when I arrived for brunch at Ethos Vegan Kitchen with Paul and my folks on Father's Day.