ingredient of the week: greek yogurt

here we are again with another installment of ingredient of the week! i have been looking for greek yogurt for suchhh a long time in vancouver. they didn't have it at the two or three grocery stores that i usually go to, but luckily on a grocery adventure with the english girl in bc, i stumbled upon a brand i had never tried before - greek god's yogurt. now, that was kind of scary because i have tried some that have literally - i mean literally - tasted like barf. all acidy and just nasty. but i tried this one anyways. they didn't have the low-fat version at the grocery store which was fine with me.. i was just happy i found some. but, if possible the non-fat or lower-fat versions are best, mostly because the regular version is high in fat. although not the bad kind of fat, i'd rather just go for the lighter option!

this brand defs did not taste like barf  : )

so, greek yogurt is way, way different than regular yogurt. first off, it's strained three times so that most of the liquid whey is gone. this means you get double (!!) the amount of protein compared to normal yogurt. higher protein content (in any food) means that you can stay full and satisfied longer, this is why it's one of my favourite breakfasts!

since greek yogurt is not treated with heat (most regular yogurt is), more of the lactobacterial cultures can survive to make it into your gut. once there, they work hard to improve your digestive health by keeping you regular and reducing diarrhea. they also aid in the absorption of essential vitamins, minerals, protein, fats and carbs, and help produce amino acids, b-vitamins and vitamin k. basically, you need these 'good' bacteria in your diet to keep you healthy.

another point is that greek yogurt is low in sugar (about half the sugar content compared to regular unsweetened non-fat yogurt). because of the three-straining process, most of the natural sugar is removed.
oh yeah, and of course, it has lots of Ca²⁺. 

anyways, i like greek yogurt becaue it can be substituted as a healthier version for many higher-fat items such as mayo, sour cream, buttermilk, whole-milk and whipped cream. plus you don't need to worry about it curdling if you heat it up. here are two ways which i enjoyed my greek yogurt today:

greek honey and greek yogurt: the best breakfast of all time

this morning i had a nice scoop of yogurt with my greek honey. it's quick, light, nutritious and kept me full right through my class until 12:30. i loooovveee it.

midday smoothie with greek yogurt

i also made a smoothie before lunch.
what you need:
1 cup organic apple juice
1 fresh banana
2 heaping handfuls of frozen strawberries
1 handful mango or peaches
1 tsp ground flax (i bought regular seeds then pulsed them in the actual blender - money saver!)
1 tbsp greek yogurt

step 1: 
combine all and blend!

i also really like using greek yogurt in tzatziki, salad dressings, marinades (makes the meat super tender), sauces and dips etc etc. it's super versatile, you can basically use it in anything!