A Healthy Snack Idea with Fage

I love Fage Total 0% Strained Greek Yogurt. It's thick, creamy, and packs a surprising amount of protein into few calories and 0% fat. Being plain yogurt, it can be mixed with many different flavors if you're just looking to eat a flavored yogurt, or it can be subbed for a variety of less health-conscious ingredients in many recipes. I've used it as a sub for part of the ricotta in lasagna, as the mayo in tuna salad, and as the sour cream in tacos. It can also be made into a variety of dips and added to a basic vinaigrette to make a creamy version.

Here's a recipe that requires just three main ingredients, can be whipped up quick anytime, and is good. It's crunchy, creamy, dip-y, and healthy enough that you can chow down without guilt. Try mixing up the seasonings to create your own favorite flavor.

All you need is:
-half a cucumber
-Fage Total 0% Strained Greek Yogurt
-lemon juice

1) Slice one half of a fresh cucumber.
2) In a small bowl or dish, combine 1/4 c greek yogurt, 2 T lemon juice, and a dash of salt and pepper. If you like a little more kick, add a dash of red pepper flakes or Tabasco. Stir to combine.

That's it! Now dip and crunch away.

Calories - 54.6
Fat - 0.2g
Carbs - 7.3 g
Fiber - 1.2g
Protein - 6.8g

My favorite breakfast #1

This is one of my favorite go-to breakfasts. Doesn't it look yummy? It's a combination of Kashi Go-Lean Crunch, Fiber One Original, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and blackberries.

Fiber One may look like old people cereal when it's sitting there on the shelf, and I'll admit it's not the most exciting by itself, but when paired with the Kashi the light crunch of the Fiber One "twigs" compliments the tough crunch of the granola clusters very well. The Kashi is very crunchy, enough so that I've read some complaints about it, but I find it's just right when eaten with milk. It's packed with protein, and it's sweet enough that the the unsweetened almond milk is just fine. Berries add a nice natural sweetness, too.

Of course, being boxed cereal, it's quick and easy to grab in the morning, as a snack, or even lunch. The fiber and protein are pretty filling!

Best of all, it's a healthy choice. For 1/2 cup Kashi Go-Lean Crunch, 1/2 cup Fiber One originial, 1/2 cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, and 1/4 c fresh blackberries, here is the nutrition breakdown:

Yogi Tea's Blueberry Slim Life

I'm not a coffee drinker. I like the smell. I like coffee ice cream. I like coffee in chocolate cake. But I just can't drink it, even with lots of cream and sugar and fancy coffee things in it.

Before recently, I wouldn't say I was much for tea, either. It's okay, and nice to have something warm to drink, but it hasn't been anything much to me. Turns out, I was drinking the wrong tea. I took a chance on buying some of the slightly more expensive tea in the store, and I could really taste the difference in quality. It wasn't bland. It didn't need a whole bunch of doctoring up with lemon, sweeteners, or cream. It was good!

For the last few weeks I've been drinking a tea made by Yogi Tea called Blueberry Slim Life. It advertises itself with "Energizes and supports a dieting program". I first picked it for these claims, as at the time I was really focusing on diet and exercise, and who doesn't need some energizing?

This tea tastes good! I look forward to having a cup in the morning. I wouldn't say I crave it, as some coffee drinkers seem to crave their coffee, but I do look forward to it. I'm sad in the morning when I've run out and haven't been to the store yet, but I'm not "addicted". This is a good thing. It has just enough caffeine (35mg per 8oz cup) to be a mini pick-me-up. 

Ultimately, I'm not really sure how much it has effected my diet. I've eating well and exercising, so though I have lost weight, it probably had more to do with those things than the tea. I can say that the tea didn't make me any hungrier, though, if that's something other teas can do. If you're one who enjoys a super sugar-and-creamed coffee in the morning, and need something lighter to drink in the morning, this certainly would support your dieting program. Green tea has been noted to have many possible health benefits, including maintaining a healthy weight and antioxidant powers, and blueberries as well. So drinking this certainly can't hurt.

Another thing that probably helps this tea's diet claims is that it is naturally sweeter than most. I can really taste the blueberries, but not in an artificial or overpowering way. Just enough that I don't feel the need to add a bunch of honey or sugar. I have tried adding Truvia, Necresse, and Splenda (not at the same time, of course), and they all did make the tea sweeter, but it's really not needed.

One extra little piece that Yogi tea brand includes is a special little message on their labels. I enjoy them a lot. Sometimes I'll get the same one a few days in a row, which can be kind of disappointing, but many days I get a smile out of it. Last night I got this message, which was a nice reminder:

(Disclaimer - I don't get any kind of compensation for this. I don't know anyone who works for Yogi Tea. I just like the tea, and think you might like it, too.)