OIKOS Yogurt Review & TraderJoes-aholic

I just have to tell you that - I won my FIRST giveaway! This is exciting because I have entered every contest in the history of blog giveaways and finally won, which goes to show you that persistence pays off. Julie @ JulieGoLean is sending me a bunch of her favorite things plus a workout mix CD. Can't wait!

Yogurt

About a week ago, Stonyfield sent me some coupons to try their Organic Greek Yogurt. I have bought this a few times before and always enjoyed it.

Background: Me & Greek Yogurt

I had honestly never heard of this greek yogurt stuff until I started seeing it on a bunch of different food/health blogs less than a year ago. I found some at whole foods and after my first bite I thought - yuck - this stuff tastes like sour cream.

I kept at it thinking that it had to be an acquired taste - especially if so many people like it. It also had some great benefits - low calories, low fat, high protein. I started mixing in fruits, cereals, chocolate chips, cookies, french fries and it slowly started to grow on me. To the point where now, I probably eat it 4-5 times a week. (kidding about the cookies and fries)

Getting into brands of Greek Yogurt - I have personally sampled Fage, Chobani, Skyr, Oikos, and Trader Joes. The ones I purchase the most are Fage, Trader Joes, and now Oikos. Skyr is amazing, but basically costs $1 million dollars per cup.

OIKOS Samples

Moving on to OIKOS. First, I sampled the Honey flavor. I really like how the honey is on the bottom and you get to mix it in - it adds just enough sweetness for me and I feel like I am cooking since I get to mix stuff.

120 calories, 0g fat, 13g protein. The texture is not as dense as Fage and comparable to a Chobani. It gets a double thumbs up from me. My favorite add-ins are Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal and/or blueberries.

The next OIKOS I tried was Plain. 90 calories, 0g fat, 15g protein.

I am not going to pretend I like to eat plain yogurt by itself. I either need something sweet mixed in OR I like to use it as a topping or mix-in for savory dishes. I decided to use the OIKOS Plain Greek Yogurt to make a Creamy Tomato Sauce on Sunday night.

I am a huge fan of vodka sauce and any creamy tomato sauce, but it is usually a caloric bomb. I think this recipe could be considered a healthier version...

Creamy Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• Italian Herbs (I used the paste stuff, but fresh basil and oregano would be better)
• salt & pepper
• chicken broth or white wine
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 container OIKOS plain greek yogurt

Directions

1. Saute garlic and onions in olive oil over medium high heat.
2. Deglaze the pan with chicken broth. (White wine would be better, but I didn't have any on hand.)
3. Add 1 can of tomato sauce and throw in Italian herbs, salt & pepper to taste.
4. Simmer for about 15 mins, then stir in yogurt and heat for about 5 mins over medium heat. (Next time I would add some baby spinach to the sauce to get more green.)
   

We picked up huge, plump scallops from Kool Ice in Cambridge, MD on the way back from the beach and they went great with penne and the healthified creamy tomato sauce.

Thanks to Stonyfield for making a great product and sending me coupons! Oh and they have Vanilla and Blueberry flavors as well, which I hope to try soon.

Trader Joes

The amount that I talk about Trader Joes, you would think that they were paying me to advertise for them. But no, I just consider it one of my hobbies to try new products from their store and tell you all about them. I see something new in there every time I go and I love that.

First - Jaipur Vegetables. Garden vegetables and cubes of Paneer cheese with spices and cashews.

This stuff rocked my world. The cheese made it a little higher in fat, but I thought it was pretty low in calories and the sodium wasn't as bad as others. Entire package: 340 calories, 22g fat, 14g protein.

I liked the Ingredient list enough to share. I could actually recognize everything in the list.

Ingredients: water, tomatoes, potatoes, green peas, carrots, paneer cheese, green beans, onion, sunflower oil, watermelon seed paste, cashews, cream, salt, red chiles, ginger, spices, garlic, turmeric.

I added broccoli florets to bulk up the green factor and although this picture doesn't do it justice - this was a very filling and delicious lunch.

Second - Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzel Slims.

These were opened immediately after purchasing. I have to be careful with these things because they have that sweet/salty combo that I can't seem to resist. 7 slims = 190 calories, 8g fat, 3g protein.

Hope you enjoyed this edition of "TraderJoes-aholic".

Other Stuff

A few of you asked for the Red Pepper Pesto Dip* from the makeup party on Saturday. Well, here you go:

(*recipe taken from a wheat thins box)

Ingredients

• 1 tub (8 oz) Light Cream Cheese Spread
• 1 large red pepper, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup Reduced Fat Feta Cheese (they recommend Athens)
• 2 tbsp Basil Pesto Sauce (they recommend DiGiorno)

Directions

1. Combine cream cheese, pepper, feta cheese, and basil pesto dip into a medium mixing bowl and stir until softened.
2. Put mixture into a pie dish or any oven safe dish.
3. Heat oven to 425 and bake for about 10 minutes or until dip is bubbly.
4. Let it cool for about 5 minutes and serve with a box of Wheat Thins or any other cracker that your prefer.

Enjoy!

Fun Question

What is the last thing you ate?

Me - 4 dark chocolate covered pretzel slims. Help me - I can't stop!