Yogurt Makes Me Smile

Yogurt rocks. Especially Greek yogurt. My favorite Greek yogurts are Stonyfield's Oikos brand and Fage. Creamy, full of protein, calcium, vitamin B, and healthy bacteria, and just plain good-tasting despite having little or no fat (depending on which variety you go for), I really don't think you can go wrong with yogurt. If you haven't given yogurt -- especially Greek yogurt! -- a try, I really do recommend it. For Thursday Thirteen, here are some of my favorite ways to ingest this delicious delight.

1. Plain. Really. It's good. Although you might have to develop a taste for it after eating more sugary flavored varieties, I think you'll find the tang of undressed yogurt quite yummy.

2. With cereal. One of my favorite breakfasts is Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla) mixed with any variety of Puffins, especially peanut butter.

3. With cereal and a sliced banana. Have you ever tried yogurt, bananas, and banana nut Cheerios? You should. It's yummy. I also like a cinnamony cereal in yogurt with a banana, with more cinnamon sprinkled in.

4. With granola. Can you tell that I like yogurt for breakfast?

5. With granola and fruit.

6. Mixed with a spoonful of peanut butter. It's an amazing breakfast or dessert.

7. In a homemade crepe. These are whole wheat, with vanilla yogurt, a sliced banana, and some peanut butter.

8. As a lunch side. I like having breakfast for lunch . . . or just having yogurt with a hummus pita.

9. As a garnish. This is chickpea curry topped with a nice dollop of yogurt-y goodness.

10. Baked. No, not actually baked itself, but baked into things like bread, muffins, and so forth as a replacement for not-so-good fats.

11. As an alternative to mayonnaise. Like in this cucumber salad, yogurt can replace mayo quite nicely. In fact, I like yogurt even better than mayonnaise as a savory dish base.

12. In homemade frozen yogurt. This is banana kiwi frozen yogurt, in the middle of the churning process.

13. As a sweet treat. It's a healthy alternative to ice cream, and it's darn tasty, too!

So there are my top options for the eating of yogurt. What are some of yours?