DIY Tropical Escape Yogurt
By Chris Newport, Nutritionist and Head Coach
Recipe credit: Leigh, rock star runner and health nut
Recently, I was introducted to the new Chobani Flip in the yogurt aisle. It’s a great concept where Chobani gives you the makings of your own little personal parfait, combining greek yogurt with a variety of toppings. While they are pretty dang convenient, pack a great protein punch, and free of artificial sweeteners, GMOs, and preservatives, they still have their fair share of sugar in them. If you’re headed for a workout after eating it, no problem. But why not use this as inspiration to make your own healthy snack? You’ll have fewer ingredients, zero added sugars (the kind we need to worry about), and endless flexibility to create what you want.
photo credit: Chobani.com
Here’s the ingredients in Chobani Flip Tropical Escape:
Lowfat Yogurt (Cultured Pasteurized Nonfat Milk, Cream, Live and Active Cultures: S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus and L. Casei), Evaporated Cane Juice, Coconut, Hazelnuts, Pineapples, Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Cane Sugar, Whole Grain Wheat, Canola Oil, Honey, Molasses, Pectin, Natural Flavors, Salt, Locust Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Almond Meal, Nonfat Dry Milk, Turmeric (For Color).
FYI, evaporated cane juice, cane sugar, honey, and molasses are all…SUGAR. Here’s the thing: when you eat non-fat or low-fat yogurt (particularly greek yogurt), it’s…shall we say…tangy. And generally too much so for the “American” palate (aka the-everything-must-be-sweet-palate). So manufacturers add sugar or artificial sweeteners to satisfy that.
But have you ever had full fat plain yogurt (greek or otherwise)? It’s tastes GOOD. In fact, it was one of my kids’ first foods. And they still eat it plain. And LOVE it. It’s “dessert” to them. So let’s get off the “low-fat” band wagon and give the real stuff a shot. Besides, there’s more research coming out supporting the full fat dairy, like this one and this recent article from TIME. Not to mention the fact that fat helps you absorb vitamins A, E, D and K as well as keeping you satisfied throughout the day and your brain functioning properly (and don’t we all need that?!?).
In this recipe, use whatever nuts you’d like. The original calls for hazelnuts, but this recipe has slivered almonds, since they’re easier to find (generally in the baking aisle).
For the coconut, just make sure you get the unsweetened version (not the weird, soggy stuff in the baking aisle with propylene glycol and sodium metabisulfite). I usually order shredded coconut, but coconut flakes would be very cool too.
Now, I can’t take credit for this awesome recipe. This is the brain-child of Leigh, who created this version to take with her to work. Thanks, Leigh for the healthy recipe!
DIY Tropical Escape Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or plain whole milk yogurt of your choice
- 1/2 cup pineapple chopped
- 2 T almonds slivered
- 2 T coconut shredded
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in the order listed in a bowl and enjoy. If you're taking it to-go, put the yogurt and pineapple in one container and almonds and coconut in another container or baggy, then mix together when you're ready.
Notes
280 calories, 17g fat, 21g carbs, 3g fiber, 14g sugar (one teaspoon less than the original!), and 14g protein (2 more than the original!). Use 2% yogurt to save 15 calories, but just try the full fat version. Regardless, you can use it as a sour cream substitute or in smoothies.
