I made the last minute decision to stay up and finish my posterboard and am so glad I did – all assignments complete!!!!!!!!!!! Here’s a recap of the semester from up “Upcoming Assignments” project on ToDoist (and these are just the major ones!)
This afternoon I’m planning to spend a little time organizing all of my notes to study for finals next week. Thankfully I was very organized this semester and have everything from the previous tests printed out in PowerPoint form. The easier it is to see, the easier it is to understand! I could probably not study a lick and still do well enough on finals to get OK grades, but of course I want to go for all A’s 🙂
Since we’re doing more taste testing in lab today, I had a lighter breakfast. But I added a fun spin. I bought Stonyfield Low-Fat Plain yogurt at HT yesterday because we’re running low and I haven’t had this kind in ages and and wanted to refresh my opinion. Well, it’s no greek yogurt (or European either!) It’s got much more tang and liquid. So I decided to turn my breakfast cup into thicker yogurt.
Put in a colander with a paper towel over a bowl –
This morning it was nice and thick! The tang was still there, but the texture was perfect. You are mostly just losing whey protein (the liquid) and leaving the casin (the curd) so I image this reduces the protein/calories of the yogurt but probably not by much. It was not much hand’s on labor, but it took a while (overnight) to do, so not sure if I’d do this all the time. Plus, I’d feel funny about doing this to a whole container and then putting it back in the container – see like a good way to introduce lots of bacteria to your yogurt. But for 1 serving (or 2), loved it.
So on top of my yogurt I layered: ~6 strawberries, ~1/3 cup mango (pre-diced yesterday), ~1/4 cup TJ’s high fiber worms, ~2 tbsp Mix My Granola and 1 tbsp flax.
Spring Blend – frothy coffee
With the spider-filled spider mums!
I missed my daily dose of PB, but when I am tasting cake later, I’m sure i”ll be glad I kept it light.
YOU GUYS ROCK!! I’m up to 124 votes for Best Food Blog on Blogger’s Choice! 2 more to get to 26! Thank you!
See you for lunch – when my sister arrives!
yay for the awesome checklist!! that must feel great.
if you’re worried about bacteria in your strained yogurt, you could always clear some space and do the straining in the fridge overnight. my mom & grandmother always used to do this.
I have stopped buying greek yogurt because of the expense and starting making my own version by dumping a quart of plain store brand yogurt into a paper towel lined strainer over top of a bowl – I slap the whole thing in the fridge and in the morning have nice, thick greek-like yogurt! For 2 bucks I end up with about twice as much as I would have paid for 1 cup of Fage.
Love your blog – especially the recipes!
do you eat greek yogurt for the texture or for the protein or both? I can see how this would produce the same texture, but isn’t part of the draw the high protein content? just curious. your breakfast looks great! 🙂
Hey Kath, breakfast looks great! I’m really tempted to order my own granola now… is it worth the hefty price?
For a while, I didn’t buy Greek yogurt and instead I made my own by straining Stoneyfield’s like you did. Reducing the whey does not actually reduce the protein content cup for cup. For example, a cup of “yogurt cheese” like that has about twice as much protein as a cup of unstrained yogurt. It does reduce the volume though, so I guess you end up with fewer servings out of the container.
I strain my yogurt all the time, I leave it in there till it gets a cream cheese consistency then I use it in dips and as a spread. It’s fantastic!!
Congrats on getting all of your assignments done! nothing more satisfying then checking of your “To Dos” !
Enjoy your cake tasting 🙂
great breakfast, and so colorful!
I always strain mine IN the fridge – that way you don’t have to worry about it sitting out all night.
Your breakfast is so colorful!!
Enjoy your Friday!
HOORAY!!!!!!!!!! 😀
Have you ever tried making your own yogurt? I’ve been inspired by a recent article in the New York Times and a few good friends who swear by doing it themselves, and I’m planning to give it a go this weekend. It seems like something you’d enjoy. (I can only say that based on having kept up with your blog for over a year now, but it seems a fair enough assumption!)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/dining/15curi.html
I’ve always wanted to try this but didn’t have the guts. Seeing what you do in your classes is becoming one of my favortie things to read about on your blog! Happy Friday!
I also strained mine in the fridge. I like greek yogurt for the taste and texture so I gave up on straining my own a couple of years ago. I just don’t like the tang of the regular plain yogurts.
Now that is a GREAT breakfast! Happy Friday!
What a colorful, beautiful breakfast! Love parfaits 🙂
Enjoy your class.
I agree with Lara.. I love seeing what you do in class!! I find it so interesting!
I was debating between veggies or peanut butter for lunch today….. pb definitely won!
Mmmm, that bowl looks great!
That is one heaping bowl of breakfast Kath! Looks nice too. Have fun at lunch with sis.
zest!
I feel like I need a lesson in TODOIST. I feel like I would LOVE it, but I can’t seem to figure it out!
Guys, I definitely stored it in the fridge all night – I just meant that exposing the whole container of yogurt to the air, etc. would have more potential points for contamination than keeping it in its sterile container.
K
I had basically the same thing for breakfast and I’m missing my pb too! For some reason fruit yogurt and pb just don’t mix in my mind. Although idk why because fruit and pb is always delish!
What a great breakfast combo–looks so yummy!
nice going on the checklist! Looks like a delish breakfast! Love the yogurt idea 😉
i agree w/kate the baker– straining the yogurt doesn’t really reduce the protein content but it does reduce the volume & the caloric content, subsequently. As a result, you end up w/a very concentrated form of the yogurt– very much like greek yogurt– with a higher protein content, actually! i LOVE it. For some reason, our grocery stores stopped stocking greek yogurt– i was SO sad at first & went thru withdrawal. But then, i realized, if i do this every once in a while w/my reg Stoneyfield yogurt, it gives me the same results & saves me $!! i’m all for that…
What a beautiful bowl! I love great dishes to display gorgeous food on. Your breakfast looks scrumptious!
phew…I’m glad to know you strained the yogurt in the fridge!! lol I was thinking gross..
your fruits looks so colorful and good!
thats an awesome idea with the yogurt… I have some plain yogurt lingering in my fridge so I might try it out later! Thanks! 🙂
I’ve done the yogurt straining. Then I mix in spices to use it as a spread of bagels, toast or English muffins.
Also, IMHO, ‘nother is definitely a word. I’m also prone to use “see-cause” which is much more efficient than saying “well you see, because…”
I love straining my own yogurt. I love the texture of Greek yogurt better, but it tends to be super expensive, so straining cheap yogurt works out perfectly for me!
way to go on getting everything done! have fun tasting cake :D!
That is the exact method I use to make my own “Greek yogurt.” Sometimes I’ll throw a plate, take a shot of ouzo and yell, “OPA!” to make it more authentic.
Great idea- I buy plain yogurt as it’s inexpensive, I should try this.
Way to make your own greek! It saves money, for sure.
yay Kath! We do love your blog and YOU. Hope your friday is full of love and fun and yummy eats. And SUNSHINE. 😉
XOXO
I’ve always thought about straining my yogurt, but have never done it. Glad it turned out for you!
That list you can create is pretty neat.
Great yogurt tip!
Have fun with your sister tonight!
I love straining my own yogurt, especially the Stoneyfield vanilla since i haven’t found a vanilla greek yogurt I like. Your yogurt bowl looks fab!
Have a great day!
I used to love Greek yogurt. I haven’t had it in a while because I’m eating 98-100% raw foods only.
Anyway, I voted for you!! You had 136 votes when I was there. 🙂
*smiles*
Michele
I love Stonyfield low-fat plain. It only has a few more calories than the fat-free kind too.
Kath,
Your organization never ceases to amaze me.
Mmm, I used to always strain my own yogurt. Loved that thick texture, but I never thought about the bacteria…oops.
Your colorful bowl has me drooling but not nearly as much as that frothy mug of coffee. When are you going to get your KERF mug? 🙂
Have fun with your sister!
Allison – that’s a great tip. I think I’m going to try that out too.
One of the great things about Kath’s blog is not only the stories she shares, but I also am learning from the other readers through their comments.
Wow- you are unbelievable with that to-do list! Congrats on getting everything done! And the coffee is beautiful! Have fun with your sister!
I’ve heard that straining yogurt takes away most of the good bacteria and protein since it tends to sit in the watery yogurt that’s at the top when you open it. I don’t know if that’s completely true, but that’s why I buy greek yogurt for its thickness and have regular yogurt when I’m craving a runny consistency. It would definitely be something to looks into!
I love how driven and organized you are Kath! Good luck with the rest of the semester… I’m sure you’ll do GREAT considering all the hard work you’re putting into studying. 😀
Have fun with your sister!!! I miss yogurt soooo bad. I’m sure once I wean Lucy I’m going to go on a yogurt bender!
congrats on finishing everything! the completely checked-off todoist must be very satisfying 🙂
also, i tagged you on my blog this AM — just for fun! no pressure!
Hi Kath! A looooong time ago, you did some posting on nutritional yeast. I looked through the recipes and ran a search, but couldn’t find it. Do you have a link ? thanks 🙂
nah, YOU rock Kath!! 🙂
congrats on being done all your assignments!
megan ,
I eat it for the taste only. I don’t think the protein is worth the extra cost. But it’s a nice bonus!
Kate the Baker,
I think so – but probably not on a regular basis 🙂 For the dried raspberries!
Elise ,
Haha. Actually I haven’t ever thought about making my own. I’ve seen others do it and it seems to be more time consuming and not worth the effort. But I haven’t had friends swear by it, so maybe I don’t know what I’m missing.
Heather McD,
It’s on my summer todo list to get some more KERF stuff!
sarah (ghost world),
Tag me again after May 4th 🙂
Emily ,
I couldn’t find the post either 🙁 The search feature isn’t that great.) Sorry!
K
someone once told me that after your yogurt has been out of the fridge for 4 or more hours, you shouldn’t eat it. were you worried about that with this yogurt? i would love to try this but would hate to get sick!
Emily: is this the post you’re looking for: https://www.katheats.com/?p=3469??
Thanks melissa sue!