Friday, March 23, 2012

Strawberry Swirled Yogurt Pops



Frozen yogurt is surprisingly good, and I found out why - it’s loaded with sugar.  Frozen yogurt bars give you the impression they are healthy also, since their packaging touts fresh fruit & wholesome ingredients.  Greek yogurt, as amazing as it is, still needs sweetness to be tolerable.  Here’s a way to fool your sweet tooth, without spiking your blood sugar.


I have a new love affair with yogurt - especially greek yogurt.  It’s been years since I could even open a container and stay composed.  When I was in the middle of health issues several months ago, I needed to boost my protein intake - and that’s when I discovered greek yogurt.
The texture was wonderful - so smooth and creamy it’s amazing.  But it also packs a strong, tart flavor that’s hard to come to terms with if you’re not used to it.  That’s when I started using fresh frozen strawberry jam to sweeten it.  It became a treat to me then, almost like rich ice cream.  In fact I still prefer it over ice cream.

My mother, as she goes through radiation, needs a lot more protein in foods that are easy to swallow.  Yet, she is concerned if she has too much sugar that will not be good for her in the long run.  That’s how I came up with these little treats.

I’m not a big fan of agave - I’ve always thought that sweeteners are all the same (and according to this article, that’s pretty close to the truth)  The only advantage to using agave instead of any other sweetener is that it is lower on the glycemic index.  That’s it.  So... use your own preference for a sweetener in this recipe.

I did find that using some kind of sweetener to make the yogurt more pleasing was important - that way I didn’t use a LOT of the jam to make it taste good.  I mixed it in before swirling the yogurt with a smaller amount of jam.  

These were fun to snack on, and unlike popsicles, they don’t drip as you enjoy them.  They are a fun way to get some extra protein, calcium, and nutrients into kids - while they think they are getting a treat.

For the recipe, go to:

No comments:

Post a Comment