5 Yogurts to Try This Week

Happy Monday! Today's blog post is courtesy of my husband, Jason! He's a HUGE fan of yogurt (I am not) and he's always trying out new brands. I asked him to pick five and review them for the blog. He went above and beyond the assignment by putting a rating next to each and here's what he had to say:

• Culture: vermont maple, pecans, vanilla, cinnamon and agave. Yogurt is rich and sour, which is a nice contrast to the sweet maple syrup and pecans. Rating = 4.5 out of 5
• Noosa with Blueberries: yogurt is rich, smooth and creamy and silky with blueberries. My favorite of this test. Rating = 5 out of 5
• Nounos: sour yogurt yet nice contrast with the sweet fig and orange fruit at the bottom. Probably the most sour/tangy of the group. Rating = 4 out of 5
• The White Moustache: yalda with green raisins, mint and walnuts. Nice consistency, very mild flavors. Great packaging. Rating = 4 out of 5
• Siggi's: coconut flavor. Smooth consistency and nice packaging, but too sour/tangy. Rating = 3.5 out of 5

Coffee or Tea

It's officially AC weather and we're looking for any excuse to eat popsicles. We bought these molds - along with these cute ones - at a fun kitchen shop in Beacon, NY, but you can just as easily purchase them on Amazon here. Flavors of the week include Vietnamese coffee (my latest obsession) and Arnold Palmer - a throwback to my Pittsburgh roots (#always). 

I haven't tried my hand at the really fancy popsicles with lots of fruit pieces in the middle, but soon! Also on my list is avocado popsicles dipped in chocolate. Exciting, right?!

Check out below for the recipe!

Ingredients for Vietenamese Coffee Popsicles

• Grady's Cold Brew because it's made with chicory
• Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Water

Mix 2 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk with 2 ounces of warm water, then add 4 ounces of Grady's Cold Brew for the perfect cup of Vietnamese iced coffee. Once mixed, pour into molds. 

Ingredients for or Arnold Palmer Popsicles

• Tazo Organic Darjeeling Black Tea
• Lemons
• Agave

Brew tea and let it cool a bit. For each popsicle mold, squeeze the juice of half a lemon, add 2 teaspoons of agave syrup and wedge a few lemon slices if you wish. 

Wait a few hours and that's it! Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken and Tzatziki Lettuce Wrap with Roasted Chickpeas

This weekend was perfect for grilling and last night, we cooked a big batch of chicken for the week because we are on a mission to save money! Here is a quick and easy recipe for dinner and it also makes a perfect lunch to bring to work since you can prepare everything the night before!

• Tzatziki (learn how to make here)
• Chicken breasts
• Romaine lettuce 
• Italian dressing
• Skewers soaked in water
• Salt
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp spice of choice for roasted chickpeas (I used Garam Masala)

Cube chicken breasts and place in Tupperware container, covering with Italian dressing. Marinate for at least an hour. 

Meanwhile, prepare tzatziki. To make, finely dice the cucumber and squeeze out the juice. You can do this with your hands and then let dry on a towel. Combine diced cucumber, yogurt, garlic, dill, lemon juice salt and pepper and mix everything together. Let sit in the refrigerator for about an hour for the flavors to meld. 

Once you're ready to grill, place chicken cubes on skewers, season with a little salt and throw on the grill for about 10 minutes or until cooked. 

Remove chicken from skewers and assemble lettuce wraps. Dollop tzatziki over chicken and add a few slices of extra cucumber if you like. 

For some added crunch, serve with roasted chickpeas - my new favorite snack! Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and drain and rinse chickpeas, laying on paper towel to dry. Once dry, place in a bowl with olive oil and spice of choice. Pour onto baking sheet and bake in oven for 30-40 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Nutella Strawberry French Toast Rolls

I'm so excited to be going home for Mother's Day! It's a really special weekend because my entire family will be walking the Race for the Cure. We will be there in support and in honor of the amazing women in our lives who have been affected by breast cancer.

I'm also pumped because I'll have the opportunity to make brunch for everyone post-race! My mother LOVES strawberries - maybe more than me - so this recipe is perfect. Nutella. Strawberry. French. Toast. Rolls. I mean...it's so simple and so delicious. 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 12 slices white bread (crust off and flattened with rolling pin)
• 6 strawberries, chopped
• Nutella or Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp almond milk
• Splash of vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Maple syrup

Spread Nutella along one edge of the bread slice and layer with chopped strawberries. Tightly roll bread and repeat until they're all filled. 

In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar with the cinnamon.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet set over medium heat.

Add the rolls to the egg mixture, turning to coat on all sides, then place them in the pan seam side down. Cook in batches until golden brown, turning them to cook and brown on all sides. Add butter to the pan as needed.

Add the hot rolls from the pan to the cinnamon sugar and roll until completely covered.

Serve with maple syrup.

For more fun and delicious recipes to make for brunch this weekend, click on the images below!

acai bowl

Spinach cheese strata

pumpkin spice doughnuts