Oh the mess! I am in the middle of a kitchen remodel, so my ability to cook at my own house has been seriously limited! I should say that I am not complaining at all, only happily anticipating the final outcome.

Naturally when you are left with little to no resources in any given situation you begin to reflect on what is important. So for me in this case, it was food and meals and what I just can’t live without. I have had to keep my grocery shopping down to the bare minimum and cooking is really not an option, oh and did I mention I am without water in the kitchen (!)…so cold, easy to prepare and/or grab and go type items are what we are all sustaining on. Upon my initial reflection, when making my first pre-remodel demo grocery list, I realized Greek yogurt was at the top of my MUST haves. This was really the first time I thought about how often and how many ways I use it. So, naturally keeping my promise to you I thought I would share some of my favorite ways to use this staple.

One question I always get is “how are you able to stay healthy and in shape when you are cooking all the time”? My answer is, I maintain a balanced diet and only indulge every now and then. That said I, just like most people, love good and flavorful food with rich luscious texture! One of my secrets is replacing the typical calorie tipping extras many of us enjoy with our food with Greek yogurt. Now I am not just saying this, but I really have been doing this for YEARS. I mean when the only place you could find Greek yogurt was at a health food store. I started my experimenting with Greek yogurt because I despise to the core of my being hate mayonnaise, in fact my children didn’t even know mayonnaise existed until my parents put it on sandwiches for them. It wasn’t until years later that I realized how versatile and beneficial Greek yogurt really is. Until about 2007 I mainly used it as a mayo replacement, then I heard and interview of Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat, and she made a statement that stuck with me; “There is never a reason to eat sour cream”. At the time I thought WHAT, NO SOUR CREAM! But when I really looked at the “nutritional benefits” of sour cream compared to the fat and cholesterol, and then compared it to my beloved tangy mayo replacement I was sold. With sour cream, now I’m talking regular sour cream because we all know how awful low fat sour cream is (!), weighing in at a whopping 496 calories and 96 mg of cholesterol and only 7 g of protein per cup, compared to Greek yogurt’s mere 130 calories and 0 mg of cholesterol and 20 g of muscling building protein per cup I was ready to say goodbye to sour cream for good. The switch was seamless, in fact my husband, who once told me the brand new low fat ranch I bought him was “bad”, didn’t even realize I stopped buying caloric scale tipping sour cream!

So I dare you to do the same! Cut those nasty hidden calories out of your favorite go-to snacks and creamy toppers and try some of my own tried and true Greek yogurt based recipes. Enjoy!

Avocado “Sauce”

Avocado sauce is a MUST have staple in my home. My kids eat this nutritious “sauce” as a dip for veggies, on top of their favorite black bean, cheese and flaxseed tortilla quesadillas and with any Mexican inspired meal I prepare from taco salad (no dressing required) to chicken tortilla soup! They even like it on turkey sandwiches!
1 large ripe avocado
1/4-1/2 cup Greek yogurt
Lime juice, to taste
1/2 clove grated garlic, optional
1 tbsp chopped cilantro, optional
Salt to taste

What to Do:
Mash avocado in a bowl, stir in yogurt and flavor with lime juice garlic and cilantro if desired. Season with salt to taste and enjoy!

Sandwich Spreads

This is my GO-TO I cannot have a sandwich without one of my Greek yogurt spreads. If it is too thin for you add a little bit of a low-fat Baby Bell spreadable cheese wedge to thicken it up!

1) Cranberry Spread: Mix some chopped up dried Cranberries in some Greek yogurt and spread on a Turkey Sandwich, it’s like Thanksgiving!

 2) Dijon Spread: Mix Greek yogurt with a little Dijon mustard for a great spread for most any sandwich.

 3) Herb Garlic Spread: I always have this in the fridge because it is easily turned into a healthy salad dressing by thinning with a tiny bit of milk or add more yogurt and turn it into a veggie dip! Mix some fresh chopped herbs and about ½ of a clove of grated garlic in Greek yogurt. For the herbs I use a mix of dill, tarragon and mint. For the garlic I don’t used minced, but rather grated garlic because I don’t like to bite into a piece of raw garlic. By grating it with a micro plain you get all of the garlic flavor with no chunks.

Spicy Creamy Tuna Melt 

(this makes 2 meals for me)
I have to say this is by far my favorite go-to quick satisfying dinner or lunch; just add a healthy salad and voila! You can take off the cheese to lower the caloric content and it is still tasty as ever!

2 slices of toasted whole wheat bread
1 can no salt added albacore tuna packed in water
1-2 hot sport peppers, finely minced
1/2-1 dill pickle spear, finely minced or about a tsp of dill relish
1/2 tbsp shallot, finally chopped
1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
A small splash of red wine vinegar
1 slice cheese (I LOVE to use horseradish cheddar for this, and believe me it is worth all 100 calories for that slice of cheese!)

What to Do:
Preheat broiler or toaster oven, toast bread, mix all other ingredients together in a bowl. Spoon ¼ of the tuna on each half of the bread top with cheese and broil until cheese is melted. 

Curried Chicken Salad Lettuce Cups

1 head romaine lettuce hearts or 2 hears of Belgian endive
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/2 cup celery, julienned
1/2 cup carrot, julienned
1/4 cup green onion, finely chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2cup almonds, coarsely chopped

 Greek Yogurt Curry Dressing 
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, more to taste
3 tsp yellow curry powder
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste

What to Do:Trim, wash and dry romaine or endive leaves. Cut larger romaine leaves into several segments depending on size. Whisk Greek yogurt and honey together in a bowl; add curry powder, salt and lemon juice. In a separate bowl mix all other ingredients then add dressing and lightly toss until incorporated. Spoon 1-2 tbsp of the salad mixture onto each lettuce cup, arrange on a tray, cover and refrigerate until served.

Sour Cream

Use plain non-fat Greek yogurt as a low-fat substitute in any recipe that call for sour cream. From baking to savory dishes they have very similar consistency and tangy flavor, so you can use it as a 1:1 replacement with no other added substitution required. And of course use it as is on any dish you would use sour cream on!

Mac and Cheese (…Peas and Hot Dogs)

OK full disclosure here…I really don’t like to give my kids boxed mac and cheese or hot dogs BUT, let’s be real… for whatever reason all kids love this stuff. In fact my 7 year old daughter shared her list of favorites with her class and when it came to food (seriously no joke) she said “I Love sashimi (and boy does she) and macaroni and cheese, peas and hot dogs. I said years ago when I was a nanny that if I ever opened a restaurant I would put macaroni and cheese and peas and hot dogs on the kids menu!

1 box mac and cheese (I use Annie’s)
3 hot dogs made with 100 meat and no nitrates (I use low-fat Hebrew International Beef dogs)
1/4-1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup of frozen Peas


What to Do:Slice hot dogs up into chunks. Boil the noodles. While the noodles are cooking add contents of powdered cheese pack to a bowl and mix in Greek yogurt until creamy. Just before they are done about the last 2 minutes I throw the hot dog chucks into the boiling water, then about 1 minute later the peas go into the water too. Drain the noodles, hot dogs and peas and return to the pan. Add creamy cheese mixture and voila kids favorite “special occasion dinner!”

Heavy Cream

Whipped cream is a luxury I save for holidays. But some desserts scream for it! You can make a whipped topping substitute by blending Greek yogurt with vanilla and maple syrup, honey or agave on med-high speed with a mixer for 2 minutes, watch it closely because it can separate if it is over whipped and you’ll get a watery mess! Keep the whipped yogurt refrigerated until used. Put it on top of any dessert you would use whipped cream on, or top fresh fruit with whipped yogurt add a drizzle of honey and sprinkle of cinnamon for a healthy treat!

 Veggie Dip

It always baffles me when I see people dipping perfectly good raw veggies into chemically processed, fat laden ranch dressing! So instead of reaching for the ranch try to make your own veggie dip with Greek yogurt!

 My Go-to Dip Base
Equal parts low fat cottage cheese to Greek yogurt. Put cottage cheese in the food processer and blend until smooth. Mix cottage cheese and Greek yogurt together and you have the perfect low fat high protein base for any dip.

A Few Suggestions for Dip:
Add basil, red pepper flakes and some grated parmesan, and you’ve got yummy dip.

Add finely chopped red onion or shallot, finely diced cucumber, and finely diced red pepper for a chunkier dip; use about 2 tbsp of each.