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#MyFitspiration

Food For Thought (Part 2)

Now, on to my favorite part of the #FAGEtotal event….the FOOD! I have to admit I was super excited about learning new ways to incorporate Greek yogurt in everyday recipes. That was until I saw the menu. Cue the freakout music. Why you ask? Well, take a look:

Eggs Benedict
Fried Chicken
Potato Salad
Macaroni and cheese

Are you kidding me??? I literally could hear Bob and Jill screaming in my head “You can’t eat that stuff!”….see they are in my head all the time….no, I’m not crazy…well, maybe a little but you already knew that. Ok, back to the story. Now, I was panicking because I knew they were going to make me try it all! This is stuff nightmares are made of for a Southern girl. You know we are polite people pleasers at heart ya’ll…AND I can’t refuse food that someone has made for me…or can I?

Take into consideration all this drama took place in my head over a time period of 30 seconds. After I let myself freakout, I immediately realized that I was in complete control of this situation AND one small taste of each dish is NOT going to kill me OR my waistline. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks…I’m here because although I am not a culinary expert, I have just spent the last 8 months of my life learning how to incorporate healthy eating and modify recipes into my life. BINGO! Give this lovely lady a prize please…bless her heart.

So, I now have purpose and am super excited….please feel sorry for the other two sweet ladies in my cooking group. You guys know how Hannah and I get when we are excited…like rats on crack…seriously. Anyway, the event turned out to be a BLAST and not only did I learn a ton, but I really was surprised at how many ways I was able to modify recipes on the spot. High five Bob and Jill…yes, the ones in my mind.

Stay tuned for cooking videos where I show Hannah some of the recipes I learned from FAGE… keep your eyes peeled for that coming up soon! This will be like an episode of “I Love Lucy” be sure of it. Until then post your favorite modified recipes in the comments…you all have the BEST food ideas ever.

xoxo,

Olivia

P.S. Have I told you lately that I love you (insert a crying Rod Stewart)….Well, I do!

80 replies on “Food For Thought (Part 2)”

I love Greek Yogurt! My favorite is plain non-fat Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup dry oats, 1/2 a banana sliced thin, a tablespoon of chia seeds, a few dashes of cinnamon, a dash of ground ginger, and a splash of vanilla extract. Mix it all up and enjoy! Sometimes I mix in a teaspoon of nut butter or jam, or I throw some berries on top.

Congratulations on the blog!

Since I virgously live through your tweets and this fabulous blog…the day you mentioned to try fage I went out and got some…LOVE IT….

My weakness is 110% desserts, so now instead of having my pint of ben and jerrys like I would have a few months ago…I have my little cup of fage with a few shakes of cinnamon..It is SO GOOD. Please try it 🙂

I love Greek Yogurt! I am always looking for ways to use it because it is going to be so much better for me than other baking ingredients. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge and experience! You are so encouraging!

My breakfast this morning: Fage 0% with partially-thawed frozen blueberries!! So delish and one of my faves!! ..and just after I tweeted a pic this morning I thought of you because it makes the most beautiful shades of PURPLE!!! 🙂

Love FAGE! I have it around 11:00 a.m. everyday as my mid-morning snack. I eat the 0% fat plain yogurt with a few walnuts and a sprinkle of splenda and I’m good to go. I also use it in place of sour cream. PS: Love the blog!

I have never tried Greek Yogurt. I have a hard time trying new foods because I tend to have ‘texture’ issues with foods (which is why I don’t eat regular yogurt, hamburgers, meatballs, meatloaf, etc.). My husband loves Greek yogurt, but after watching your video and reading this blog post, I think I’m going to try it. I was given a $50 gift card to Whole Foods and need to make the trip there. I’m also excited to see some of the recipes y’all bring back so that I can try them out too.

I haven’t tried greek yogurt yet but I’m going to! I hate eating breakfast but found that a small breakfast each morning has helped me with my weightloss. I hit a plateau when I didn’t have breakfast for a while and I love ideas that shake my food routines up. Wish me luck with the greek (and my weightloss journey)!

I hated greek yogurt when I first tasted it, but now I love adding fresh berries to it and the extra protein is a plus! All your ideas for add ins are so great, I will def be trying them out. Such a perfect snack =) I was wondering if you could do a blog on milk. Like what types are good and bad for you, and what is the best milk to drink. I know random, but I have cereal or oatmeal everyday and I need to add at least half a cup of milk. lol

I have recently discovered mixing plain Greek Yogurt with flavored balsamic vinegar! I have balsamic strawberry, balsamic tangerine and a white balsamic peach. Adds a lot of flavor without adding calories!!

I love your blog – and thank you for all the Greek yoghurt-ideas! ..I will definitely try them out 🙂 Can’t wait to see more videoblogs from you guys.. purple power! 😉

I LOVE my non fat greek yogurt with some stevial and cocoa powder! I SWEAR it tastes like chocolate mousse!!! Add a bit of all bran buds for fibre and you got your PERFECT breakfast:)

I know this isn’t a breakfast but it’s deilsh.
Puree 2 cups of mango and add in 1 cup of greek yogurt. You can add sweetener if your mangos aren’t sweet enough and a squeeze of lemon juice. Put it in the fridge or freezer to chill and then throw it in your ice cream maker. Super easy and tastes great.

Loved the ideas!!!

I am hooked on Pineapple Chobani (2% so it’s a little higher) with unsweetened Reduced Fat Finely Shredded Organic Coconut, with some pecans. It is so good and satisfies my dessert cravings!

Love the ideas….and LOVE that you do not feel the need to glam out for your blog videos….So refreshing. Hugs to you:)

Thanks for the great tips with the extracts! In my journey to lose 65 pounds, I have trained my taste buds to the point where I don’t need sweetener in anything (WOOT!) but I never thought of extracts!! I’m definitely going to try this out and blog it soon.

Love that you girls started a blog! 🙂

Hi from Austin! Love you and Hannah mucho! (reminds me of me and my sissy!)

I have lost 65 lbs over the last 9 months and want to lose another 40!

I have been addicted to fage for about 6 months now. Its so deliciously creamy! I have it most morning with 1/2 tablespoon of honey and a mashed up banana. Its super tasty! Sometimes I will add a few walnut halves chopped up for some crunch and healthy omega-3!

Super excited to read your blog. I know it will help me continue on in my journey!

I’ve only tried Greek yogurt once, and I thought it was pretty tasty, but my husband HATED it. Maybe I’ll try again and throw in some healthy sweetening agents like that sugar free syrup (did you get it at Trader Joe’s?).

Also, you are STUPENDOUSLY gorgeous, lady!

Hey ladies! I LOVE YOU BOTH! I’m also a Southern girl… born and raised! I have a blog as well that I looooove. I’ve been blogging since about 2001 or so and have had my current website since 2005. I lost a lot of weight in 2009 and changed my life – I LOVE GREEK YOGURT! My favorite right now is the Greek Gods plain 0% yogurt with the live cultures… for dessert sometimes I mix 1/2 cup greek yogurt, almond butter and a little bit of this and that then put it into the freezer to freeze for a treat! It’s so yummy and you are so right – there are so many things you CAN do with it! You give me healthy food and I AM HAPPY… like seriously happy. Like you said like a rat on crack! I’m so passionate about it and am going to college to pursue a degree in Health and Wellness so I can get out there and HELP people change their lives!

I look forward to reading more from you guys and seeing more of your videos!! Have a GREAT day!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks so much for posting this! I went to a nutritionist recently for my IBS, and she told me try to cut artificial sweeteners and limit fruits, since they are high in sugars as well. She said the best thing to eat (since I’m also a fitness instructor and trying to maintain a healthy weight) would be plain unsweetened greek yogurt. I could not STAND it! This video was EXTREMELY helpful, because now I know that there are plenty of options to make that plain, unsweetened greek yogurt into something delicious WITHOUT tons of artificial sweeteners that will hurt my stomach (SO going out and buying Joseph’s brand maple syrup right now!!!)

I LOVE greek yogurt and have been looking for ways to incorporate it into meals other than a snack with fruit or w/cocoa powder. So I’m super stoked about this! Does the brand of greek yogurt make a difference?

I do have greek yogurt, but I always get the Choobani ones. I like their flavors. Never tried the Fage. Maybe I need to.

Favorite after run breakfast (modified a recipe from Jillian’s website):
**Apple Pie Protein Shake**
1 c unsweetened almond milk, dairy milk, or just water
1/2 c fat free Greek yogurt
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1 scoop JM vanilla whey powder
handful of ice cubes
big dash of cinnamon
little dash of nutmeg
little dash ginger

You can also do a yummy mocha protein shake, just substitute a cup of coffee and 1 T cocoa powder for the applesauce, nutmeg and ginger in the apple pie shake. Leave in the cinnamon. Great mid afternoon pick-me-up!

Ps – Olivia, you look gorgeous even sweaty and without makeup. Go you!

(me…this morning…notsomuch…TX in July)

Hi Olivia, I love all your suggestions to add flavor to Greek yogurt. I do love adding fresh berries this time of year but I will definitely be trying some of your other suggestions once the berries aren’t so fresh anymore. I’m looking forward to seeing the recipes you’ll be cooking up with Hannah that incorporates Greek yogurt into them. 🙂

I know I’m one of a bazillion comments already–but I’m glad to hear about extracts in the FAGE yogurt! I found putting extract in ricotta cheese was a good treat–but I think I’ll like the texture of yogurt better!

Lately I’ve been having 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with 2 tablespoons of lowfat yogurt–and loved it! I can’t wait to use a yogurt as the base! What would think about adding a fruit puree to the FAGE? I like making smoothies in my Bullet blender, and would think frozen fruit blended up could get really good added in?!

Can’t wait to try the maple base! Thanks for the tip!

My Fave Breakfast: 1/2 cup Fat Free Fage sprinkled with cinnamon with Frozen Blue Berries! The frozen fruit is so sweet and refreshing. The cinnamon sweetens the yogurt and gives it a great flavor. Plus Cinnamon curbs your appetite! YUM! and only about 80 calories!

Ooooh, just thought of one more favorite, prolly not for breakfast…
Fish taco sauce:
3T Greek yogurt
2T reduced cal mayo
1/4 c sliced green onion
1/4 c chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
1 garlic clove, minced

spoon a bit over grilled tilapia and a heap of cabbage all in a nice whole grain corn tortilla – heaven!

even my non-cilantro loving hubby enjoyed this!

Love your blog! I also love almond butter, so I added it with 2 Truvia packets to my greek yogurt today. It. Was. The. Bomb!

If you want another sandwich spread alternative, consider mixing some smoked sweet paprika in with the Fage yogurt. Another variation that might be good: mix in cumin & chili powder to the yogurt to punch up your turkey wraps.

Thanks again for taking the time to share what you’re learning!

Love Greek yogurt! Love all the ideas on how to mix it up in the morning, and sometimes I even do it for dessert. I can’t wait to see what recipes you have – love that you are sharing your passion!!

Thanks mucho for the ideas everyone! The only idea I have to offer that hasn’t already been mentioned is that I’ll mix in raw agave nectar. It’s syrupy but w/ lower of a glycemic impact (or so I’ve read 😉 ). Never thought to use maple syrup – will have to give the one mentioned in the video a try. Buenos noches!

Oops … I put this on the wrong one!!!

Hi Olivia!

I love real yogurts. It’s a bummer that so many brands have garbage chemically yuck in them. I live in Northern California and there is a really yummy yogurt brand around here called Wallaby. I like it because it has lots of good stuff in it and it comes in all different flavors. I’ve not tried Fage, but have seen it and will grab some on my next shopping trip!

I feel like this is a silly question, but how do you use frozen fruits? In California, most fruit is available year round, so I know I’m blessed. But the problem I run into is not being able to eat it fast enough and it goes bad which is a waste of money. Maybe frozen would be a good thing to try. But do you just put little frozen ice cubed fruit in your yogurt?! )

Also, I’m SO glad you two have started this blog. You guys ARE a “fitspiration”!

We get Wallaby here in TX too. My son loves it (and that’s saying something!) 🙂

Fage, well all Greek yogurt I’ve tried, is thicker. It’s a lot like sour cream for texture and taste. More protein than usual yogurt though!

I like to use Fage in place of sour cream with a packet of Ranch powder as a veggie dip 🙂 everyone eats it up when I bring a veg tray to parties!

great post! thanks for the ideas. i just mixed some blueberries/strawberries in my yogurt the other night!! question: what’s your take on the flavored greek yogurt? do you go for those or just stick to the plain? just curious!! keep up the great stuff!

I use it for everything!
I make dip by adding lemon juice, garlic powder, and dill (plus a little sea salt and pepper). Great dip with celery or whatever veggies you like.

I use it in place of sour cream on baked potatoes.

I blend it into smoothies by adding fresh banana, frozen berries, and sparkling water. Sometimes I even pour the smoothies into pop freezers and make my own Popsicles.

I mix it with lemon juice for a creamy salad dressing.

Love Greek yogurt!

I am in constant struggle with finding healthy food that tastes good! I was raised on a farm with red meat n taters n lots of butter BUT a very simple switch I have made is turkey in replacement of hamburger. I’m sure yall are like “DUH! We knew that!!” Any suggestions on how to make a “colorful plate” when you don’t like peppers or squash???????

Denica,
Try and roast some veggies – makes them sweeter. Some favorites here are: sweet potatoes, broccoli, eggplant, turnips, green beans, carrots, fennel. Sprinkle with a little olive oil, and whatever seasonings you like. I love rosemary on green stuff, or cayenne on root veggies, and maybe a yummy lemon pepper salt-free seasoning.

Try something new and exotic from the produce section one in awhile (the web is full of recipes).

Have fun!

I LOVE Greek yogurt! I make a smoothie when I get home from the gym every morning. I use a cup of frozen strawberries, 1/2 cup of skim milk, half a banana and 6 oz of greek yogurt. Its a great post workout food!

I love following both of you on Twitter and now on your blog! You have really inspired me!

Just out of curiosity, do you substitute the Greek yogurt in place of regular yogurt for your smoothies, or is there special Greek Yogurt smoothie recipes? I’m new to Greek Yogurt and bought some Fage at Whole Foods today. I have the Biggest Loser cookbook which has some awesome smoothie recipes, and was wondering about subbing the Greek yogurt for regular yogurt in them.

I use Fage in my broccoli slaw… I get the bagged broccoli slaw veggies from Eat Smart at my local grocery store, and take a couple of tablespoons of Fage 0% mixed in with either a garlic-herb spice blend or a basil dill blend, and then mix it in with the veggies… just like slaw, only BETTER!! Also, mix it in with a good salsa for your chicken quesadillas (because I know you love Mexican food Olivia!)

This morning for breakfast I sweetened my Fage with SF maple praline syrup and some berries in and it was DELISH! Keep up the great tips Ladies!!

I was wondering what you ladies thought about chia seeds or if you’ve even heard of them? I like putting them in my greek yogurt with some splenda and frozen fruit. They are a great source of fiber, omega-3’s and protein. It’s just one of those new foodie type foods that I’ve learned of from reading blogs and I’m totally addicted to them!
Another product that I’m in love with is called PB2. It’s basically dehydrated peanuts that are ground up to make a powder and you can add water to it to get the regular pb consistancy. I like putting the chocolate PB2 in my overnight oats!
I’m soooo happy that you ladies have started this blog b/c then I can feel like I get to know your personalities better than from the show or on twitter.
SO EXCITED!!! 🙂

I honestly can’t get past Fage 2% Plain. I love it so much the only thing I add in is chia seeds. One of these days I’ll explore flavors but for now, I’ll just keep it plain. 😉

Cortney, you are so-o-o-o-o-o right… PB2 rocks!!! I get a lot of neat stuff like that online thru Netrition.com, because we only have one decent health food store in our area, and she is ridiculous expensive… and the nearest Whole Foods is 35-40 miles away. Try the Capella flavor drops too… oh yum!!

Olivia, Thank you so much for the ideas! Went to the store last night and bought Fage and some sweeteners. Had it for breakfast his morning and loved it!! Keep the recipes coming…it helps to get out of the diet blah blues!

Ok how adorable are you? I think you and Hannah need a cute little PURPLE apron to wear when you guys make some cooking videos together. I love all of your ideas!!

I think it would be fun to do a post on fitness gear/equipment. I know people want to hear about sports bras and that’s great (although I’m convinced I have found the BEST kind) but you should talk about other stuff too like shoes, water bottles, bags, tanks, shorts, etc…. Do you like and continue to use the brands of stuff they gave you on the ranch? Some stuff but not other stuff?

Also, you could save the 6 oz containers and wash them after you use them and then buy the bigger container and put 6 oz of yogurt in each one to save money. If you eat it at home, save and wash the 6 oz container, if you take it with you somewhere, just throw away the container. Saves money!

Thank you for your blog post! It is a challenge to change my lifestyle, in particular because I have never learned to cook or prepare my own meals. So this video was very helpful and an example of what I know will be many helpful things to come. Thank you!

P.S. The simpler you can make the directions on the recipes you do, the better for me. I don’t know how and don’t like preparing food but I know ya’alls inspiration will really help.

Olivia~

Loved you and Hannah on The Biggest Loser and was thrilled to find out you had a blog, too! 🙂

I think your extract tip was brilliant. I had some tonight with almond extract and honey and it was delish. 🙂

Blessings to you and yours…

is it weird to say that greek yogurt changed my life? I used to polish off bags of candy YouNameIt and back then I tried greek yogurt, and honestly it tasted so horrible to me.. chalky and bitter because I only ever wanted sugar!!
once I started eating better my tastes changed and I’m so glad because I eat it every day, with just honey or dehydrated blueberries, I can’t get enough of this stuff ! 🙂

Fresh peaches! I bought them in bulk last summer at Costco and cut them up and froze them in little bags (with Fruit Fresh sprinkled on them so they don’t turn brown). Take out a bag at a time and put them in the refrigerator overnight so they are still about half-frozen, and then mix it with your Fage 0%, and sprinkle on a little bit of cinnamon (and even nutmeg), and some ground flax seeds. Its like peach cobbler. SO delicious. Now I’m thinking I should add a little maple extract to it as well…

Any time you mix frozen fruit with Fage, it thickens it up a bit and is super yummy. Frozen pomegranate seeds with Fage are my absolute fave.

LOVE the blog (and you ladies!) 🙂

Frozen berries with the Fage in the food processor, add a bit of unsweeted almond milk and a packet of stevia (or two depending on the berries) it makes a frozen yogurt type dish or add more almond milk to make it into a smoothie , so delish

Today I messed up big time – on purpose – with my diet. Amazing how after days of doing the good thing for me & my body, I can self-sabatoge. I started to say “tomorrow I’ll get back to doing the right thing.” But watching this video inspired me and reminded me that “tomorrow” is the excuse and lie I tell myself. So TODAY I got back on the wagon and worked out. I had a GREAT workout – harder and longer than usual and it feels awesome. Keep the videos coming!! Thank you.

So glad you girls decided to do this blog, and can’t wait to read more! Just wanted to tell you that I was surprised to find Joseph’s syrup at Whole Foods tonight (yay!) and when the checkout guy saw it, he started raving about it, too. Will try it on some Fage in the morning! Thanks for the rec 🙂

So…I feel like an idiot for it taking me so long to discover that you could put a ton of fun and delicious things into Greek yogurt so it doesn’t taste like crap! I put the sugar-free maple syrup, splenda (because i didn’t have truvia), blueberries, almond butter, and a few drops of almond and coconut extract. It was DELICIOUS!! I went to trader joes and got more supplies to make more tasty concoctions!!

I put a little honey, cinnamon, and some diced granny smith apples! It’s soo yummy! I love that greek yogurt has become more mainstream 😀 And you’re such an inspiration to me (you and your sister!) Team Purple, I still wear purple shirts to the gym- I used to go watch Biggest Loser while working out, I need the next season to come on- music alone is killin me! Haha

Another question from Lil ole New Zealand – what is Truvia? we don’t have that here, does it have Stevia in it? Also the extracts that you use, are they the same as essences? I don’t think I have seen any of those extracts here.

It is winter here at the mo so no fresh berries or stonefruit available, so I really like your ideas for maple syrup etc, tho again our selection of them is very limited here as it is here is is traditionally an American/Canadian food. Will let you know what NZ alternatives I can find 😉

I absolutely love the Fage greek yogurt. I love it plain but am now tempted to get in on the fun with adding some stuff into it. Maybe I can get my husband to eat it now. I can’t repeat his reaction to the taste in polite company. 🙂

I am so excited to having found your blog! Thank you for sharing with us!

The problem with yogurt and many dairy foods is the spike in insulin these foods cause. And an insulin spike = weight gain and fat accumulation.

I love to use greek yogurt in a smoothie.. My favorite for this season is 6oz. greek yo. 1/2 a cup of almond milk, 1c. mango! soo fresh and delicious

Yesterday, I finally found out that you two had a blog and can I just say how excited I am?!?!? Anyway, I spent part of the afternoon reading the blog and watching all the videos and now because of Olivia’s video on Fage greek yogurt (and both of your blogs about challenging yourself) I am going to give myself a little challenge and try Fage greek yogurt a different way for the rest of the week to see if I can find a way that will suit me better. To me, it tastes like sour cream and I am not a fan of sour cream…but after watching the video and reading the blog on Fage, I am going to give it a try…hopefully I will find a few different ways that I will like it. Thanks Olivia and Hannah! Go TEAM PURPLE! 🙂

I just found your blog. Love you girls. You kept me laughing all through BL season 11:-)
I’m a bit greek yogurt fan too. I make ‘overnight oats’ for breakfast most days, but I often only let it soak an hour or two (sometimes I forget to mix it up the night before)
I mix 1/3 cup large flake oats and 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 1/3 cup light vanilla soy milk (you can use any milk or substitute) Let it sit overnight or at least 30 minutes. Then mix in some fruit, greek yogurt and a tablespoon of sliced almonds. It’s so good and so filling!
You can add any toppings you like- dried fruit, nuts, seeds, etc.

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