Featured Blogger: Rabbit Food For My Bunny Teeth

This week’s Featured Blogger, Catherine of Rabbit Food For My Bunny Teeth, proves you don’t just have to eat carrots and lettuce to successfully lose weight. By sticking to whole foods, Catherine successfully lost 80 pounds! She credits much of her success to simple swaps like choosing protein-packed Chobani over ice cream, and experimenting with light yet flavorful recipes in the kitchen. Check out her story and drool-worthy recipes below, then hop on over to her blog to enter to win your own case of Chobani!

Hi CHObunnies, hoppy Wednesday!

I’m Catherine, author of Rabbit Food For My Bunny Teeth! I became passionate about healthy eating and fitness after losing 80lbs through diet. I love experimenting in the kitchen, discovering the latest superfoods, and creating new recipes to make healthy eating, quick, easy, and fun!

Once I started losing weight, I started discovering more and more healthy foods. One of my first healthy discoveries was Chobani Greek Yogurt. Fruit and yogurt combinations are a great healthy snack idea. That being said, I used to buy any yogurt that read “light,” “reduced,” or “low calorie” on the packaging. One day I decided to actually read the nutrition information on my plain yogurt and was surprised to see 25g of added sugar, 26g carbohydrates, and only 2g of protein in my single serving cup! Not to mention some questionable ingredients that I could not even pronounce… After learning that my so-called healthy snack was a sugar bomb, I started paying closer attention to nutrition labels. I had not considered Greek yogurt until I saw it’s very appealing nutrition facts consisting of a whopping 18g of protein along with only 7g of sugar and 7g of carbohydrates per serving! Oh, and 5 live & active cultures, including 3 probiotics! Let’s just say I hopped right on board and made the switch from plain “light” yogurt, to plain Greek.

As a vegetarian, I find it hardest to get protein into my diet, but Chobani makes it so much easier. I love that I can grab a single serving cup of CHO when I’m on the go, or use it in both sweet and savory recipes. Chobani helps to fill my need for protein, which is necessary to build, repair, and restore muscle, without adding unnecessary fat, sodium, or calories.

I credit much of my weight loss to making swaps from desserts like ice cream to healthier options made from Chobani Greek Yogurt. After venturing out of my single serve Chobani cups, I also started using 0% Plain Chobani in Mexican dishes in place of sour cream, and in baking to give my confections a boost of protein and make them more moist. I have turned my family and friends into Chobaniacs, and we are loving the healthy benefits.

Here are some of my big (non)fat Greek yogurt recipes, using Chobani!

Protein Popsicles
Fill popsicle molds with your favorite Chobani flavor. Freeze overnight and enjoy cold.

Individual Protein Cheesecake serves 1

Filling

6oz 0% Plain Chobani Greek Yogurt

1/2 Tbsp Jell-O sugar-free instant pudding mix – cheesecake

Crust

1/2 cup fiber bran cereal

4 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp unsalted almond butter

1/4 tsp stevia

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Add the cheesecake flavored pudding mix into the yogurt and stir until well combined. Set yogurt mixture aside. In a food processor or blender, grind the bran to a fine texture. In a small mixing bowl, add the ground bran with all dry ingredients, (stevia, cinnamon, and  nutmeg) and mix evenly. Then add the almond butter and water and stir until it becomes moist and sticky. If the batter is still crumbly, add additional water in 1 tsp increments until desired consistency is achieved. Pour the crust mixture into a small 4in circular pan. Pack the crust along the bottom and sides of the dish to create a pie shape. Pour the filling on top of the crust and smooth evenly along the top. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and enjoy cold.

 Honey Wheat Protein Pancakes

makes 4 four inch pancakes

6 oz 0% Honey Chobani Greek Yogurt

2 egg whites

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

In a mixing bowl, mix the whole-wheat flour and baking soda. Then add the yogurt and egg whites. Stir until a thick batter is formed. Lightly coat a pan with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Pour the batter into 4in circles. Flip the pancakes once they start to bubble. Cook until both sides are golden brown.

Apple Pie Parfait serves 1

1 small fuji apple
6 oz 0% Honey Chobani Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup cooked chilled quinoa
2 Tbsp walnuts
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Cook quinoa to package instructions and refrigerate beforehand. Chop the apple into small chunks. Place apple chunks in a microwave safe bowl, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover with saran wrap and microwave for 1-1.5 minutes until apple becomes soft. Stir and set aside. In a glass jar, layer half of the yogurt along the bottom, followed by half of the quinoa, walnuts, and apple mixture. Repeat layers to create a parfait and store in the refrigerator or enjoy warm.

Honey Yogurt Covered Grapes
6 oz 0% Honey Chobani Greek Yogurt

Seedless grapes of your choice

Wash and dry grapes, and remove stems. Using a toothpick, pierce a grape and dip in the yogurt until it is evenly coated. Place the grapes in a freezer safe contained lined with wax paper (remove the toothpick after each dip). Repeat until all grapes are covered. Freeze the grapes overnight and enjoy as a frozen treat.
Note: The yogurt will start to melt within 5 minutes, so these are best enjoyed at home or work where a freezer is nearby.

Hungry yet? Hop on over to Rabbit Food for my Bunny Teeth for more healthy recipes, tip, and tricks, and to enter Catherine’s Chobani giveaway to whip up your own tasty treats!