Chocolate Hazelnut & Raspberry Greek Yogurt Parfait

 

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all!

Much like every other holiday since last March 2020, Valentine's day is kind of a bust this year!

Then again, we don't usually do much for V-Day anyway. Mr. V and I are not exactly what you would call romantic people.

Not that we don't love each other, of course!

It's just that our perfect movie date night would include something more along the lines of John Wick than The Notebook. No biggie.

"Hey girl.... I feel like there's not enough death & destruction in this movie for us."

(Remember those 'Hey girl' Ryan Gosling memes? Or am I just embarrassing/dating myself haha?)

Anyhow... what I have for you today is more of an idea than a recipe. But I will do my best to approximate amounts so you can replicate this deliciousness at home. 

I will never forget the day I went into the grocery store and saw Chobani was now making little containers of Greek yogurt mixed with nut butters, including chocolate hazelnut. 

It didn't stop me in my tracks because I thought it was a revolutionary idea, though. 

No, I had been making this at home for years and felt like I should definitely own the patent to that combo by then.

Robbed, I tell you. Robbed!

However, that didn't stop me from buying a few containers because, well, convenience.

But I can't say I've seen any of those in the stores by us recently? So I guess they weren't hot sellers, though I can't imagine why. 

Whatever the reason, that just means you'll have no choice other than to make it yourself at home!

For this, I like to do about a tablespoon of Nutella per half cup of plain Greek yogurt. That would honestly be pushing it on the sweetness for me as a lunch option.

But, you do you. This is your parfait.

"Hey girl... put as much Nutella in that yogurt as your beautiful heart desires."

(See, Ryan says it's cool- go nuts.)

After a while, I discovered that this delicious yogurt mixture is further complemented by fresh raspberries. Yum.

Then Santa brought me some chocolate granola in my stocking and boom. My parfait was born.

Yes, I'll admit we are definitely getting closer to dessert territory as opposed to lunch. So let's just go ahead and cross that line! 

Add a dollop of whipped cream and some chocolate sauce because it's pretty.

And delicious. The perfect storm.

"Hey girl... you deserve nothing less than perfection."

Ok ok, I'll stop now.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Hazelnut & Raspberry Greek Yogurt Parfait

• 1 T. Nutella (or other chocolate hazelnut spread)
• 1/2 C. plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 C. chocolate granola (or any other granola of your choosing)
• 1/4 C. fresh raspberries
• optional: whipped cream, chocolate syrup, mini chocolate chips

Mix Nutella and yogurt together in a small bowl, until well combined. 

Spoon half of yogurt mixture to a parfait cup or small mason jar. Sprinkle with granola. Add remaining yogurt and top with raspberries.

Top with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and/or mini chocolate chips if desired.

Original Recipe

Apple Pie Smoothie

October, my very favorite month, came and went in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately, September ended on a very sad note for me, as I lost my grandma - my beloved Yaya - on the 28th.  She was truly one of a kind, with the biggest heart and a beautiful spirit.

I feel lucky that we had so many years of wonderful memories with her, and I'm so happy she got to meet our little Minion before she passed. But it was very hard to say goodbye, and there are no words to describe how much she will be missed.

On a happier note, my "baby" girl is officially a threenager.  And in true Mini fashion, we had two food-filled celebrations - a great family party complete with a make-your-own-taco bar, and a donut-making party with her little friends.

Best. Birthday. Ever.

We also had a fabulous Halloween!  Which is amazing, because I feel like occasions & holidays are always very touch & go with young kids.

Actually, that's an understatement- when they don't completely suck, I consider that to be a great success.

But this Halloween totally exceeded my expectations. Mini had a blast being a fox....

...and while the Minion was cranky at points and clearly did not want to be a bat...

... he did rally at the end of the day, and was very cooperative for trick-or treating (which lasted for about 2 hours!)  So aside from the grumpy bat, we couldn't have asked for a better day.

For Mini, it was basically the best week ever.  One weekend was her birthday, and the next was Halloween.  Cake and treats and fox costumes galore, what could be better when you're 3?

I actually think she is taking after her momma in her love for Fall, which is totally fine with me!  I'm especially happy that she also seems to enjoy the Autumn flavors.  So we have been getting our fill of pumpkin pancakes and apple pie smoothies as we watch the leaves fall.

I like to make her smoothies a few times a week (or as she calls them, "smoovies") and along with yogurt and fruit, I usually throw in some kale or spinach... which are things she refuses to eat otherwise.

We were having salad recently at a family party, and she commented, "I don't like salad.  Except when it's in my smoovie."

Haha. As delicious as "salad smoothies" are, I decided it was time to switch things up and add some fall flavor to our smoovies, so the apple pie smoothie was born.  Mr. Vittles and I drink her leftovers, and he commented that it really does taste like apple pie! Straining it before drinking it is totally optional, but I'm personally not a fan of seeds and chunks in my smoothies.

Apple Pie Smoothie

• 3/4 C. apple cider
• 1/2 C. Greek yogurt
• 1/4 t. cinnamon
• 1 T. pumpkin (or mashed banana)
• pinch nutmeg
• pinch allspice
• 2 t. oatmeal
• 3-4 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender, and pulse until thoroughly blended.  If no chunks are desired, strain through a fine mesh sieve into a glass. Makes 1 serving (about 12 oz).

Original Recipe

Red Velvet Frozen Yogurt

Four years ago, I made a really yummy red velvet ice cream, and ever since I've been wanting to try my hand at a red velvet frozen yogurt.

Clearly I was not in any particular hurry, but hey - better late than never.

With Valentine's Day again right around the corner, this is a nice, festive recipe.

For me, it's also a frozen treat my daughter can eat that's not hanging off the side of my house.

(Yes... that is an icicle.)

Ever since the "Great Blizzard of 2015" a couple weeks ago (which turned out to be nothing more than a regular snow storm in our parts), the Mini has been asking for another "ike-icle snack."

Leave it to my child to find something to munch on while playing in the snow.

In any event, since the main ingredient here is whole milk Greek yogurt, this is much tangier than ice cream.  To someone like Mr. Vittles, who is not a fan of yogurt, this was a great disappointment.  But not to me!  I looove yogurt, especially thick and creamy Greek-style - so I say, bring on the tang.

I will caution you, however, this frozen yogurt is best eaten right out of the ice cream maker.  That's when it will have a consistency closest to what you'd find in a yogurt shop. If you do freeze it for later, make sure you let it sit on the counter for about 15-20 minutes before trying to serve it.  This is how I was able to scoop it to take the photos seen here.

If you choose to add alcohol, that should help make it easier to scoop - but just keep in mind it will still be quite firm.

Red Velvet Frozen Yogurt 

• 1/2 C. sugar
• 2 1/2 t. cocoa powder
• 1 oz. white baking chocolate, finely chopped
• 2/3 C. half and half
• 2 T. light corn syrup
• 1 t. red food coloring
• 2 C. plain whole milk Greek yogurt (such as Chobani)
• 3 T. vodka, optional if planning to freeze for later*

In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and cocoa powder until no lumps remain.  Set aside.

Over double boiler, combine white chocolate and half and half.  Heat, whisking frequently, until chocolate is melted.  Add sugar and cocoa, and whisk until dissolved.

Remove from heat, and add corn syrup and red food coloring. Whisk to thoroughly combine. Let cool slightly, then fold in yogurt with rubber spatula.  Once yogurt is incorporated, whisk mixture until smooth and no streaks remain.

Chill in refrigerator until mixture is cold (about 2 hours). Then churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions (I have a Cuisinart, and I churned for about 25 minutes). During last few minutes of churning, add vodka if using.  Serve immediately, or store in freezer in airtight container.

*The vodka helps give the mixture a more scoopable consistency if you plan on freezing for later. If you don't use it, I would recommend letting the yogurt sit on the counter a bit to soften before trying to scoop it.

Original Recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast 'Cheesecake'

At my shower, my mother-in-law gave me the fabulous gift of a newborn photo session for the baby.  The original photographer's studio was unfortunately ruined during Sandy, so she had to schedule with a new one & we had the shoot at my in-laws house yesterday.  (BTW- considering the fact that Mara is no longer a sleepy, pliable newborn it went surprisingly well.  I am SO excited to see the pictures!)

The photographer is a mother of two children (3 and 5 years old) and one of her first questions for me was, "How are you adjusting?"

My immediate answer was "Good!" with raised eyebrows & a happy little smile.

And I realized right after I said it... that's not true at all.  (And she probably knew it!)

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that having a baby is not the most incredible thing in the world.

Every day I look into the eyes of this adorable little person and think, "Holy crap.  We created her."

But I'm not gonna lie... this mom business is exhausting.  "Adjusting" to not sleeping and spending your days & nights tending to an extremely needy little critter is no easy task!

As a person who functions best with about 8 hours of sleep per night, six weeks of catnapping is really not cutting the mustard.  (Also I would just like to say for the record that the next person who tells me "Sleep when the baby sleeps!" is taking their life in their hands.)

It was also not helping matters that our munchkin was having terrible gas pains that were making her miserable.  Sleep, eat, cry, repeat - this was how it went for weeks.  We tried everything to help her, even the pediatrician was out of ideas.  Then my dad pointed out that as a wee Maggie, I too cried all the day long.  Eventually they discovered I had a sensitivity to lactose.  He said my mom had to stop breastfeeding & switch to a soy formula, and then I was "a very different baby."

At Mara's one-month checkup, the pediatrician noticed the gas situation right off the bat, and actually told me to avoid dairy... (and vegetables... and anything else that might potentially be gas-producing.  Which is, like, everything under the sun.)

Like a good little mommy I tried to avoid it but a) it's in sooo many things you don't even realize, and b) telling me I can't have dairy is like telling me I can't breathe air.  I pretty much live for cheese and Greek yogurt.

So after a week of us BOTH being absolutely miserable, I called the pediatrician back and said nothing I had tried was helping.  She was fresh out of ideas, so I started doing some poking around on the internet about lactose sensitivity.  As a last resort, I decided to try two days of strictly hypoallergenic formula - and lo and behold we had a much calmer and more pleasant Mara.

So, long story longer... I'm not sure she'll be enjoying any 'breakfast cheesecake' anytime soon?  Especially not of the peanut butter variety.

But at least I can again.

 :) :) :)

Please note:  This is a breakfast, not dessert.  So don't expect the ingredients below to magically morph into a 1,000-calorie slice of heaven from The Cheesecake Factory, ok?  It still beats a a bland bowl of oatmeal any day!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast "Cheesecake"

• 1 6-oz. container plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
• 3 T. creamy peanut butter
• 2 t. honey
• 1 1.76-oz package chocolate BelVita breakfast biscuits (4 biscuits), crushed

Mix yogurt with peanut butter and honey in a small bowl.

Reserve a bit of the crushed biscuits for topping, then divide remaining crushed biscuits between 2 separate, small serving bowls/cups.  Top each with half of yogurt mixture, then reserved biscuit crumbs.  Serves 2.

Original Recipe