As someone who’s eaten Greek yogurt religiously for 5 years, I was suspicious when Stonyfield announced a new protein-packed non-yogurt.

In July I got to go to Stonyfield’s launch party and try them out. It was swanky, it was fun, and–most importantly–it was delicious. The Petite Creme(technically a cheese and not a yogurt) is just as velvety smooth and sweet as you could hope.

It comes in 7 flavors; my favorite were the vanilla, which tastes like a rich vanilla bean, the strawberry, which tasted like a strawberry cream candy, and the plain. I rarely use plain greek yogurt in savory dishes because of the strong tang it has but this is something I’d put regularly on soup, dips, or even tacos.

It was hard to make a recipe with any of these because I just wanted to eat them straight with a spoon. I thought this smoothie was a perfect compromise because it’s just as creamy and sweet as the yogurt itself.

You can try this recipe with any of their flavors and any sort of jam. They all taste delicious so you can’t go wrong and make a bad batch. I love using jam as a sweetener in smoothies instead of sugar or honey because it’s a little bit more “natural”(albeit that depends on the brand) and can add an extra subtle flavor.  

Strawberry Banana Cream Smoothie

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 servings):

• 1 5.3oz cup strawberry Petite Creme
• 1 medium banana
• 1 Tablespoon strawberry jam
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3-4 ice cubes

Method:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend until thick and smooth. Make sure not to over-blend.
3. Poor into a glass and enjoy cool.

Stonyfield is also hosting an Instagram competition where you can win some Petite Creme from them! The contest is almost over but you can read how to enter here to win a case of Petite Creme or $1000 gift card. Look through the #cheatongreek hashtag for some inspiration. 

Though it’s only Wednesday, this week definitely calls for a drink.

It’s funny how much the seasons and weather change our tastebuds. This is by far one of my favorite Summer drinks (though the elderflower fizz puts up a tough fight). It’s just light and sweet enough but also packs a punch. 

I’ve posted before on how to make a drink like this from scratch, but that’s not always the most efficient thing to do. This drink can absolutely taste just as good with ingredients from the store; it’s just important to buy quality ingredients. If they don’t taste good on their own, they won’t taste good mixed together. 

If you really want to kick this drink up a notch, I’d recommend adding crushed fresh herbs. You can add crushed mint for a classic sweet drink flavor or a little crushed basil for something more sophisticated.

Sweet Tea Vodka Lemonade

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

• 1/2 cup quality iced tea
• 1/2 cup lemonade (the fresher the better)
• 2 oz Vodka
• 1 cup ice cubes
• Lemon wedges to garnish

Method:

1. Combine the iced tea, lemonade, vodka, and ice cubes in a large cocktail shaker.
2. Shake vigorously until well mixed and the ice begins to break up. 
3. Pour equally into two tall glasses.
   
4. Garnish with a lemon slice before serving.

Now that it’s no longer cold out it’s hard to get excited about a bowl of oatmeal or stove-cooked breakfast in the morning. It’s a lot easier to down a quick smoothie–especially if it’s chocolate. 

You’ll be surprised how much this smoothie tastes like a chocolate covered strawberry, especially since it’s fat-free. There are no chocolate chips in the recipe but I wouldn’t stop you from adding a few on top. 

Personally I think chocolate and raspberries or chocolate and blueberries go together just as well as chocolate and strawberries. I’d recommend trying this one out with any berry you love most. 

If you‘re a grown-up and don’t have chocolate milk you can use regular milk and add a little cocoa powder and a tablespoon of sugar or honey. Adding protein powder or chia seeds will help make this more fulling for a complete meal.   

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Smoothie

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 serving):

• 1 Stonyfield chocolate underground yogurt

• 1/2 – 3/4 cup frozen strawberries

• 1/2 cup chocolate milk

• 1 scoop protein powder(optional)

• 3-4 ice cubes

Method:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a high-power blender. 

2. Pulse briefly and then blend until the ingredients make a creamy smoothie.

3. Pour into a tall glass and drink cold. 

Sometimes when you try something new it takes a while to warm up to it. Other times it’s love at first sight. This was closer to love at first sip.

I’ve been to parties where people have SodaStreams but I’ve never owned one until SodaStream sent me their Source machine along with plenty of flavorings to review. I only drink soda usually when it’s with a cocktail but I’ll drink seltzer every day. If it wasn’t for seltzer I probably wouldn’t be half as hydrated.

By far my favorite advantage of using a SodaStream to make drinks is adjusting sweetness and flavor. I’ve always found most sodas too sweet, or sometimes you’ll get a pack of flavored seltzer and it tastes totally plain. You never have that problem when you’re making your own drink. They give you suggested portions of mix for each liter but I’ve been using 2/3rds of the suggested amount and it’s just the right sweetness.

For that reason I didn’t really like the caps or samplers that are designed to be just for a 1 Liter bottle but I could understand those being convenient for people who want to use just that amount or plan on using it on the go. 

The MyWaters have been great for adding natural flavor without calories to seltzer. I could see myself going through a LOT of those tiny bottles. I’ve also been using them to make really simple vodka sodas that pack a lot of flavor. One of my favorite tricks is using frozen berries instead of ice cubes in clear drinks for extra flavor and extra color.

Berry Vodka Soda

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 drink):

• 1oz Vodka

• 4oz raspberry mywater SodaStream soda

• Frozen berries

Method:

1. Mix the club soda and vodka delicately in a cocktail shaker.

2. Pour over a handful of frozen berries in a short glass.

Of course there’s also a TON of flavors of soda for the SodaStream. I admit I’ve started drinking more of it since I got the machine. The diet orange mango and diet pink grapefruit are too good to pass up after dinner.

If you’re trying to have less sugar or less chemical sweeteners I still think this is a good product. Like I mentioned, I’ll usually use 2/3rds the amount of mix suggested to cut the sweetness and sugar. It’s especially useful when mixing cocktails with sweet liqueurs like this version of a blue whale.

Fizzy Blue Whale

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 drink):

• 1.5oz blue curacao

• 4.5oz pink lemonade SodaStream soda

• Ice

Method:

1. Gently shake all of the ingredients together in a cocktail shaker.

2. Pour into old-fashioned glasses. Garnish with a fresh lemon wedge.

Of course another huge advantage of using a SodaStream has been reducing bottles and cans and saving money. I never have 1/2 a flat bottle of Coke or recycling building up. It’s also very easy to clean which I definitely appreciate.

Have you ever played around with a SodaStream before? What kind of fizzy cocktail recipes would you want to try? 

As a Clean Plate Club member Stonyfield sent me their 2 newest flavors of Greek yogurt, cafe latte and black cherry, as well as their re-perfected traditional flavors. I was super excited because if there’s one flavor of yogurt I’ve been wanting for the past couple of years it’s coffee(seriously, just check my Twitter archive). You gotta try this #StonyfieldGreek!

The cafe latte won’t be for everyone but it was just what I was hoping for—sweet, slightly bitter from the coffee, and a little tangy. I liked the black cherry, too, but thought the cafe latte was more unique and delicious.

This mocha frappe is just like any fancy Starbucks drink you could get but just a little healthier. Using Greek yogurt instead of whole milk keeps the thick, rich consistency but with added protein and 0% of the fat. Try having it for dessert or as a breakfast drink when the weather starts heating up.

Getting the right amount of ice to liquid is the hardest part of making a good smoothie. Play around to find what works best for the blender or food processor that you’re using.

Healthy Mocha Frappe

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 serving):

• 1 container Stonyfield cafe latte Greek
• 2 Tablespoons black coffee
• 1 1/2 Tabespoons maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 8 ice cubes

Method:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processer.
2. Pulse until the ingredients are well-mixed and the ingredients are fluffy.
3. Pour into a clean glass. Garnish with whipped cream as desired.