Fun with Yogurt

You really can have fun with yogurt! Sure, you could just eat it as is or with some fruit and nuts, but you can do so much more with it, so why wouldn't you? Don't get me wrong. Add-ins are one of my favorite things to use, and, of course, there are hundreds of fantastic recipes with yogurt, but that's not what this is all about. This is more on the 'playing with your food' line of thinking. For yogurt, usually all you need is a mold and a freezer, and you have struck the creative goldmine. Anything is possible! Nearly anything, at least!

*TIP* The first tip I have for you is to use Greek yogurt or whole milk yogurt. Our personal favorites hands down are Brown Cow Cream Top and Chobani, but Stoneyfield YoBaby or YoKids work good too. Not only are they the most delicious (don't even attempt to argue otherwise), but the thicker, richer nature of them tends to work best when 'playing' around. And, the taste? Um, yeah... did I mention they are THE best! Also, though not a requirement necessarily, we try to steer clear of those brands with added color, fake flavors, thickening agents (the shame, the horror), and the worst in my opinion, the artificial sweeteners. Gag..

So, you have your yogurt. Now what? My 'tool' of choice is a silicone ice tray. They come in so many shapes and sizes, so you really can get nearly anything you might want to look for. Seriously, you can google just about any shape along with 'ice mold' and you'll find it. Okay, don't search for any shape. I know what you're thinking, and it's there, too. You've been warned! If you want a bit more family friendly place to start, try Fred brand on Amazon (TJ Maxx and Marshalls often have them too), check your local crafting store, especially around the holidays, or stores like Bed, Bath, Beyond. We have Meijer grocery stores local to us, and they even have lots of fun molds. You can also use plastic candy molds, but popping the yogurt creations out can be a bit trickier, and depending on quality, the mold may crack in the freezer. Just saying. But, I'll get to that.

Another option is just using a mini cutter on frozen yogurt puddles. That's about as fancy as you can get, right? To do this, you literally just put a piece of wax paper on a small, flat surface like a little cutting board, and blop some yogurt on top. Freeze your yogurt puddle long enough to harden and cut out the shapes you want to use. Then, peel off the wax paper, and you're done! It's that simple. You can also add sprinkles or colored sugar if you like, but I suggest adding it before the yogurt goes in the freezer. The sprinkles will stick a lot better because the yogurt is still wet.

Stay tuned for more creative yogurt tips coming your way!