Fun with Greek Yogurt

Today is Sunday and I have to get ready to go back to school.

This break has been so nice and much needed.  After all the Thanksgiving festivities and Black Friday shopping, I also got to go freeze my toes off at the Northwestern v. Illinois game.

Then, I got to help decorated Bri's Mom's Christmas tree. So pretty!

Also, of course, I indulged in a lot of awesome frozen yogurt with my friends and family.

Yogurt is quickly becoming one of my favorite treats.  I have done a little experimenting lately with yogurt and made some yummy and healthy snacks.  For both of these little treats, I used Chobani Greek Yogurt.  Today I am sharing pumpkin yogurt and peanut butter yogurt.  I am pretty sure that these would make awesome frozen yogurt options.  If only I had my ice cream maker at school!

Pumpkin Spice Yogurt

Ingredients:
3/4 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
3 tbsp pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp agave nectar

Directions:
1. Stir everything together.  Add more pumpkin or agave to taste.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Yogurt

Ingredients:
3/4 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp honey
Toppings: I used mini m&ms, but oreos, reeses, chocolate chips, etc would work well too!

Directions:
1. Mix the yogurt, peanut butter, vanilla and honey together.  Add more honey or peanut butter to taste. Top with toppings or enjoy as it is!

Enjoy :)

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Yesterday was my Mommy's birthday!

I really wanted to do something special for her and so I decided to make her favorite cupcakes in cake form!  Her favorite cupcakes are my Skinny Mocha Cupcakes.  She just loves that the cake is "healthy" and the frosting, well, mocha is one of her favorite flavors! Typically, her birthday cake is an ice cream cake with coffee ice cream, but I wanted this year to be a little more special.

I used the same Skinny Mocha Cupcake recipe, but make 3, 8 in. cakes, and then layered them up with some amazing mocha buttercream.

So pretty! Usually, the treats I make are not the most aesthetically pleasing, but  really loved how this turned out!

Three layers of amazing chocolate cake and mocha buttercream! It was the perfect cake for my mom and she loved it!  Happy Birthday Mommy!!! I love you!

This post is featured on Foodie Friends Friday

Yogurt Coffee Cake

Yet again, I am up WAY too early.  I've already had enough time to eat breakfast, get dressed, buy a cupcake at the bakery, and bake a coffee cake (mom's favorite recipe).  However, I feel pretty good about this mornings accomplishments.  Now, I've got a cupcake to give my camp director in honor of her birthday and a coffee cake to share with everyone for the occasion.

I think birthdays are crazy important.  They are the only day of the year that you have a holiday all about you.  It should be celebrated! Also, it's a super rainy/stormy morning and baking just seemed like a lovely thing to do.  Now, I'm sitting here waiting in a kitchen that smells delicious and getting ready for camp.  We are supposed to tye-dye today and today is "backwards" day.  However, with all this rain and pending storms, I'm not so sure that our day is going to go as planned.  At least I have cake!

Yogurt Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cup sugar
8 oz. non-fat vanilla yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp all spice
pinch of salt
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Topping:
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 10 inch tube pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, all spice, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, yogurt, vanilla, and eggs until well combined.  Beat in the dry ingredients until just combined and then mix in the chocolate chips.
4. In a small bowl, mix topping ingredients together.
5. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle half of the topping ingredients on top.  Pour the rest of the batter in and sprinkle the rest of the topping on top.  Bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Enjoy :)