Strawberry Protein Yogurt
When you’re in a deficit liquid calories can be a killer. I’ve removed pretty much all liquid calories from my daily meals. Which means protein shakes are no longer in the rotation. I needed a way to add more protein to my day instead of eating more steak or chicken. Don’t get me wrong, I love steak but ya know its expensive and I need some variety. Enter protein yogurt.
This recipe is great for playing Macro Tetris. You can increase or decrease each of the ingredients based on what you need for the day. This is a baseline recipe and I change it based on what I need to meet my macros. When planning out a day, its one of the last items I add because I can alter the ingredients to close the gap in an area that may need help. Typically I can hit my daily fat target with other meals so I generally leave this fat free but you can certainly add it in if needed.
Freeze-dried fruit is a great way to add fruity flavor without using jam or other sugary options. It even provides some crunch. The crunch is part of the reason why granola goes well with yogurt. Contrasting textures are a reason why we find foods so tasty. Granola is hard for me to add because it has so much fat so I like to use other crunchy options like freeze-dried fruit. You can buy freeze-dried fruit at most grocery stores but I commonly get it at Whole Foods or even Trader Joes. If you can’t find it locally, you can get it on Amazon. I also buy the large “end of the world doomsday prepper” canisters because they’re the most economical. I typically have strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries stocked in my house.
Protein powder can be any brand. I prefer DeNovo Nutrition candy bar protein powder but you can also do this with your favorite chocolate protein powder (10g) and peanut butter powder (5g) to get a similar candy bar taste. Just remember your macros will change from below if you’re using a different brand of protein powder.
I’m a fan of Fage yogurt but you can use your favorite brand of yogurt. I buy the large tubs of zero fat non-flavored yogurts because I like having control of the flavor and using different mix-ins to increase the carb, fat, & protein to the levels I need. You could even use 2% or full-fat yogurt if you want to add more fat to this recipe.
Water is an optional ingredient. I like to thin mine out with water but it’s not necessary. If you add it, use a little at a time until its the consistency that you prefer. You can also play around with different liquids like milk, whipping cream, half & half, or nut milk. Just remember those will bring in additional macros so beware of what you’re adding. As an example, I like adding whipping cream to this recipe if I need more fat.
Lastly, don’t forget to add this to your recipes in MFP or other food tracking app. Once it's in there you can easily edit the ingredients volumes up or down to see how it affects the macros.
Ingredients
227g Fage fat-free non-flavored yogurt
15g DeNovo Nutrition Candy Bar protein powder
10g Whole Freeze Dried Strawberries
~40ml water
Directions
Add the yogurt, protein powder, and water in a bowl.
Whisk together until the protein powder granules are well incorporated and it creates a smooth and consistent texture. Add more water if needed to thin out the yogurt and help incorporate the protein powder.
Top with your choice of freeze-dried fruit. I like strawberries with the candy bar or chocolate protein powders
Baseline recipe macros F:0 C:19 P:37
Created By: Josh McAtee, Black Iron Nutrition Client