Healthy Breakfast Yogurt

Since my last recipe post was a 6,000-calorie loaf of deliciousness, I figured I better post something healthy before my tush grew three sizes too big. So I present to you the healthiest of breakfasts, that actually tastes good too.

I learned about this yogurt concoction from a book I was reading called French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure by Mireille Guiliano. The book itself is [yawn] fine, but I did learn a lot about my eating habits as an American woman versus those skinny French chicks. Basically it breaks down like this: the French stop what they’re doing to sit down and enjoy every meal, and they eat real, fresh food. There may be a warm pain au chocolat or a buttered baguette on their menu, but those occasional treats do little to hurt their svelte figures when they’re eating slow, and in small portions.

While I can’t say I’ve embraced Mrs. Guiliano’s “non-diet” completely (I just can’t take two-hour lunch breaks every day to enjoy a salad), I have made several changes that have made me feel much better about myself.

The biggest change I made was switching from no breakfast at all to having this yogurt mixture almost every morning. It was a bit of a shock to my tastebuds the first few days, especially since I went all in and squeezed an entire lemon into my yogurt the first morning. I’ve since learned the portions and ingredients that taste best to me, and now this is a meal I look forward to every morning. There isn’t a recipe card at the bottom of this post because you’ll just have to wing it until you find the right recipe for yourself.

But here’s the basics:

Start with some yogurt (duh!). This Stonyfield Organic is my favorite – it has great taste and texture. They also have a low fat French Vanilla option too, if you just can’t give up all the sugar right away.

This next part might scare you away, but trust me, it’s not as bad as it seems.

Add a teaspoon of flaxseed oil to your yogurt. I had a hard time finding flax oil when I first starting eating this dish. I did find some at Apple Market and Fresh Market in Pensacola, but my favorite is this Barlean’s brand that I purchase through Amazon. They even make a strawberry banana flavor that I think would be great in the yogurt.

The oil stirs right in to the yogurt, and the texture and taste completely disappear. You’d never know you were eating something so healthy! (And flax oil is SUPER healthy.)

Squeeze some fresh lemon juice into your bowl. I’d recommend starting with one quarter of a lemon, and working your way up from there. After over a year of eating this breakfast, I still like only half a lemon in my yogurt.

Next up, you’ll need local, organic honey. Do NOT buy the teddy bear honey that you can find at every grocery store. Going local means you’ll get the benefits from the bees and pollen in your area. Going generic means you’ll just be adding sugar and preservatives to your healthy breakfast. I highly recommend East Hill Honey, which you can find at Palafox Market or just about anywhere in Pensacola.

One teaspoon of honey is good. Less if you have sweetened yogurt.

Finish off with something crunchy and something fruity. I like a pile of old fashioned oats, some slivered almonds, and strawberries. But don’t hold back! Some Cheerios, granola, walnuts, raspberries, bananas all sound delicious.

Serve in true French fashion, with a cloth napkin, cigarette in hand, and a poodle snoozing at your feet. Just kidding. Throw all the ingredients into a bowl at 6am and eat standing up while you hover over your child in the bathroom to make sure she’s brushing her teeth thoroughly. After all, we are in America.