Greek Yogurt is My New Best Friend.

I've always had so so relationship with yogurt.  I've never really liked it, but I've always understood the benefits (and if I wasn't sure, Jamie Lee Curtis made sure I knew, too.)  My kids love the tubes, and even more so since I switched to the thicker, less sugary Greek yogurt tubes they offer now.  I just couldn't get into it.  I've had almost all the brands and even tried the dessert flavored ones or the kind with the crunchy mix-ins (and I love crunchy in almost anything.)

That all changed, though, when I started making my own tzatziki sauce for Greek recipes.  Plain Greek yogurt started to seem like a good substitute for things like sour cream and cream cheese, all at only 17 calories, no fat and 3 grams of protein per ounce.  I recently used it in pasta with Alfredo sauce that even my son, who traditionally eschews most sauces on anything. absolutely loved.  I've concluded that all my past problems with yogurt were that they were paired with fruit or fruit flavored and, much like cottage cheese, it never quite tasted right to me sweetened.

Which brings me to one of my favorite topics of all time: Sandwiches.  Specifically, cucumber sandwiches.  After a recent first-time trip to the local Farmers Market ("What do you mean I can get three bags of vegetables for $7.00?") I decided to try my new-found love for Greek yogurt to make these cool and tasty sandwiches.  The result was very similar to my beloved tzatziki sauce, so of course these are my new favorite for lunch.


Greek Yogurt Cucumber Sandwiches

6 oz. tub of Chobani, or your favorite brand, Plain Greek Yogurt

2 tsp Cavender's Greek Seasoning (or similar as Cavender's does have MSG in it.)

Lemon Juice (optional)

Bread (This can, literally, be any kind of bread you prefer.  Traditional cucumber sandwiches are made on very soft white bread, but I used multigrain and I've even seen them on French bread.)

1 very thinly sliced cucumber

Stir Greek seasoning into yogurt.  You can also add a little lemon juice to the mixture if you wish.  Spread a thin layer of the yogurt mixture on each slice of bread, and layer cucumber on one slice.  Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the cucumber (again, optional.) and assemble sandwich.  Cut the crusts off if you want, make dinosaur shapes if you want, go crazy.  Enjoy.

Sudden Burst of Creativity

So now that it's after the holidays and I've finished up some other obligations I had, I've found myself with a little more free time lately.  This is perfect because I can get some projects done that I had either started or wanted to do around the house.  Some examples:

This is a banner I made for over my daughter's bed.  I had made one very similar for a friend's baby shower and my kids liked it so much they wanted their own.  I'm still working on the other two, with colors and themes that match their bedding.

This is a little garland I put up on the kids bedroom door.  I have more for around the house with different sayings for Valentine's day.  I got it from this website that has other fun (free!) holiday printables.

I had started crocheting this bag (from this tutorial) a few months ago, but it got put aside so I could finish other projects.  I love the colors and I even made it a little bigger than the instructions.  I plan on using it this summer when we go to the pool.

Finally, this is an empty frame that I use to display my printed Instagram pictures.  I got the pictures printed from Printstagram, but there are websites and instructions all over the internet where you can have them printed out or learn to print them yourself.  I like these because they have a matte finish and are very rigid, although the colors turned out a little darker than on the screen.  I just taped some jute across the back of the frame and used tiny clothespins to attach the photos.  The frame itself I crackle painted using white glue and acrylic paint.  My favorite part about this is that I can change out the photos whenever I want.

So, there they are- some my recent projects around the house for winter.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to crochet some baby hats....

Quinoa and Garden Vegetables

I've bought quinoa before but I could never quite figure out what to put with it to make it taste good.  I liked the idea that it had a lot of protein (6g per 1/4 cup) and could be an interesting substitute for rice or noodles, but just couldn't quite get it right. My garden is starting to produce so I have a ton of cherry tomatoes and some cucumber to work into meals.  I was not only happy with the recipe I came up with, but I talked my oldest into trying it and she loved it too (no small feat with kids sometimes.)

Quinoa with Vegetables and Feta

1 cup cooked quinoa.
1 cup cherry tomatoes or diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1 to 2 tablespoons of oregano
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon garlic powder (I didn't have any garlic cloves, but this worked and didn't overpower the dish)
Olive oil
1/4 cup feta cheese

Cook quinoa according to package directions.  Make a couple of passes in a pan with the olive oil  and add tomatoes, cucumber, garlic and oregano. Saute on medium heat until tomatoes begin to burst and add mushrooms.  Using spatula, break up cooked tomatoes and mushroom slices into smaller pieces until cooked all the way and mixed together well.  Remove from heat and add cooked quinoa and feta, stirring well.  Salt and pepper to taste.

(I would put a picture of the plated dish on here, but we ate it all too quick.  Maybe next time I'll get a picture.)