Yog Blog

Ok, so by now you may know that our office rather like a dollop or two of yogurt. Although we're known to eat almost anything, we're very serious about our yogurt and what makes the grade. We usually compete to bring in any new range to hit the shelves first, and fancy ourselves as yog-onnoisseurs, here to critique every creamy mouthful.

A popular yog-topic for us is plain yogurt. We're creative types and love making beautiful, tasty concoctions which usually call for plain yogurt as our base, either Natural or Greek. We also have an office healthy bake-off, or make a team curry, all of which involve yogurt as a healthy ingredient. So, with so many to choose from, and with everyone having their favourites for different purposes, we have undertaken a master tasting session and we thought we'd share our scoring for "thickness", "creaminess", and "sweetness" with you guys. We've also added some extra useful information where appropriate - just our two pennies worth of what we feel matters!




Meet our Yog-Off Contenders


Alpro Pouring Mild & Creamy Yogurt

A staple in our office fridge is Alpro's hero product - Mild & Creamy Pouring yogurt. We use it for a plantpower alternative to diary products, mainly on our deskfests but we also sneak the plain variety in to cream up our soups and sauces.

Thickness rating: 4/10
Creaminess: 6/10
Sweetness: 6/10
Love rating: 9/10
Winner on: Packaging: we love the carton size and the portion control of the screw top - use as much or little as you need and keep the rest fresh. Contains B2, B12, D and E. So versatile - vegan / lactose free deskfests, baking, and cooking, and the best yogurt for our homemade healthy muesli by far. Yummy customer service people, marketing, competitions and branding - we're big fans!
We'd love to see: more inclusion in supermarket promotions.
Nutrition values per 100g: 50kcal, 4g protein, 2.1g carbs (of which sugars 2.1g), lactose 0g, 2.3g fat (of which saturates 0.4g), sodium 0.10g, calcium 120mg, contains B12 and D2.


Activia Breakfast Pouring Yogurt

Thickness rating: 2.5
Creaminess: 6/10
Sweetness: 4.5/10
Love rating: 3/10
Winner on: if you're not a yogurt fan per say but still fancy dairy and something slightly thicker and creamier than milk on your fresh fruit / cereals, this could be for you.
We'd love to see: smaller cartons available - as this product was one of the less popular ones in the fridge, we couldn't get through it all whilst still fresh.
Nutrition values per 100g: 50kcal, 3.7g protein, 4.9g carbs (of which sugars 4.9g), 1.7g fat (of which saturates 1.1g), sodium 0.05g, calcium 135mg, contains good bacteria.



Embleton Hall Natural Yogurt

Thickness rating: 6.5/10
Creaminess: 7.5/10
Sweetness: 6.5/10
Love rating: 7.5/10
Winner on: Priced at 76p from Waitrose, this has a lovely taste and creaminess and is a real competitor to some of the more expensive yogurts. It's also our lowest carbon footprint option and supports local business to our Northeast office.
We'd love to see: a wider range of products available - maybe a fruity range in smaller servings for desserts on the go.
Nutrition values per 100g: 60kcal, 4.8g protein, 7.4g carbs, 1.4g fat. No added ingredients.



Simply M&S Low Fat Greek Style Unsweetened Yogurt

Thickness rating: 6/10
Creaminess: 7/10
Sweetness: 6/10
Love rating: 7/10
Winner on: Versatility - in the middle of the ratings, it's savoury enough for cooking, sweet enough with fruit, and not too thick or thin, so great for soups and sauces.
We'd love to see: a price match with other very similar products with similar ratings.
Nutrition values per 100g: 70kcal, 5.2g protein, 6.6g carbs (of which sugars 5.8g), 2.6g fat (of which saturates 1.7g), sodium 0.07g. No added ingredients.



Brooklea Natural Low Fat Greek Style Natural Yogurt

Thickness rating: 6/10
Creaminess: 6.5/10
Sweetness: 5/10
Love rating: 7.5/10
Winner on: Cooking - economical and a great consistency - a balanced yogurt for baking, soups, and sauces.
We'd love to see: A thicker yogurt in this economical range for our dips.
Nutrition values per 100g: 75kcal, 5.3g protein, 7.6g carbs (of which sugars 6.8g), 2.6g fat (of which saturates 0.6g), sodium 0.08g. No added ingredients.



Desi Mild 'n' Tasty Live Whole Milk Yogurt

Thickness rating: 5/10
Creaminess: 5.5/10
Sweetness: 4.5/10
Love rating: 4/10
Winner on: We liked the cows on the front :) Only 65p.
Nutrition values per 100g: 65kcal, 3.2g protein, 4.4g carbs (of which sugars 2.8g), 3.9g fat (of which saturates 2.1g), sodium 0.92g.


Alpro Simply Plain Tub Yogurt

Thickness rating: 5/10
Creaminess: 6.5/10
Sweetness: 7.5/10
Love rating: 7.5/10
Winner on: Low Calorie. Great use by date - lasts ages before opening. Also great for vegan, lactose free cooking, baking and desserts. 
We'd love to see: A sugar free version to work even better in soups and curries.
Nutrition values per 100g: 50kcal, 4.0g protein, 2.1g carbs (of which sugars 2.1g), 2.3g fat (of which saturates 0.4g), sodium 0.10g. Calcium 120mg. Contains B12 and D2.



Yeo Valley Family Farm Greek Style Natural Yogurt

Thickness rating: 7/10
Creaminess: 9/10
Sweetness: 7/10
Love rating: 6.5/10
Winner on: Uses organic milk, contains live cultures and supports British family farming. We also love the daisies on the packaging. A nice tasting yogurt for full fat yogurt lovers.
We'd love to see: As much creaminess for less calories (they do a low fat version so we know we're asking for far too much there!).
Nutrition values per 100g: 129kcal, 4.5g protein, 6.4g carbs (of which sugars 6.4g), 9.5g fat (of which saturates 5.9g), sodium 0.07g, Calcium 160mg.


Asda Extra Special Authentic Greek yogurt - Fat free

Thickness rating: 8/10
Creaminess: 9/10
Sweetness: 6/10
Love rating: 9/10
Winner on: When they said it's extra special, they weren't fibbing! Thick, creamy and just the right amount of sweetness. A gorgeous yogurt that competes with it's higher priced competitors on taste and thickness. At 9g, it has almost as much protein, and 0g fat. 
We'd love to see: More than just a foil lid to keep it extra fresh once opened.
Nutrition values per 100g: 52kcal, 9.0g protein, 4.0g carbs (of which sugars 4.0g), 0g fat (of which saturates 0g), sodiu 0.03g.


Chobani Fat Free Yogurt

Thickness rating: 8/10
Creaminess: 7.5/10
Sweetness: 4.5/10
Love rating: 7/10
Winner on: Born in the US and an interesting new kid on the block, with excellent branding, PR and customer service. These guys have a head full of recipes and ideas for replacing less healthy options with their products, and are so helpful and lovely we could cuddle them up all day.
We'd love to see: A bigger pot. With all these ideas for using the plain yog in sauces and baking, there isn't much to play with in the small pots.
Nutrition values per 100g: 62kcal, 10.0g protein, 4.0g carbs (of which sugars 4.0g), 0g fat (of which saturates 0g), sodium 0.03g, calcium 145mg.


Liberte Strained Greek Style Yogurt

Thickness rating: 8.5/10
Creaminess: 9/10
Sweetness: 5/10
Love rating: 5/10
Winner on: Great tub size and excellent seal for freshness. Great thickness and high in protein.
We'd love to see: More economical pricing - As we preferred the taste of some of the other yogurts we'd choose those first, but we'd still buy this if it was purse competitive.
Nutrition values per 100g: 57kcal, 10gprotein, 3.7g carbs (of which sugars 2.8g), 0.2g fat (of which saturates 0.1g), salt 0.1g.


Fage 0% Fat Total Greek Yogurt

Thickness rating: 9.5/10
Creaminess: 8/10
Sweetness: 5/10
Love rating: 9.5/10
Winner on: Thickness, and our favourite all-rounder. Also, best range of 0%, 2% and full fat plain Greek yogurts to suit your needs. Winner on protein too. Low calorie and sodium. Overall - a lovely 'stand your spoon in', super tasty but still healthy yogurt, with no added sugars. Contains live active cultures.
We'd love to see: More promotions in stores. We'd ask for a better lid but it doesn't last long enough here to warrant this. Fage play around with things already but we think prettier branding would be well suited - perhaps a new twitter competition?
Nutrition values per 100g: 57kcal, 10.3g protein, 4.0g carbs (of which sugars 4.0g), 0g fat (of which saturates 0g), sodium 0.038g, contains live active cultures.


The Collective Gourmet - Plain Jane Gourmet Yogurt

Thickness rating: 7/10
Creaminess: 8.5/10
Sweetness: 9/10
Love rating: 10/10
Winner on: Naughtier treat: a taste sensation, definitely gourmet, but no plain Jane - the ultimate plain yogurt indulgence for desserts. Once opened, it doesn't need a lid that's for sure.
Excellent marketing, competitions, branding, and super friendly customer service guys.
We'd love to see: A bigger tub! Just kidding. You'll notice this is empty before we could even snap a piccie. As this contains honey already, perhaps more honey, less sugar would make us feel less naughty! A few less calories would probably ruin the magic too, but would be lovely.
Nutrition values per 100g: 131kcal, 5.2g protein, 14.9g carbs (of which sugars 14.9g), 5.6g fat (of which saturates 3.5g), sodium 0.1g, contains live active cultures.


Our winners

We'll also be blogging a Yog-on-the-Go: full of our office favourite flavoured yogurts. Some are very dreamy indeedy!

... and of course we'll be sharing some of our own favourite artworks with a yogurt canvas!


Disclaimer: All views are our own and this is to read as a bit of fun if you're a yogurt lover like us. We do not work for any yogurt company (although obviously open to offers of becoming Chief of Tasters). Munch as part of a balanced diet. Please read labels if you have food allergies or specific dietary requirements as we are simple beings here :)

 

Healthy Pre/Post Workout Almond and Orange Fruit Cakey


So... Does anyone want to make a healthy cakey then?... Of course you do! 

Glutenfree being a big thing in many people's diets these days, we thought we'd share our healthy, glutenfree recipe that we find perfect before or after our workout. It's a great, easy to make, flexible recipe that allows you to substitute part or whole ingredients to increase protein or energy sustaining carbs, make lactose free, or even vegan. Go all organic too if you're feeling extra virtuous!

... And did we mention it's low calorie compared to your average? - So for us, a larger portion size has been devoured and very much enjoyed with some very lovely antioxidant rich side extras :) 

Enjoy mix and matching the ingredients, and do let us know if you try a version of your own!

Ingredients:

100g oat bran

75g oats

50g ground almonds

1 heaped tsp baking powder

2-3 ripe bananas - mashed

50g of Alpro Vanilla tub yogurt (vegan / lactose free), or Total Greek yogurt (dairy)

2 egg whites

Juice of 1 orange

Zest of 2 oranges (use the rest of the 2nd orange for decoration / serving)

A fistful of slightly chopped almonds

A fistful of raisins / no-added sugar dried cranberries

If you're making gluten free cakey, look out for certified ingredients.
 

Cast a spell

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees.

Find a medium size cauldron or bowl (bright colour essential). Mix all of the dry ingredients together.

 

Mix in all of the other ingredients apart from the eggs.

 

 

 

  

Whisk the egg whites and fold in gently (not essential but we like making 'clouds'). 

 

Wait for the magic to happen

Pop her in a silicon mould and in the middle of the. Add the oranges on the top when the cake is almost done baking.

 

 

Our oven is fan assisted and took 30mins to bake - to test, use a metal skewer inserted into the middle of the cake. When it comes out clean, it's ready!

 

 

 

Ta-daa!

Optional extras: 

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 scoops protein powder for a muscle repairing post workout cake

Manuka honey or Stevia for extra sweetness

Substitute the eggs for apple sauce for a vegan alternative 

We also like to throw a few super-blueberries in for an extra antioxidant hit!

 

Optional sides extras:

 
We like to keep the cake quite savoury so we can mix and match our side extras, and cater for everyone in the office. We like manuka honey, melted dark chocolate, Greek yogurt, fresh fruits and even cashew nut butter! We're loving pouring yogurt at the moment - our staple product being Alpro pouring yogurt in plain or vanilla - not just for our vegans, give it a go, it's a real hero for baking and serving! They also do a grand custard and little choc desserts which are divine with this cakey. And if you're a yogurt freak like us, check out our YogBlog : )

Oh, and just to note, noone endorses us for using their products, we just like what we like and share the love.

 

 

Why we like our ingredients for our Healthy Cakey:

Almonds are a little fighter of a nut and one of our heroes: one of the nut family protein leaders, they contain fibre, frolic acid, cancer fighting good fats, healthy hair and skin vitamin E, metabolism boosting B2 (riboflavin) which helps to burn extra workout calories, high blood pressure & osteoporosis fighting magnesium, copper which aids iron absorption, and antioxidant manganese which aids detox and supports our immune systems.

Oat bran is so popular, and so easy to add into your breakfast menu these days. Made popular by various diet trends and a huge staple in New York, oat bran is said to expand in your tummy to make you feel more satisfied, cling to fat and aids its removal from the body, and even help to control cholesterol and diabetes. Cancer fighting properties are also undergoing research. It's also a great, versatile ingredient so you'll see us using it even to crumb-coat fish!

Protein powder - invest in a good quality protein powder for post work out muscle repair. We're loving all Super Protein's products coming on to the market so keep an eye out for them.

Egg- we used just egg whites but do feel free to throw in the whole eggs if you wish - eggs are high in protein and contain vitamins A, E & K, a range of B vits, riboflavin and frolic acid. They also contain all eight essential amino acids needed for muscle recovery. We love our eggys!

Oranges- high in vitamin C to strengthen our immune systems and protect against cell damage, contains B6 which is responsible for haemoglobin (essential for maximum energy output for us fitties), vitamin A helps with things like eye sight so you can programme your treadmill correctly, and they also contain potassium. One orange can provide a 33g hit of bone healthy calcium too.

Dried cranberries are high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, helping to reduce the effect of free radicals (linked to the development of cancer cells). They are great at helping with bacterial infections (you may have noticed their popularity for urinary tract infections if you've ever been unlucky enough!). They also contain antioxidants and fibre for aiding a healthy digestive system. A little winner berry if you ask us!

 

Discalimer:

All of our posts are the result of our own research, sweat, tears and taste tests. Please research further if you have special dietary requirements or allergies. Gobble in moderation as part of a balanced diet.

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