Good evening people… Is anyone else COVETING the new Google BUZZ? I can’t wait for mine to be instated. YAY for technology!

Anyway, today was a GREAT day!

That’s a lie. It was an Okayyyy day, but I’m trying to be Positive! It is always hard to prepare for time away from the classroom. I’m always so anxious about leaving my babies. I’m so glad that I know they’re in good hands.

Today, I had my FAVORITE BREAKFAST OF ALL TIME!!! Yogurtoats, this time with the second new Greek yogurt candidate of the week, the Dannon Greek (strawberry). (Keep reading for my opinions of the NEW Greek yogurt candidates) Lunch was really, REALLY light, and I paid for it later, I had my very favorite green giant veggie steamer… but the whole serving is just 100 calories. Stupid. (I also had 4 cool ranch doritos, SCHWEET)

**An ODE to Yogurtoats…

Heather asked me in my last post about yogurt oats. I’m pretty sure that what I know and love as, yogurtoats is just “overnight oats” to the rest of the blogging world, but I don’t care. Yogurtoats rules for several reasons.

1. I don’t like cooked oats.   I know! Everyone loves oatmeal! Oatmeal is the BEST thing EVER, but I can’t get past the gummy part, and I simply do not have the time/patience required to cook oats on the stove in the mornings (let alone wash out the pans)

2. More protein/FLAVA. Yogurt, especially Greek, adds a bunch of protein to the mix, and fats (assuming I’m not eating a 0% yogurt at the time) which keep me full and happy! Plus greek yogurt adds flavor which I love.

3. I’m not super into hot breakfasts. I dunno… hot breakfasts make me feel sleepy or something. The cool, brightness of tangy yogurt wakes me up (as do fresh cold berries/fruits) so, I like that a lot.

So, if you want to make yogurtoats the kelsnotchels way, here’s how I do it.

-Scoop 1/3 to 1/2 cups of thick rolled oats into a bowl (mine are almost always travel safe, cause I eat it at my desk)

-Top with yogurt of your choosing, I love Chobani 0%, Oikos, and the new Dannon Greek Yogurt best.

-Based on the “looseness” of the yogurt I’ll add some milk, just a splash (I prefer almond breeze or skim)

-Top with berries or fruit, (or nut butter, or agave, or any other crazy thing)

Now, I have a 10 minute commute (go ahead and hate) and that’s the perfect amount of time for mine to have the perfect consistency… the oats are still VERY MUCH RAW, and not soggy, but chewy. I’ve left it overnight before, but I prefer it this way.

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On the subject of yogurt, I wanted to weigh in on the two newest contenders in our local stores. Yoplait and Dannon have jumped on the greek yogurt bandwagons and have greek yogurt stocked in our regular market! I bought one of each, both in strawberry and have sampled them in my yogurt oats today and yesterday (with the same recipe).

Yoplait

I thought the yoplait tasted “okay”… it wasn’t the worst yogurt I’ve tried, but it wasn’t my favorite. It was pretty stiff, and I thought it tasted a little fake. There were no pieces of fruit, it was just flavored. It wasn’t terribly smooth either. The nutrition facts were pretty good, 12g of protein, and more potassium than the Dannon… not to mention .7 more ounces of the stuff. It was okay, but if there is another kind on the shelf, I wouldn’t buy this kind again.

Dannon

The Dannon was a “fruit on the bottom” kind, it was a strawberry, syrupy, chunky layer under the yogurt, and I liked it quite a lot! It was pretty sweet, I’m not going to lie, but the pieces of actual strawberries kept it from feeling too artificial. It was VERY creamy, almost mousse like, and was very smooth. It was a little bit of a smaller portion, came in at 10 calories less, though, and still the same 12g of protein. I would definitely buy this one again.

Anyway, that’s enough yogurt talk for one night! I may actually write another post before bed, and set it to publish tomorrow while we’re on the road! My roadmates and I are excited and we’ll be driving to the ATX tomorrow before I know it!