Gluten Free Showcase|Greek Yogurt Honey Berry Bowl

What makes for a great start to a day? Well, if it’s not sunshine streaming in your window…which seems less & less likely if you live in the Midwest as I do!…then a breakfast you can look forward to tops the list!

“But Kate! You’re gluten-free – what in the world do you eat?? No cereal, no oatmeal, no toast, no granola bars, & certainly no Bear Claws from Deerfields’ bakery!” Oh, how I chuckle when I hear that…we’ve been conditioned to think that is all there is for breakfast - when in reality, no laws have been passed stating that certain foods are the only ones allowed for breakfast & that you have to cook your breakfast in the morning. There are some days when I’m out early to train clients & have to plan a fast-made breakfast or cook it the night before – I’ve found this is a fantastic quick-fix in the morning – Greek Yogurt Bowls are my personal twist on plain old yogurt.

Here’s the deal about Greek Yogurt:

• Regular yogurt like dannon & yoplait is loaded with sugar & processed chemicals. In addition, they only contain 6-8g of protein per container (protein being your building block for metabolism & muscle).
• Greek yogurt by comparison has 15g of protein! 
• And if you get the plain flavor & sweeten it yourself with Stevia (a calorie-free sweetener with a plant-base & without any of the problems found with stevia & other sugar alcohols) then you are only consuming 80 cals & only 6g of sugar (all of which comes from the lactose already present in the yogurt from lactose- milk sugar)
• Greek yogurt is MUCH thicker than regular yogurt, so you get that satiety feeling of having actually consumed something, unlike granola bars & other foods that you eat & within an hour you’re hungry again

Here’s my recipe for Greek Yogurt Bowls:

• 1 container plain Greek yogurt (Oikos brand is the one I know best)
• 1/2 cup frozen organic mixed berries
• 1/2 packet french-vanilla or original stevia flavor
• 1/2 – 1tsp local honey
• optional add-on for bonus fiber & Omega-3 fatty acids: Chia Seeds

Mix yogurt & 1/2 packet sweetener together. Either de-frost 1/2 cup berries night before in fridge or microwave for 30 sec in the morning. Put berries on top of yogurt, & honey on top of that. Chia seeds are full of fiber & omega-3 fatty acids and are just an extra nutritional punch to this already nutritionally awesome & GLUTEN FREE breakfast!

Calories: 15o w/o seeds, 180 w/ seeds; Protein: 15g w/o seeds, 18g w/ seeds