Food of the Month: Greek Yoghurt

Low fat Greek yoghurt. 

I cannot get enough of this stuff. By itself nothing to particularly write home about, but combined with a dash of honey (or agave nectar for those following low-GI diets) and a little handful of fresh or frozen berries, and you've got yourself a little dollop of heaven. 

Here's the skinny-

Per 100g:

68kcal

3.5g fat (2.3g saturated)

5.1g carbohydrate (3.4g sugar)

4g Protein

That looks pretty good to me! If you can buy the 0% fat version ('total' is a good brand) then so much the better, but it can be a bit on the pricey side. I buy this stuff in my local shop by the kilo for less than £2.

A high protein, low-sugar, low-fat dessert? Amazing. 

What else can you use it for? See my recipe for banana and cinnamon muffins (it makes them oh so moist), atop of banana pancakes (been having a lot of bananas this month...), with cereal, in fruit or green smoothies, or simply as is with a whizzle of honey as mentioned above. 

Move over ice cream - we're going Greek. 

Quorn vs Meat: The Mince-Off

Vegetarian 'meat' substitutes - always a controversial topic amongst the carnivorous. But, if looking for a classically meat-heavy dish (think bolognese, lasagne, tacos...) that won't add so much strain to your waistline, consider Quorn mince as an option.

(image sourced Quorn UK website: http://www.quorn.co.uk/recipes/vegetable-mince-curry/)

So what is it?

Quorn is made from mycoprotein, which is "a nutritious member of the fungi family that is grown by fermentation similar to the process used in the production of bread, yoghurt and beer".

And why is it good for me?

Compared to regular or even lean beef mince, the difference in saturated fat content is staggering (the stuff that makes icky 'bad' cholesterol that sticks in your arteries and leads to stroke and heart disease. Not ideal). 

The moral is quorn mince has equal the protein, a third the calories, five times the fibre and a FIFTEENTH the saturated fat compared to beef mince (and that's the lean variety. Let's not even think about the normal stuff).

Give it a whirl. If unsure and you want to ease your way in, you could start by using half quorn mince and half beef and see how you get on.