Somethings just go together like:

• Bacon & Eggs
• Shoes & Socks
• Wine & Cheese
• Apples & Oranges
• Fitness & Spice
• …and Peanut Butter & Jelly

And speaking of Peanut Butter & Jelly, here’s a great way to get your PB&J fix while adding a healthy dose of protein and subtracting some of the unnecessary carbs dough.

Simply grab a single serving of Greek yogurt (Chobani strawberry or raspberry flavors are recommended for this recipe by yours truly) and stir in a tablespoon, make it two tablespoons, of your favorite peanut butter. Enjoy!

If you are a PB&J fan this little number will make your taste buds dance like Fred & Ginger. Guaranteed.

Now I really must go to the gym and then…dine & dash!

There are two kinds of people in the world…those that like cheesecake and those that are wrong.

I happen to adore cheesecake so I hopped into the Fitness & Spice test kitchen and attempted to shave off some of the calories, the guilt, and the work involved and came up with…

No Bake Greek Yogurt Cheesecake (Sorta)

• 8 ounces of homemade Greek “cream cheese” (any flavor will do, I used 2 single serving containers of Chobani lemon)
• 1 tub light cool whip
• 1/2 cup Splenda (go ahead and use sugar or your favorite sugar substitute if you’d like)
• 1 t lemon juice
• 1 reduced-fat graham cracker crust or crushed up graham crackers (I used New Morning organic graham crackers from the Attune Foods family)

In a large bowl whisk together the “cream cheese”, cool whip, Splenda, and lemon juice. I whipped this by hand because it’s a good little tricep workout especially if you forget to thaw the cool whip or give your “cream cheese” time to get to room temperature. Next, taste the batter. It’s good, right? Finally, pour the mixture into the pie crust and toss into the fridge for several hours. Or, do what I did, and break up graham crackers into the bottom of cupcake liners and top with the mixture, refrigerate for a few hours.

My photo does not do this recipe justice so you’ll just have to no-bake it and taste how amazing it is for yourself.

Now I really must go…the College World Series is in town and rumor has it there’s another sweet batter up!

You know how they say the moon is made of real cream cheese?

It’s not.

And when you strain some of the liquid out of Greek yogurt it’s not real cream cheese either, but the consistency and taste are really, really close. That, and it’s better for you and higher in protein, but don’t quote me on that because I didn’t bother to look it up.

If you want to make Greek Cream Cheese (sorta) do this:

Then, cover your contraption with another coffee filter or some cheese cloth and let it strain overnight in the fridge.

The next day you’ll have this spreadable, Greek goodness:

It’s kind of like whipped butter meets cream cheese and it’s perfectly acceptable for spreading onto whole wheat toast, or muffins, or pancakes, or celery, or a veggie sandwich or…

Now I really must go before I make a Big Fat Greek cheesy joke.

There are a few things you should never do at the office. Cutting your fingernails and scraping the bottom of a yogurt container repeatedly with a plastic spoon when there’s clearly nothing left, are two punishable offenses that come to mind. These sounds are like nails on a chalkboard to me only much, much worse.

Grooming and bad table manners should be left to the privacy of your own home. I’ll say it again for impact. Grooming and bad table manners should be left to the privacy of your own home.

Lucky for me, I work from home so these unwritten rules may or may not apply. For example, let’s just say Chobani sends you a case of their new Greek yogurt to try during office hours and it is so good you can’t help but want to get every last gram out of the container. What? I am working in the privacy in my own home–sheesh.

Anyway…

I think it is fair to say I am a particularly obsessed with Chobani’s Lemon Greek Yogurt. Here’s why:

• It’s fat-free and protein-full (15 grams of protein to be exact!)
• It tastes like fresh lemon pie filling without being too sweet, too tart, or full of fluff
• It’s all natural and contains no artificial sweeteners or preservatives
• It’s a great source of bone-building calcium
• It’s true to the Chobani tagline…It really is nothing but good
• It’s Fitness & Spice approved for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Now I really must go thank Chobani for the samples and then I just might have some nail filing to do!

The tag line for Chobani Greek Yogurt is nothing but good! In celebration of Cinco de Mayo I thought we’d go ahead and change that to: Chobani - nothing but bueno!

I clearly don’t know a lick of Spanish, but I have been known to lick the top of Chobani Greek Yogurt lid. I amor this stuff!

Chobani sent me this guacamole recipe just in time for my Cinco de Mayo fiesta, and I have to tell you it is fantastic! Giving guac a shot of protein? Brilliant! Let’s call their recipe…

Nothing But Bueno Guacamole

• 1 cup Chobani® Plain 0% Greek Yogurt
• 2 medium avocados
• ½ tsp cumin
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
• 2 tsp lime juice
• Salt to taste

Preparation

Slice avocado in half lengthwise. Remove pit and discard. Scoop out insides with large spoon and add to bowl. Roughly mash avocado with fork. Add Chobani and remaining ingredients.

Mix until guacamole has desired texture, whether chunky or smooth. Add salt to taste. Kick up the heat by adding extra jalapeños. Serve with Pita chips for a “Greek” twist or use as a tasty spread on sandwiches.

Now I really must go take a dip and a Spanish lesson…it’s all Greek to me!

What’s your game plan for Superbowl Sunday?

• Do you plan on eating your “favre”orite junk food?
• Do you shuffle your way through the chips and salsa?
  
• Do you devour everything in your “Fridge”?
• Do you go out of your “el”way to overstock your Super Bowl?

Why not plan on making some healthy substitutions? Try being a Saint and subbing Chobani Greek Yogurt in place of mayo, heavy cream, or sour cream in your favorite recipes.

Here are two recipes from Bethenny Frankel you might want to tackle…

Plain Frozen Yogurt

• 3 cups Low Fat Greek Yogurt
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons raw sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine, chill for an hour then put in ice cream machine as directed.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

• 3 cups Low Fat Greek Yogurt
• 2 cups strawberries (sliced)*
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons raw sugar

Combine strawberries, lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium high heat until bubbly. Mash with potato masher and let cool.  Combine with 3 cups Greek yogurt and chill for an hour. Put in ice cream machine as directed.  *Substitute any fresh or frozen fruit you happen to have lying around.

Check out this Fitness & Spice Chobani Challenge: Pass us your favorite Super Bowl recipe using Chobani Greek Yogurt. The person with the winning recipe will WIN a case of Chobani Greek Yogurt and their recipe will be featured on the Chobani Web site! Don’t wait until half-time to enter your recipe, this game ends on Sunday, January 31st!

Now I really must go wish my nephew Joey a happy birthday and kick off my leg workout, I don’t want  flabby thighsmans.

How do you track your fitness progress?

• By the scale? Measurements? Body fat?
• By how much weight you can lift? Your flexibility? Your speed? Your heart rate? Your recovery?
• By how your clothes fit? Or how you look in the mirror?
• By your energy level? Or level of self confidence?

My answer would depend on my goals. But, trust me, I’ve used all of the above at one point or another.

What do you do when you reach a plateau? What happens when you can’t see or feel progress? My advice? Do not panic. If you are honestly working a healthy plan your body will still be working on changes behind the scenes.

My Precision Nutrition coaches recently shared a story from Dave Tate about body transformations that really hit home with me. Think about this:

If you look at a fertile egg and watch it over time you will not see anything happen. This goes on day in and day out. You expect to see something, anything, but nothing changes. Then one day the egg begins to shake and a chick pops out. While the egg sat idle things were changing under the surface.

We all spend too much time looking at the outside of the egg when we should stop and think about what is going on inside.

I know what works for me. If I consistently drink a lot of water, eat plenty of protein and vegetables, progress and change my training program every 4-6 weeks, and get plenty of rest, I know I will not only feel good, I will see changes in my measurements and in the mirror. And if I don’t? I only have one person to beat up!

Speaking of eggs and vegetables, here’s what I’m whipping up today (with a tall drink of water)…

Egg-stra Veggie Quiche

• 8 eggs (or 2 cups Egg Beaters)
• 6 oz of Chobani Plain 0% Greek Yogurt (NuVal score – 94!)
• 1 cup spinach
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs in a large bowl and stir in Chobani Greek Yogurt. Mix in vegetables and seasoning. Pour into an 8×8 inch pan sprayed with Pam Olive Oil and top with shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

Now I really must go grab some more water and hit the gym because I have a plateau to crack!

The winner of the Chobani giveaway is Danica! Danica won an entire case of Chobani fruit flavor yogurt! She is Cho-lucky!

Good news! I have two prizes for everyone else that entered the contest (and even for those of you that didn’t)…

• A coupon you can download for your next purchase of Chobani
• A great recipe inspired by Chobani T-shirts, because I think CUPCAKES are Nothing But Good!

Nothing But Good Cho-Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cup Splenda for Baking, divided
• 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup Chobani Plain 0% Greek Yogurt (NuVal score – 94!)
• 1/3 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup Chobani Plain 0% Greek Yogurt
• 1 T agave nectar (or honey)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cocoa powder, 1 cup of the Splenda, protein powder, salt, and baking soda.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together Chobani, milk, oil, vanilla, and whole egg.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients. Combine everything with a rubber spatula.

Add egg whites to a large mixing bowl. Whip whites until they begin to get foamy. Add remaining 1/4 cup Splenda gradually to whites. Continue whipping whites into medium-stiff peaks.

Fold whites in thirds into cake batter with a rubber spatula.

Fill each of the 12 cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter.  Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool.

Combine the Chobani with agave nectar and frost your cupcakes. I topped mine with a piece of dark chocolate, but a red raspberry or strawberry would work nicely, too.

Now, I really must go eat another cupcake…they are Cho-Cho good!

I have never been to Australia so I’m packing up the blog today and taking a field trip to guest post on Michelle’s site. Make sure you join me down under because I’m cooking up a savory soup recipe using Chobani Greek Yogurt you won’t want to miss!

Speaking of Chobani, before you go, make sure you’ve entered our drawing to WIN a case of their fruit flavored Greek yogurt!

When you get back from Australia, come back for dessert! We’re going to have protein cupcakes in honor of my niece Alison’s SWEET 16th Birthday today! She is such a gift!

And, we’ll squash your cravings for Halloween candy by making guilt-free Protein Peanut Butter Cups!

Now, I really must go grab a really good book before I leave for Michelle’s.

Have a trip, see you next Fall!

Remember when I told you about NuVal, the nutritional scoring system that scores food on a scale of 1 to 100? Well, let’s give it up for plain Chobani Greek Yogurt for scoring a 94…that’s an A in my book!

Plain Chobani Greek Yogurt is one of my favorite go-to, high protein snacks. Right now I’m hooked on mixing in a little cinnamon and stevia right into the container and sometimes I’ll add vanilla protein powder to shake things up.

When I was visiting the Chobani Web site, I was thrilled to learn some new ways to enjoy Chobani. Melissa made the guacamole recipe found on their site a few weeks ago and said it was amazing. I was monkeying around with their Cho-bana Bread recipe and came up with…

Jo-nana Cho-bana Bread

• 1 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp Earth Balance Butter
• ½ cup natural applesauce (no sugar added)
• ¾ cup Splenda for Baking
• 2 large eggs (I used Egg Beaters)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large overripe bananas
• ½ cup Chobani® Plain 0% Greek Yogurt
• ½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips (not optional ;-))

Preparation

Grease large loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl, stir protein powder, baking soda, and salt.

Peel bananas. Cut each in half lengthwise and then cut each half into halves. Chop quartered bananas into 2-inch pieces. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and Splenda into a smooth paste. Add applesauce and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add eggs and stir until incorporated.

Add dry mixture to wet ingredients, and mix well. Add chopped bananas, nuts and/or chocolate chips and Chobani®.

Bake at 350F for 45-60 minutes.

This bread, like the Chobani NuVal score, is nothing but good! You know what else is nothing but good? Chobani is GIVING AWAY an entire case of assorted fruit flavor Chobani to one lucky Fitness & Spice reader.

Here’s how you enter the drawing:

• Visit the Chobani site and check out their Nothing But Good line of t-shirts.
• In the comments section below tell us which shirt you’d proudly wear or tell us another word you think is Nothing But Good!

The contest ends October 31st at 11:59 P.M. and the winner will be announced on Sunday, November 1st.

Now, I really must go finish my banana bread and enjoy this beautiful Fall day because that, my friends, is nothing but good!