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.

I am a speed eater.

Not the kind of speed eater that enters hot dog eating contests, because that’s just gross. But I do have a tendency to eat fast.

A few months ago my niece Ali and I stopped for ice cream at this charming little shop in town called eCreamery. Have you heard of them? All the cool kids are talking about it like Rachel Ray, Rachel Zoe, and I.  In addition to their store, they are online, too, and you can design your own ice cream, gelato, or sorbetto, customize a label, and have it shipped to you (or better yet, to me). How cool is that?

Anyway…

Ali and I ordered a small ice cream and quickly learned that “small” also applied to the size of the spoon that accompanied our order. I kid you not, the spoon was the size of something you’d see in a miniature doll house. Crazy small.

But, the tiny utensil did make me slow down and enjoy every last delicious bite, not to mention the witty conversation Ali and I shared that day.

As a result of this trip, I purchased a small set of baby spoons reserved especially for things I tend to eat too fast like Greek yogurt, Unchunky Monkey Soft Serve Ice Cream, and Protein Freeze. And now I don’t even want to have a second serving because it takes way too long to eat, that and my body has time to recognize that it is indeed full. Just think, with all of those calories I’ve saved I can cash them in on a future trip to eCreamery.

Now I really must go get ready for a playdate, if you have any helpful tips to share, fork them over!

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.

I have never once taken a bite of cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving. While I love cranberries topped on salads, the thought of eating a mouthful of a jiggly ruby red jelly has never once appealed to me. But then I was reading an article Donna wrote about the benefits of cranberries and I decided to take a closer look.

I also flipped through Dr. Jonny Bowden’s book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth and discovered cranberries are on his list weighing in at 44 calories per cup, and they are also high in fiber, and low in sugar. According to the American Chemical Society, cranberries have some of the most potent antioxidants of any common fruits studied. “They also possess anticancer properties, inhibit the growth of common foodborne pathogens, and contain antibacterial properties,” according to Bowden.

I was sold on the research so I bought a bag of fresh cranberries and went to town. I adapted a recipe printed right on the bag of my Ocean Spray Fresh Premium Cranberries and came up with…

A Splendid Bowl of Cranberry Sauce

• 1 cup Splenda for Baking
• 1 cup water
• 4 cups cranberries
• 2 cinnamon sticks

Bring water and Splenda to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add cranberries and return to boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour sauce into a bowl, cool, and then refrigerate.

I’m not going to lie, this stuff is fabulous. The combination of sweet and tart are nicely balanced in this simple recipe. And, it only gets better…

The entire time I was making this recipe, I was thinking about the Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt I had in the fridge. The good people of Stonyfield Farms make this Greek yogurt and suggested I give it a try. While I think it is quite perfect on its own, I couldn’t wait to try plain Oikos Greek yogurt with a spoonful of the cranberry concoction I just created. Let’s just say, I am going to add this combination to my list of things I am grateful for this Thanksgiving.

Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt comes in vanilla, honey, blueberry, strawberry, plain, and if you make A Splendid Bowl of Cranberry Sauce, it also comes in cranberry. ;-)

Want to give Oikos a try? One lucky Fitness & Spice reader is going to WIN 5 containers of Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt. To enter the drawing, tell us one thing you NEVER eat on Thanksgiving in the comments below. The contest will close Monday, November 16th at 11:59 P.M. and the winner will be announced on Tuesday.

Now I really must go see if I can fit a side of pumpkin pie inside that tub of Greek yogurt!

It does not surprise me that my parents decided to retire in Tennessee, the Volunteer State, as they are two of the most selfless volunteers I know.

Since moving to the beautiful state of Tennessee they have become die hard Tennessee Volunteer sports fans. I have to admit, even though I’ve never lived in Tennessee, it’s hard not to catch their Tennessee football fever.

I channeled a little Tennessee Volunteer spirit to bring you two recipes using one of the worlds healthiest foods, the sweet potato! Let’s kick off with…

BIG ORANGE Mashed Sweet Potatoes

• 1 medium sweet potato (NuVal score – 96)
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 T pecans (optional)

Scrub sweet potato and bake at 450 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, until tender. Remove at once and poke with a fork to let steam out. Cut the potato in quarters and mash with a fork or toss into your Magjc Bullet blender. Mix in Greek yogurt and top with pecans if you’re a sports nut. Note: You can remove the skin from the sweet potato before mashing or leave it on and benefit from the extra fiber!

Now for the second half…I love baked sweet potato fries prepared simply by spraying them with Pam Olive Oil and sprinkled with salt (and/or cinnamon). But last night, I decided to spice them up a little bit more. Remember when we made Fitness & Spice Pumpkin Nut Mix? Well, I decided to use the same seasoning to flavor these….

BIG ORANGE Sweet Potato Fries

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1 egg white
• 1 T Splenda for Baking
• 1/2 t seasoning salt
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice sweet potato into thin wedges. Beat the egg white until fluffy. Coat the sweet potato with the egg white. Place remaining ingredients into a small bowl and blend well with a fork. Add spice mixture to the sweet potatoes and stir to combine everything well. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet and bake until crispy for approximately 20-25 minutes, turning half way.

Sweet potatoes make a great addition to a post-workout meal. Speaking of which, I could use a workout partner today…any Volunteers?

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!