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!
Congratulations, Tanya! You are the winner of the Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt drawing! Please send an email to fitnessandspice@gmail.com and I’ll mail your Oikos coupons right to you.
