The following originally appeared on 8/20/08 at Exit 51.
Mission Impossible
The beauty of South Beach Phase 2 is that you get to reintroduce foods that were to be avoided during Phase 1. Sounds easy enough, right? The catch is that you aren’t getting an even swap. That cereal we munched on in the days before South Beach? That’s gone. Instead of Raisin Bran, you get something that’s high fiber but low sugar. And that can take some sleuthing out. I found this out the hard way.
The book specifies low fat/non-fat, sugar free yogurt. So that’s what I looked for. Low fat? Check. Non fat? Check. Sugar free? Huh? I stood in front of the massive yogurt case at Wegman’s for at least ten minutes trying to find some combination of sugar free with low or non fat yogurt. And it was impossible. They had yogurt, tons of it. Squeezable yogurt, organic yogurt, yogurt with live cultures, yogurt, yogurt, yogurt. But each and every brand, variety, flavor, and style had sugar. Some more than others. So I walked away disappointed and yogurtless.
Later that day, I asked Miz G how to find that magical sugar free yogurt and she said that she made her own. And I’m thinking, but of course she did. She’s a crafty kitchen wizard who can take simple ingredients and turn them into yogurt. I imagined lots of containers bubbling away on the counter as the enzymes and cultures did their thing; one step removed from a bad science experiment. Fortunately, she went on to say that she simply took plain yogurt and added stuff to it. Oh, I can do that. And you can too.
Miz G’s Homemade Yogurt
Miz G suggested that fruits can be macerated in a bit of lemon juice and Splenda to break them down a bit. Just about any South Beach friendly fruit will work here. I used frozen peaches and blueberries. Quantities are somewhat hard to pinpoint; you kind of have to see what works for you.
- Plain Yogurt, Non-fat or Low Fat (large container approximately 32 oz)
- Blueberries (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)
- Peaches (about four or five slices)
- Splenda
Divide yogurt into two containers. If using frozen fruit, allow it to thaw completely, then add it to the yogurt. Add Splenda to taste in 1/4 teaspoon increments. Mix thoroughly and enjoy.
Did you know that the small ice cream scoops are exactly 1 ounce? So for my 4 ounce serving of yogurt, I just pull out four scoops with my smallest disher.
Bon Appetit Hon 
I used to be meh about yogurt until I discovered greek yogurt. Now I practically live on non-fat plain greek yogurt. It’s what I eat for breakfast most days. I’ve put everything from fresh fruit to nuts to peanut butter to hot cocoa mix in it!
Theresa, we’ve gotten away from mixing up our own yogurts these days but we still have some each morning. And I agree, greek yogurt is some good stuff.