Foodstirs

Homemade Fruit Yogurt with no Artificial Sweeteners or Added Sugar

I cringe at the thought of all the sugar and artificial flavorings in food nowadays. Being a new mom, health freak, fitness professional and cookbook author, it’s pretty obvious there was no way I wouldn’t be making my own baby food for my daughter. So far she’s had oatmeal, sweet potatoes, bananas, avocados, apples, carrots, zucchini, butternut squash and organic chicken soup (I pureed this after making it and she gobbled it up)!

Recently when I went to Whole Foods Market to get some yogurt for her to try, I noticed so many of them were sweetened with some kind of artificial flavoring…no thank you. I decided to go with YoBaby plain organic yogurt and added in my own fruit. Sounds simple right? Needless to say Emma loved this banana yogurt made from real bananas blended with yogurt! (I tried it, too, and it was delicious.)

This is when I started thinking about all the ways we can try to make our kids eat healthier, and why not make homemade fruit yogurt one of them? You know kids love Pinkberry and Yogurtland, mostly because of the toppings! After school snack? Check! Who’s the cool and creative mom? You are! This is a fun way to get your kids to eat a healthy sweet snack without all the extra, artificial sugar. Plus, you can make it for yourself, too with whatever yogurt you enjoy. Trust me, it’s yummy.

Homemade Fruit Yogurt with Toppings

1. Empty 1 container or 1 cup of yogurt into a puree machine/blender (I use my Babycook and YoBaby yogurt for my 6-month old) with ½ cup of your desired fruit or fruits.
   *Tip: bananas and berries seem to be the most popular!
2. Blend together for 15 seconds or until well combined.
3. Scoop yogurt into a bowl and top with desired toppings if making for older kids or yourself (not babies).
   *Check out topping ideas in the image above!
4. Enjoy this healthy & sweet snack with your kids! Yum!

~Jessica Luengo, Taking Pilates to a Whole New Level