Yogurt Substitute? The Nutritionist Would be Proud.

Did I tell you how much I loved the nutritionist? She never once told me how awful my eating habits were. She simply praised the good things and gently suggested other items to add. And she said - love this part -

I WASN'T EATING ENOUGH!

You gotta love someone telling you to eat more. For breakfast she suggested that I eat protein and recommended this yogurt smoothie from Lifeway.

This evening I was making a cake for a friend and the recipe called for plain yogurt, so I used my blueberry Kefir in the recipe. I wasn't able to try the baked cake, but the batter was really good and blueberryish. (Don't tell the nutritionist that I licked the beaters. She gently suggested that I chew sugar-free gum to discourage myself from licking the beaters. I did try it, but it was easy just to take the gum out, lick the beaters, and then put the gum back in.)


Last summer, I lovingly measured, labeled, and stored fresh-picked blueberries in the freezer. I forgot that Frick had helped me label the bags. (I'm guessing it said "July 2008, 2 cups" - because that what all the other bags said that I labeled.)

This recipe came from my most beat up cookbook - The Cake Mix Doctor. I always have cake mixes stored in the pantry and this has a hundred ways to make the ordinary cake mix spectacular.

Blueberry Muffin Cake

1 pkg. yellow or white cake mix (I used yellow)

1 pkg. small instant vanilla pudding

1 c. vanilla yogurt (I used my Lifeway)

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/4 c. water

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 large eggs

1 c. fresh blueberries (I used frozen blueberries, but left out the water, according to the Cake Doctor's suggestions)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10" tube pan with spray and dust with flour. Measure out 2 Tb. of the cake mix and set aside. Mix the remaining cake mix, pudding mix, yogurt, oil, water, cinnamon, and eggs in large mixing bowl. Toss the blueberries with the reserved cake mix. Fold in the blueberries. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake 45 - 50 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and beginning to pull away from the sides. Cool in the pan for twenty minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Store at room temperature covered in plastic wrap.

The Lifeway Kefir stuff wasn't that bad. I mixed in the leftover blueberries, a banana, and some Splenda and made me a smoothie for breakfast. Not bad. Even Farmer Brown drank some of it.