Thursday 18 October 2012

Chocolate Frozen Yoghurt Bars


So I will be home in a month.

Which I can't wait for. But at the same time, I can't believe its going to be my last summer holidays. So because I'm going to be walking around in tiny shorts and togs for most of the summer, and because this last month has been full of lots of brownies and sugar, I'm trying to cut sugar from my food for the next month. Until my birthday, because then all bets are off.

I mentioned this idea the other day in a post and people seemed interested in what I meant. I thought I'd clarify a little about what I personally am doing. So firstly, I'm not going to give up fruit. I believe if  the sugar is naturally occuring it is good for you in regular amounts. Therefore, fruit stays. This doesn't mean I'm going to eat more fruit than I usually do - I usually eat around 2 serves a day, but I may make it 3, depending on how I'm feeling.

The only processed sugar I will continue to eat will be in my yoghurt - which is Chobani so it is not high fructose syrup or aspartame, just regular ol' processed sugar. This is because I love yoghurt - I only have one small container a day, if I have yoghurt, but I have tried no sugar versions and just can't do it. I figure if Chobani is one of the best tasting Greek yoghurts out there, a little sugar won't kill me.

I buy natural peanut butter so there is no sugar. I eat cruskits and saladas (savoury biscuits) which do not have sugar in them. I am not eating bread, however given my well documented love for carbs this may be broken - but only once or twice a week! Though so far, so good. I am reading the labels though and making sure the bread I do keep around contains some of the better processed sugar. I admit I did eat tinned apricots (Weight Watchers) because I simply did not think about the sugar in them and have stopped now. I still have the tins, so if I'm really desperate I can have some - given they are 0 WW points, they are not the worst type of sugar.

The biggest type of sugar I have given up is honey. I love the stuff. I have raw honey if I get desperate. I also have a little homemade granola and homemade muesli left if I am that desperate but both are not made with sugar, rather with raw honey. As raw honey contains no additives and is naturally occuring, it is definitely a better choice. Therefore if I do have some granola or muesli I won't feel too guilty because there is a little honey in the mix.

But at the moment - no honey, no muesli or granola, no tinned apricots, no bread - nothing. It has been hard. Afternoon hits and the cravings get worse. I'm not a nighttime eater - it's around 2 in the afternoon when I feel the need for sugar. So I'm going to try to curb this. Also, I watched Hungry for Change yesterday, inspired by the lovely Shannon, which really made me want to stick to this for the time being. So if you haven't watched it, do.


These bars are pretty damn clean. There is sugar but it is in natural peanut butter and raw honey so it's not too terrible. I know these are pretty much like the frozen yoghurt bites I posted a few weeks ago, and I apologise for that, but this recipe was an even bigger hit in our household. One of my roommates has been away and it's just been me and Yvonne for the last week and so I made these one day and at least half were gone by the next afternoon. And I only had half of one!

They are the perfect summer treat - sweet, cold, delicious and chocolatey. You couldn't ask for anything more. And, even better, they're healthy!


Level of Difficulty: Incredible easy
Average Cost: Pretty cheap
Main Ingredients: Strawberry Greek yoghurt, peanut butter and chocolate
Occasion: The perfect summer snack
Menu Options: You can use any flavoured yoghurt you like – I just like the combo of strawberry and chocolate, though mango and chocolate would also be amazing. You can also use milk chocolate if you chose, I just prefer the taste and nutritional benefits of dark chocolate.

Makes 9

What you need:
200 g granita biscuits (or any Arnott’s biscuits or graham crackers)
6 tbsp peanut butter
4 tbsp raw honey
3 x 170g Chobani strawberry yoghurt tubs (or any other flavoured Greek yoghurt – try strawberry though)
100 g dark chocolate melts or chips

What to do:
In a food processor combine the granitas, peanut butter and raw honey until a thick dough is formed.

Put the dough in a square, thin pan. Press the dough down into all four corners and make sure it is evenly spread. It will be rather thick but should spread evenly.

Spread the Greek yoghurt over the top of the dough.

Melt the chocolate chips/melts and then, using a knife, stir the chocolate into the yoghurt to create a swirl pattern.

Place the bars into the freezer for at least an hour. They won’t be totally frozen. Then, using a sharp knife, cut around the outside of the bars so the bars don’t freeze to the side of the pan.

After another hour cut the bars into 9 squares. Again, this is just to make sure they don’t freeze together.

While the bars could be eaten now, I would recommend freezing for at least another hour. Serve cold from freezer. Store in freezer for up to a week (this is an estimate, ours lasted two days). 


12 comments:

  1. i just love frozen yogurt, you can't go wrong with that flavor

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    1. I know! Ever since I discovered it all I want is frozen yoghurt!

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  2. The recipe is simple but the picture makes it look fancy and decadent~:) wow, that's a lot of goals! But I'm sure you'll do great as it seems that you have it planned out nicely. And your blog color is so pretty and happy! xD

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    1. Thanks so much Ellie! Haha I can't help but plan things out, and once it's written down somewhere public I feel loads more accountable. :)

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  3. These look so delicious and soo easy to make! Good luck on reducing your sugar consumption. Also for the record, I am super jealous of your summer holidays, having a full time job is just sad :(
    xo Emilie @ Hungry Delights

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    1. Thanks! Ugh, the need for a full time job is coming at me really fast, so I plan to enjoy my last year as a uni student before work kicks in.

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  4. Oh these sound amazing Bec!! Question you said you'll be home in a month? where are you now?

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    1. Thanks Jessie! I live in Brisbane, which I suppose is technically my home, but over summer holidays I'm going 'home home', to where I grew up/my parents live. Still a uni student so I pretty much have two homes haha.

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  5. Those are some pretty good stats, especially the protein content!

    Hey, while I'm here... I nominated you for the Sunshine Award on my blog today. You should totally check it out and answer some of the survey questions :)

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    1. Yeah, the protein from the yoghurt is awesome!

      Wow, thank you so much! That's absolutely lovely of you! I will definitely answer the survey questions :)

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  6. I want summer vacation too....or just vacation in general!!!!
    Oh by the way, remember when you first mentioned that Chobani was available in Australia and I got insanely jealous. Well, I think they're launching the yoghurts in the UK soonish :)Good thing I'll be in Germany until next October but I think by then they'll really be available in England. I'm so excited already {I'm sure you know how I feel}...my sister thinks I'm a huge dork but she will be able to experience first hand how awesome Chobani is.
    Also, I love Hungry for Change. It's one of those films I can watch over and over again. It's made a huge impact on my life and immediately after watching it my sister went off to buy a juicer and she's been juicing ever since.
    Anyways, great looking recipe but I'll try with non-Chobani yoghurt until I get my hands on the good stuff! xx

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    1. I definitely get the excitement! That's so great that they'll be in England! Haha my family thought I was crazy too but it's just so good! And I just loved that movie - if I could afford a juicer I would go buy one too haha :)

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