Stonyfield Organic Yogurt Recipes

From clean, green smoothies to awesome appetizers and decadent desserts, yogurt is a versatile ingredient that can add flavor and zip to your favorite recipes! Here are six incredible recipes using yogurt that are easy on the eyes and the taste buds alike!

Remember how I was saying that I never feel like I have it together during the holidays? Well, I stepped up my game the week before Christmas and got more done than I thought was humanly possible. Not only did I order AND send out Christmas cards on time {major accomplishment as it's been approximately 5 years since the last time that happened}, but I also baked and packaged hundreds of cookies, and had gifts wrapped and ready to go with a whole day left to spare. Who am I??

Though these little checks on my list made me feel accomplished, the most fulfilling thing this year was making the time to do a few acts of kindness.

While the song says, "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" for some, the truth is that it can also be the most stressful and difficult for others. There are folks who experienced their first holiday season since the loss of a loved one. People who are struggling with their own health. Parents who could barely afford daily expenses, let alone have enough to spare to buy gifts for their little ones. Sadness and loneliness is all-too-real, and it's often heightened during the holidays.

My friends at Stonyfield had a brilliant idea this year to gift each Stonyfield Blogger with $50 to encourage us to "Pay It Forward." The money could be used for a favorite charity or cause or to give away to someone in need. For a second, I thought about donating the money directly to a charity from the comfort of my computer desk {I had run myself ragged checking off all the "To Do's"}, but decided instead to use the opportunity as a tool for teaching my son about giving.

I loaded him up in the car and explained to him that we were going to buy some special gifts for other kids that could use them. Cole is two, so he didn't fully comprehend why we were picking out toys that weren't going to be part of his collection. We certainly didn't get through the trip without a few, "No! Mine!"s being shouted. Regardless, we hand-picked presents for other children and then delivered them to a local coffee shop taking collections for Little Smiles, a charity that provides events and experiences for children dealing with difficult situations, from illness to homelessness.

It was so sweet to see him placing some of the gifts in the collection box, and even though he might be too young to know the impact of his actions, it's a tradition that I think we'll continue every year.

Here's the funny thing about acts of kindness: They're sort of addictive! Once I was in a spirit of giving {and not just in spirit of running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get our own holiday preparations taken care of}, I couldn't stop myself from finding other opportunities to spread love and joy.

I put together a little basket of goodies to leave out by my front door for hard-working delivery people to fuel up on the go during the long holiday hours. {An idea I saw circulating on Facebook.} I delivered a platter of homemade cookies to the people who work in the leasing office of our development. I helped an older lady read and adhere a particularly difficult-to-unstick label on the package she was trying to send out. But my favorite tiny blessing came when I read a post in a local mom thread on Facebook.

The original poster had asked what every mom wanted for Christmas {it had to be something you could purchase, not "world peace" types of wishes}. One commenter mentioned that when her own mother was alive, she would always put a new toothbrush and book in their stocking each Christmas, and that as small of a gift as that was, she missed it. It touched my heart because I could sense her genuine longing for this gesture from her mother.

After a little investigating, I was able to get her address, and I mailed her the items she wished for with a little note to let her know that someone special wouldn't have wanted her to go without them. I don't know this woman {though I did find out that she has had some struggles of her own}, and I didn't get to see her reaction and will probably never even meet her. But it filled me with happiness knowing that I might have been able to make her smile and reminisce about her mom.

This was truly one of the most fulfilling Christmases I've had in a long time, and a lot of that had to do with giving from the heart. I'm grateful to Stonyfield for igniting that desire once again with their Pay It Forward idea!

Being a Stonyfield Blogger for the past few years has been a great experience, and I've gotten to meet some truly wonderful people because of it. So, to continue "paying it forward", I'll leave you with a few delicious yogurt recipes from some of the other Clean Plate Club members. I hope you'll check out their blogs and try some of their recipes, and more importantly, share them with others!

• French-Inspired Deviled Eggs from Ashley at Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen

  

• Spicy Sweet Potatoes with Smoked Paprika Aioli from Ann at Fountain Avenue Kitchen

  

• Mini Chocolate Candy-Coated Donuts from Lynda at Me and My Pink Mixer

  

• Gluten Free Lemon-Poppy Seed Loaf from Cricket at Cricket's Confections

  

• Toasted Marshmallow Thumbprint Cookies from Nancy at The Bitter Side of Sweet

  

• Sneaky Green Smoothie from Carissa at Creative Green Living