Keeping it tasty and interesting with yogurt

I've now lost 5 pounds and 2 inches off my waist thanks to the Always Hungry diet program. Of course, the 'real' truth will happen the end of July when I have blood work done to see if my cholesterol is lower - not just what's appearing on the scale. 

I'm enjoying the diet (yes, I know it sounds crazy to enjoy a diet but it's true), and have found the weekday breakfast menus too complicated and time consuming for my commute and work. I ate yogurt everyday before the program but alas, it was yogurt with fruit and corn syrup.

To keep things tasty and interesting as well as easy now, I'm using 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup whole milk Greek yogurt. Tip: 2% tastes a lot tarter and regular whole milk yogurt isn't as filling. Tip 2: Regular yogurt is better to use for smoothies.

Here's what you'll need to add variety to daily yogurt breakfasts - or for a quick lunch to munch:

• 1 cup fresh berries or
• 1 orange peeled and sliced plus 1/4 almonds
• 2 teaspoons chocolate sauce and 1 Tablespoon peanut butter (using emulsifier with yogurt to make a smoothie) plus 1/4 whole milk
• 1 portion spicy fruit plus 1/4 cup almonds (warm before serving if you have a microwave at work)

Chocolate sauce recipe (enough for 1-2 weeks of individual servings)

• 4 ounces 70% cocoa or greater dark chocolate bar (Trader's sells a really nice 72% Belgian dark chocolate bar)
• 1/2 cup whole milk

In a sauce pan or double boiler on low to medium heat, heat chocolate and milk until chocolate is melted; be careful to not overcook and stir regularly. Cool slightly and store in glass or ceramic container in the fridge. When cold it will have the consistency of fudge so It's easy to spoon and add to other things.

Poached seasonal stone fruit or apples or pears recipe (4 servings)

• 2 pieces of medium sized fruit, cut in half with seeds/pits removed (I kept the skin on and didn't find that it deterred from the flavor)
• 1/2 cup filtered water ( I use my Brita filtered water)
• 1/2 teaspoon Spicely Organic or Spice House ground cinnamon. (Fresh, ground cinnamon makes a HUGE difference in flavor versus something that's been sitting on the store shelf and then in our cabinet for months if not years)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
• pinch of Kosher salt

In a sauce pan, add fruit, water and spices and bring to a boil on medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook until fruit is soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and store in glass jar in fridge.