Hi guys! How was your weekend? The East Coast (and the Midwest, from what I saw on wunderground.com) was going through a major heat wave on Friday and Saturday. On Friday evening when I got out of work, it was still 106˚!!! To be honest, I’m still grateful that it’s no longer winter (this past winter was epically long and brutal) that I didn’t mind the heat all that much. It also helps that I’m inside in air conditioning at the restaurant all day 
.
My friend Kalle met for dinner at Paprika for dinner. We were still melting, so after we took a few minutes to catch our breath and dab our faces, we gulped ice water and ordered cold bottles of Stella. They also have the best bread: doughy, chewy, and wonderful dipped in olive oil.
Paprika has a fabulous prix-fixe deal: two courses for $18. And each course is quite a sizable portion! We were tempted by other items on the menu, but the bargain is too good to pass up.
The arugula salad with pears, walnuts, goat cheese + balsamic was almost a meal unto itself!
And the arctic char (served with sautéed spinach and citrus sauce) was cooked to perfection. I asked for it not to be too well-done (I hate when the fish is so tough and dry you can’t taste the flavor), and they sure delivered.
Dinner was followed by ice cream (which melted almost immediately) and a lot of catching up, and was just what we needed on that hot and steamy day.
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A little while ago, Stonyfield sent me a two-week supply of their new line of organic Activia to preview before it hit shelves. Activia is a specially formulated yogurt that contains Bifidus Regularis, a probiotic culture that helps clean out your digestive tract and get things moving. (As a fiber-loving gal I’ve never had too much trouble in that department, but I was eager to try out the yogurts all the same!) This is actually the first line of certified organic Activia ever to be released! There are currently two flavors: Vanilla & Strawberry.
I followed the instructions to eat the yogurt once daily for two weeks, finding different ways to incorporate it into a complete breakfast.
Yogurt parfait with vanilla Activia, muesli, banana, almond butter
Choco-holic Pancakes topped with vanilla Activia + banana
Whole wheat bread with peanut butter + banana, vanilla Activia
Overnight Oats mixed with vanilla Activia
I really enjoyed the yogurts, and did find things to be a bit more… regular… than usual. My one complaint is that each 4 oz cup was a tad high in sugar (15g), and I would have preferred it to be a little less sweet.
So what’s in it for you? Stonyfield is offering five coupon packs – each for a two-week supply of Activia- to five readers. (Stonyfield is currently only sold in the US, as far as I know.) Want to win one? Here’s how to enter!
1. (Mandatory) Leave a comment below with your favorite way to eat yogurt.
2. (Optional) Leave a comment below about how you keep your body regular. This one’s a little more personal!
3. (Optional) Tweet this giveaway @Lilveggiepatch
I’ll pick a winner on Thursday, July 28. Good luck!
In addition, once the yogurts hit shelves, Stonyfield is offering to refund (up to $12) anyone who purchases their Activia and isn’t satisfied with the results.
yogurt + blueberies + cereal!!
yogurt with raspberries is delicious!
I, um, stay regular by eating lots of fiber
I kind of love the heat too
What a great meal out!! The goat cheese on your salad …fantastic! Ow ow…would LOVE to win! Favorite way to enjoy yogurt is in a parfait or by itself!
I love eating yogurt mixed with granola and fruit. I know a parfait is so simple and easy, but it’s a classic that I love!
My favorite way to eat yogurt is in over night oats or a parfait!
Paprika is my go-to neighborhood restaurant! The bread is fantastic (even though it’s not served warm), and I ALWAYS order the arctic char (sometimes it’s salmon) with citrus sauce. You have good taste
My favorite way to eat yogurt is overnight oats, made my way (obvi).
I like that we’re keeping it real here. How to I stay regular? Lots of water + a daily magnesium supplement.
I like to top my yogurt with fresh fruit and cereal.
I love mixing yogurt in steel cut oats with strawberries on top. It sort of tastes like strawberry cheesecake!
I just discovered a new way of eating my yogurt – with a cut up Larabar in there. My personal favorite thus far? Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Larabar in some vanilla yogurt… tastes like heaven.
To stay regular I keep hydrated. The daily cuppa joe gets it all goin’ too
My favorite way to eat yogurt is mixed with tons of fresh fruit, granola, chia seeds & a drizzle of peanut butter! yum
I love using yogurt in pancake recipes – makes them so most and fluffy!
My favorite yogurt combination? Plain yogurt with sliced banana, granola, and cashew butter.
I’m a big fan of blending yogurt into my smoothies every morning! It’s perfect for a girl on the go and there’s plenty of room for variety with mixing up your choice of fruit. A smoothie add-in that also keeps me “regular”- wheat germ! Toss in a tbs or so- can’t even tell it’s there and it’s such a great source of fiber!
Uhhh too many ways to count? But here’s the top 2!
1. Plain with some ch- ch- ch- chia seeds tossed in!
2. With any fruit and some granola
Yogurt with fruit and granola!
Eating lots of veggies and whole grains!
1. MY favorite way to eat yogurt is as an Indian sauce! It cools down all the spicy curry flavors and is healthy! For a sweeter meal, I love toping yogurt with berries and a little granola. The perfect mix of textures.
2. Ha. My fave way to stay regular is plenty of fruits and vegetables and daily exercise.
I’m kind of boring — I really like eating flavored yogurt just by itself, or with granola sprinkled on top. Sometimes I put it in Overnight Oats.
And to stay regular, I eat lots of things with fiber in them — whole foods though, no “fiber bars” and the like for me! I find that the more processed foods I eat (or eating out I do) the, um, harder staying regular is!
Yum, that dinner looks awesome! My favorite way to eat yogurt is mixed with raw oats and stored in the fridge overnight:)
I like yogurt in cereal. And over tacos, when I don’t have sour cream.
And I drink coffee in the morning for my daily #2. Good times.
I love eating yogurt with fresh berries and granola/cereal mixed in!
To keep, er, regular- eat lots of fiber and drink coffee daily!
Greek yogurt with dried cranberries and walnuts, my almost everyday breakfast!
And to stay regular lots and lots of fresh fruits!
I love yogurt simple parfait style- a little bit of granola and berries to top it off!
I maintain my weight by counting calories not going to lie- well somewhat. I keep calories in mind. So if i go crazy with the sweets like i tend to do, I make sure to spend the better part of my workout doing cardio to run the sugar off!
yogurt + fruit + almond butter + cereal + milk. weird but good. fact.
i’m with sarah on this one – coffee is magical. as is a ton of water, a lesson i only learned recently. staying hydrated really works. yep. done with poopoo talk, at least for now. ha.
I love using yogurt in my blueberry protein pancakes!
I keep my body regular with exercise (6 times a week) and lots of fruit and veggies – almost with every meal.
I love yogurt with cheerios-I need that crunch!
I stay regular by eating lots of fruits and veggies, exercising, and coffee!
fav way to eat yogurt- in overnight oats!
i stay regular by eating A LOT OF FIBER
Favorite way to eat yogurt…mixed with jam on waffles:)
Favorite way to stay regular…eat a consistent diet and drink lots of water.
Just by itself or with cereal atop!
haha I stay regular by eating enough fiber and yogurt during the day. I try to stay hydrated as well
I love yogurt messes, i tried adding a little milk once like you suggested and have never looked back!DELICIOUS!!
ahahh and I keep myself regular with yogurt, veggies and whole grains
My favorite way to eat yogurt is with kashi honey sunshine cereal and fresh fruit!
I stay regular by getting lots of fresh greens and whole grains into my daily meals…and exercising
I like breaking up a Trader Joe’s Blueberry Wheatbran muffin and stirring it into yogurt. Yum!
I love eating yogurt with fruits!
I ate lots of spinach and drinks lots of water to stay, you know, regular. Ahem.
I like my yogurt with dry oats and a little local honey mixed in.
Yum!
I’ve also taken a “leaf” (sorry, couldn’t resist) out of your book, and I’ve noticed that adding sautéed kale in as a regular part of my diet helps.