Holiday Entertaining Made Easy with Greek Gods Yogurt

This post is sponsored by Greek Gods but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Ever since I flipped the calendar to December, I've been craving sweets.  Not wanting to tip the scale this holiday season, I've been thinking of ways to lighten up my desserts.  Thankfully, The Greek Gods Greek Greek Yogurt company came to the rescue!  They gave me some holiday cash to purchase their Greek yogurt with honey (yum!) from Walmart.  After my daughter's marching band performance in the Christmas parade downtown, I made an evening run to the dairy aisle in Walmart to buy this creamy yogurt.  

​Upon entering Walmart, I found  The Greek Gods Greek Yogurt on the lower shelf in the dairy aisle.  I arrived just in time, as a Walmart employee was unloading cartons of The Greek Gods Greek Yogurt onto the shelf.  Although the Black Cherry flavor sounded delicious and will definitely be the next flavor I try, I decided to purchase the strawberry flavor for my recipes: Mini Strawberry Cheesecake Bites and Cinnamon Vanilla Yogurt Dip.  The dip is easy to make, and has a spicy and unique holiday flair to it.  As for the Cheesecakes bites, they turned out light and creamy with The Greek Gods Greek Yogurt, and not nearly as indulgent as your typical holiday cheesecake. The Greek Gods yogurt is also an excellent source of calcium, containing 7 different live and active cultures.  It's also protein rich, with 9 grams of protein per serving.  I really love that The Greek Gods Greek Yogurt is gluten free and made with milk from cows that aren't treated with growth hormones.  Visit their website for more product info and additional recipe inspirations.

After locating The Greek Gods Greek Yogurt in the dairy aisle, I put the carton in my cart and headed towards the Walmart U-scan.  Then I promptly went home to get a start on my holiday recipes!   I knew my family would be eager to try my creations with The Greek Gods Greek Yogurt, so I hurried home to bake for our post parade party.  

Since they need an hour or so to set, I decided to make the Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes Bites before preparing the dip.  Here's how I made these Mini Cheesecake Bites with The Greek Gods Strawberry Greek Yogurt:

Ingredients: 
Crust: 1 and 1/2 cup crushed honey graham crackers; 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
Filling: One cup  of The Greek Gods Strawberry Greek Yogurt; One 7 ounce container strawberry cream cheese spread; 1/2 cup low-calorie whipped topping; 1/3 cup sifted organic powdered sugar; 1 tsp. vanilla 
Topping: 6 large strawberries, rinsed and cut in half;  1 cup whipped topping

Directions:
Crumbs: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cupcake tin with 12 liners.  Use a food processor to pulse crumbs for 30 seconds.  Place in a medium size mixing bowl.  Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Pour butter over the crumbs.  Stir until combined.  Fill each cupcake liner 1/3 full of crushed graham cracker mixture.  Use your hands to firmly press crumbs onto the bottom and slightly on sides of liners.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.

Filling: Place the cream cheese spread in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Cream on medium speed for 1 minute.  Add The Greek God's Greek Yogurt, whipped topping, powdered sugar, and vanilla.  Mix on low speed until combined.  Evenly spread filling over the 12 graham cracker crusts.  Place in the freezer for 1 hour, or until firm.  
When Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes are set, remove from freezer.  Place a cup of whipped topping into a piping bag.  Using a small star tip, swirl whipped topping onto center of each mini cheesecake.  Garnish with a strawberry slice.  Serves 12.  

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Once the mini cheesecakes were finished, I prepared my Cinnamon and Vanilla Yogurt Dip.  Here's my recipe for this festive holiday dip:

Ingredients: 2 cups The Greek Gods Strawberry Greek Yogurt; 1 tsp. cinnamon; 1 tsp. nutmeg; 1/4 tsp. all-spice; 1 tsp. vanilla; 15-20 strawberries for dipping.  

Directions: In a small mixing bowl, combine the yogurt; nutmeg; all-spice; vanilla; and 1/2 the cinnamon.  Gently stir to combine.  Place dip in a small serving bowl.  Rinse strawberries and arrange them on a place around the dip.  Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon on top of the dip.  Use a knife to cut through the dip, first vertically in an up and down motion, and then horizontally in a zig zag motion, in order to create a marbled look.  Serves approximately 15-20.  

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My family was so excited to try these holiday recipes with The Greek Gods Strawberry Greek Yogurt, that we decided to sit at the dining room table for a late evening snack!  My kids and my husband couldn't get enough of my Greek Gods Greek Yogurt dessert and dip.  I'll definitely be returning to Walmart to make more creations with The Greek Gods Greek Yogurt over the holidays!