Yoplait Yogurt: I Prefer Baking With Yogurt Instead of Eating It

Disclaimer: Many thanks to Yoplait for sponsoring today's story and encouraging me to try Yoplait Greek 100 Whips!!

I need to start this updated review with something very simple: I don't like yogurt.

I did try Yoplait Greek 100 Whips when I was invited to participate in this sponsored campaign. At the time, I was trying very hard to find a yogurt I could enjoy, and this whipped version was different from the thicker yogurts I had tried before.

But with years of hindsight, I can say this much more accurately: yogurt just isn't a food I enjoy eating. That isn't a criticism of Yoplait. I don't like other brands or styles of yogurt either. Sometimes a food simply isn't for you.

Other people in my family have felt very differently. My late husband, Jerry, liked yogurt, and my granddaughter Trinity likes it too. So this is one of those reviews where personal taste really matters.

I Like Yogurt Much Better as an Ingredient

Here is where yogurt absolutely does earn a place in my kitchen: I love baking with it.

That may sound funny coming from someone who doesn't like eating yogurt, but an ingredient doesn't have to be something you enjoy by the spoonful to be useful in cooking.

Yogurt can add moisture and richness to baked goods, and its acidity can be useful in recipes that rely on baking soda for leavening. Depending on the recipe, it can work beautifully in muffins, quick breads, cakes and other baked goods.

For me, that is a much more natural use for yogurt than trying to convince myself I should enjoy a bowl of it.

A Practical Homestead Kitchen Doesn't Require You to Like Everything

One of the things I want these older reviews to reflect better is how I actually cook and live now. Homesteading isn't about forcing yourself to eat something because somebody says it is healthy, trendy or something a homesteader is supposed to make.

It is about knowing how to use the food available to you.

If your family enjoys yogurt as a snack, wonderful. If you make your own dairy products, yogurt may be something you choose to add to that routine. If you are like me and don't enjoy eating it, it can still be a useful baking ingredient.

There is room for all of those approaches.

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The Blueberry Parfait I Made for the Original Campaign

For the original sponsored post, I used the blueberry Yoplait Greek 100 Whips to make a parfait for Jerry and me. I added blueberries I had canned myself and even put a candle on top to make our simple dessert feel a little more special.

That is still a memory I want to keep in this article. Jerry enjoyed yogurt, and the parfait was a fun way to combine a purchased product with something I had preserved at home.

It is also a good example of how I think about convenience foods on a homestead. You don't have to choose between everything being homemade and everything being store-bought. A jar of fruit you preserved can become a topping for a purchased food. Homemade granola can be added to store-bought yogurt. Fresh berries from the garden can turn a basic snack into something seasonal.

Using Yogurt With Home-Preserved Fruit

If you or your family enjoy eating yogurt, preserved fruit gives you an easy way to change it throughout the year. Home-canned blueberries, peaches, cherries or other appropriate fruit can be spooned over plain or flavored yogurt. Fruit preserves or a little homemade jam can add flavor too.

Fresh berries are an obvious choice during harvest season, while frozen fruit can be useful during winter. The exact combination depends on what you grow, preserve and actually enjoy eating.

That last part matters. Food preservation is most useful when you preserve foods your household will eat and then work those foods into normal meals and snacks.

Ways I Would Use Yogurt for Baking

Because baking is where yogurt makes the most sense for me personally, I would be much more likely to buy it with a recipe in mind than as a snack for myself.

Plain yogurt is generally the most versatile choice for baking because you aren't adding an unexpected fruit flavor or a large amount of extra sweetness. Depending on the recipe, yogurt can be useful in muffins, cakes, pancakes, quick breads and other batters.

I would still follow the individual recipe rather than automatically substituting yogurt for another ingredient. Baking is chemistry, and changing the moisture, fat or acidity can change the finished result.

My Long-Term Take on Yoplait and Yogurt

I don't want to turn an old sponsored post into an unfair negative review simply because my personal taste hasn't changed. Yoplait wasn't the problem. I just don't like eating yogurt.

I tried it. Jerry liked yogurt. Trinity likes yogurt. Plenty of other people genuinely enjoy it too.

For me, yogurt's value is in the baking kitchen. I love what it can do as an ingredient even though you are not going to find me happily sitting down with a container and a spoon.

And I think that is a much more useful recommendation than pretending everyone needs to love the same foods. If you enjoy yogurt, eat it. If your family enjoys it, keep it around for them. If you don't enjoy it but like to bake, don't overlook it as an ingredient.

Sometimes the best place for a food in your kitchen isn't the place the package suggests.