Greek yogurt is famous for being a high-protein source that can be used in sweet and savory dishes but comes with a cost. We’ve all been so fascinated by Greek yogurt that we’ve forgotten its humble counterpart, cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is much cheaper than Greek yogurt, contains just as many protein sources, and can be used in sweet and savory recipes. It’s a potent ingredient! My discovery of cottage cheese and a fantastic sale on pineapple resulted in this delicious pineapple Protein Smoothie. It might seem bizarre, but I guarantee it’s excellent!
I’ve recently discovered a new affection for cottage cheese because of Sarah Bond’s latest book, To the For the Love of Popsicles (you can also see Sarah’s fantastic work on her website Live Eat Learn). She offers an ice cream pop made from cottage cheese in her book. It shocked me.
The flavor of the popsicle was similar to blueberry cheesecake. I realized that I had to create them in various other flavors. But as they were a bit difficult to eat since I wore braces, I made smoothies. Also, since pineapples were available for $1.49 each week, it was pineapple smoothies! (I also made the fantastic strawberry flavor.)
Look at my instructional video about the best way to slice and store fresh pineapple so you can also benefit from the sales.
WHY COTTAGE CHEESE?
As Greek yogurt like Greek yogurt, cottage cheese is extremely rich in protein (about 12 grams for a quarter cup). In contrast to Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, cottage cheese isn’t famous, so prices and demand are lower. About half the price: $2.99 for Greek yogurt and. $1.59 for cottage cheese in the local Aldi. If you’re looking to use Greek yogurt as a proprotein source but have difficulty it works within your budget, you should give cottage cheese a shot! Although they’re not always used in the same recipes, they’re both highly adaptable ingredients.
Cottage cheese has a little less sodium than Greek yogurt, so if you’re weighing your salt, be aware. However, it works equally well with sweet and fruit recipes as in savory recipes. In this recipe, the cottage cheese is blended until it is smooth, which means there isn’t any noticeable consistency or curd. It tastes sweet and creamy, just like Greek yogurt!
If you’re somewhat apprehensive about this or are stocked with Greek yogurt, you can completely substitute it with Cottage cheese.
WHAT KIND OF COTTAGE CHEESE IS BEST?
Cottage cheese comes in various fat content levels, such as yogurt and milk. The more fat-rich cottage cheese is always better tasting. However, I decided to use the one percent fat cottage cheese in my Smoothie, which turned out delicious! It was also a tiny curd, but I don’t believe that’s a big deal in this recipe, as it’s blended until it’s unnoticeable.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup cottage cheese ($0.27)
1/2 frozen banana ($0.10)
1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks ($0.19)
1/2 1 tsp brown sugar (optional)* ($0.01)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract ($0.07)
One tablespoon of ground flaxseed (optional) ($0.03)
1 cup of milk of choice (I used almond milk that was unsweetened) ($0.31)
INSTRUCTIONS
All the ingredients in the blender and blend until the mixture is smooth. Serve immediately.
