Chomping on Chobani

Mmmm, this girl loves yogurt- bordering on adoration in fact.

Since I cut back on my meat consumption last year (as in stopped eating it all together and now only eat it when someone else cooks it for me) I was on a mission for protein sources.  As fabulous as tofu and tempeh can be, they’re not very portable and I’m always on the move so portable is key.

Way back then, I discovered Greek yogurt and my love for the super sugary “light” versions quickly faded and was replaced by a serious need for the cool, extra creamy, tart and protein-packed option.  Then there was really only one option in the regular grocery store.  Now there are many.

Chobani has been an option for awhile now and it’s quickly gaining popularity (I think) largely due to their abundance of flavors.  Some other brands only come in a 0%, 2% and full fat version, and flavors are non-existent.  For those that love traditional yogurts but want to delve into Greek yogurts, I think Chobani is a great starting point (and certainly a lovely ending point as well).

Chobani has long been offering plain, vanilla, blueberry, strawberry and peach flavors (all nonfat).  My favorite of which is peach but that’s because it’s always been my favorite yogurt flavor.

I must have been under a rock somewhere (or just shopping at Safeway versus Giant- the Safe doesn’t carry Chobani :() and missed when honey became available.

This is fabulous.  I’ve purchased TJs version of Greek yogurt and always have to add honey to it to make it enjoyable.  The only problem is that I can never get it right.  It’s either too sweet or not sweet enough- meaning either I’m “stuck” with dessert or with something less than delicious since I’m usually too lazy to get up and get more honey 😉 Chobani got it right with this one! Thank goodness! Mmmm.  Not so sweet that I felt like I couldn’t have it for breakfast and it mangaed to retain some of that tart flavor I adore.  It was excellent!  At 150 kcal a containe though, I think I’d just grab a measuring spoon and add a little honey myself… but that would involve figuring out what the correct measurement would be… I do imagine this would be great substitute in a certain pound cake recipe though… hmmmmm.

Even though I was (very?) late on that flavor I wasn’t late on the next two!

Pomegranate.

I love pomegranate flavored things.  I’m still on the fence about the seeds.  Their flavor is delicious but I’m not the biggest fan of their texture.  The entire time I ate this one I kept trying to decide if I liked it.  In the end, the answer is yes but I would never eat it alone again.  For overnight oats, yes.  With granola, yes.  Alone the texture combination wasn’t for me- with something else to chew I think it’d quickly become my favorite flavor.  I do agree with others that the bits without seeds tastes more like cherry than pomegranate though.

Pineapple.

This one was interesting because unlike the other flavors which are nonfat, this is 2%.  It is delicious.  I adore pineapple and can seriously eat a whole one in a sitting or two.  Pineapple yogurt is actually my favorite (I know I wrote that it was peach but I should have amended that to say peach is my favorite common flavor).  The few companies that have pineapple flavored yogurts definitely get a gold star from me!  While the flavor was incredible I’m not a fan of the 2% yogurt in general.  It feels like cream cheese in my mouth which is strange.  Again this would make a great addition to other things but, for me, I wouldn’t pack one as a side with my lunch.

In the end, the real question is would I buy these flavors? The answer is a resounding YES.  Why? Well, they’re delicious.  They’re varied- so you certainly won’t get bored and at my local Giant they go on sale every few weeks for 10 for $10 which is always a plus.

Too often, I won’t try something because of the cost or pick something that’s not quite as healthy or tasty because it’s easier on my wallet.  With this there’s not a huge gap and that’s comforting.

Yet, there’s another reason why I’d buy this.  Even though Chobani isn’t certified organic- AgroFarma, Inc., which owns Chobani, is a dairy manufacturer out of New York State that “uses organic farming practices to preserve the environment with a focus on producing high-quality and all-natural yogurts.”  For those of us who cannot afford or do not have access to all the brands out there this certainly makes me feel even better about purchasing this brand.

Now, Morgan (my Chobani ‘patron’) sent me samples of all the flavors and has kindly offered to do the same for one of you (US) residents.

To enter?

1. Leave a comment telling me one fun fact you learned about Chobani from their site. Look around there’s a lot of hidden gems in there.

I’ll start: Chobani comes from the word chopani which means shepherd.

Want a second entry? In a separate comment give me a new idea on how to use yogurt (and plain, with granola and in overnight oats are taken :mrgreen:).

Again US only, contest closes September 10th, 2009.

 

The Doctor is In: Dr. Krackers

I don’t usually buy crackers, because I love them.  They happen to be one of my favorite snacks but I tend to show little restraint around them.  There’s just something satisfying about a cracker that very few things can provide.  I also love how versatile they are!

The last crackers I purchased where an organic store brand and they were disappointing.  Disappointing enough that they ended up going stale and became an afternoon snack for some birds and squirrels rather than this lady.  In my search for another organic cracker alternative, I was reading around the blogworld and kept seeing Dr. Krackers pop up and started to do a little of my own research.

“Dr. Krackers” aka George Eckrich has been a baker for most of his life with a lifelong interest in whole grains.  He knows the products inside and out since he spent three years in Mexico working in agriculture and has “rolled more dough and pulled as many loaves of bread out of the oven as any baker.”  He truly has a passion for providing a quality whole grain option to the public.

George was kind enough to offer to send me the Klassic Three Seed to try myself!

Ingredients: organic whole wheat flour, organic wheat flour, filtered water, organic oats, organic sunflower seeds, organic flaxseeds, sea salt, organic sesame seeds, yeast, organic barley malt syrup

This vegan cracker was voted “Best Cracker” by Men’s Health Magazine in June. Well, if those guys on the cover like it then I probably will too 😉 Oh my, this cracker was lovely.  I’m not a big fan of salty foods, generally.  While I like there to be some salt on a cracker there’s a delicate balance that I was looking for.  This pretty much hit it right.  As a fan of seed-y bread, I loved how many sunflower seeds there were throughout.  I’m not a big fan of sesame seeds because I think they can ruin a dish in the wrong hands, but their flavor and texture were blended nicely in this cracker.  There was just a slight sweetness that I liked as well! It was crisp and lovely and I bet it’d make a great gateway for a creamy topping like a soft cheese or a nice jam.

The best part about this cracker is that it was a “flatbread” cracker.  One flatbread was 100 kcal and perfectly portioned for me, since that’s where I tend to falter and end up with too many crackers on my plate.  I had it as a side to a large salad and later with soup and it was perfect.  I love portion controlled items without a ton of packaging, don’t you?  When I pack my lunch in the morning, I just place one in the container with my salad and it’s ready to go!  One got crumbled once and it made for an ”better than croutons” topping for me!

George is so generous that he sent me two other flatbreads to try and a lot of their other crackers as well!

I was swooning when I opened the package, but wouldn’t you!?  I’ll be doing full reviews of these as I go along but this one girl can only eat so many crackers before she needs to purchase a new wardrobe (unless someone else wants to foot the bill?).

He was also kind enough to offer something for you guys as well!

Twelve lucky readers will receive one of these beautiful storage tins of the flatbread.

To enter: Just go to the site and tell me which flavor makes you swoon… and come back and let me know which one sounds most intriguing to you! Contest closes 09/10/2009.

US only!

 

Nature’s Source

Ugh- you know you don’t want to do it… but you have to.

It’s that word you just don’t want to hear.

I mean even if you are a neat person.

It takes time out of your precious schedule.

You could be watching tv. Or napping.  Or anything else.

It’s…

Cleaning

and it’s an inevitable part of daily life…

(Don’t get me wrong- my apartment is clean- I just don’t always have the best attitude about doing it 😉 ).

Well, too often when you go to clean your choices are chemical after chemical after chemical.

Thankfully, major companies are starting to come around and offer green versions of their traditional cleaners.

One such company is Nature’s Source.

They offer a family of green cleaning products that are available at your regular stores.

They were kind enough to share some of their green all purpose cleaner with you guys.  It works just like the traditional versions but without all those weird ingredients.

So, instead of spraying even more chemicals into the air when you wipe down your kitchen counter (ever thought about what you’re breathing in?) just leave a comment and three winners will get a bottle of this green cleaner.