Saturday, January 28, 2012

Edy's Cookies 'n Cream Fun Flavor
A Frozen Dairy Dessert Review


This isn't going to be some in depth post since this is an old fashion flavor. Let's just dig in.

This is Edy's bright blue Cookies 'n Cream Fun Flavor which means it's a frozen dairy dessert.

YoCrunch Strawberry Greek Parfait Review


Look, let's get something straight. I'm a real man, and real men can admit their fears... of greek yogurt.... Sorry, couldn't resist, but all kidding aside, it's true. I'm not a huge lover of yogurt by any means. Sure I downed some smurf yogurt as a kid, but nowadays I have an occasional berry flavored Yoplait and not much else. Yogurt just seems weird to me. You open it up and you've got these weird white clumps and puddles of water and oh I just want to go blech. Yes I know I'm picky, and yes, I know I need to stir it because the fruit's on the bottom, but honestly, I'm just fine without it. I don't need that in my belly.

With that all said, I do have a soft spot in my hard for any yogurt company they tries to grab my attention with some extra crunch, and now, before my eyes for the first time, I see a Greek Yogurt that I just might like.

Ok, that's weird, I've had YoCrunch fruit parfait just last year but now all the Breyers branding is gone. A quick check of yocrunch.com reveals no Breyers branding at all, but it does have a back story saying they have been selling yogurt since 1985...

And there would be my answer, Breyers yogurt is no more, that would explain why I haven't seen it in forever. That actually makes me said since I appreciated the "all natural" tag on their yogurts.


Sweet, check this out! YoCrunch just announced a new line of Pie Parfaits! 
Apple, Cherry, and triple berry!  I can't wait to try them!


Ok, back to the treat on hand. Our tiny little 4 ounce friend is ready for snack.


Why does yogurt photograph so poorly? This doesn't even make me remotely yogurt.
Also, it smells tart which isn't helping.

All troubles and smells aside, I did in and surprisingly it's not too bad. I will admit that the thicker texture of the greek yogurt is a bit hard to get use to. I'd say gritty, but thicker is better, kind of like eating wet paper.... just kidding, I don't eat wet paper, but if I put some in a blender, it might have a similar texture. (yes, I am having some fun at the expense of my treat)

Overall the flavor is pretty good. On the first scoop I mixed in the granola before eating the treat, but on the second scoop I had just the yogurt and fruit to give it a try and it's not bad. I dig the fact that it's high in protein and very low in fat (the fat is from the granola ironically and not the yogurt).

So now that I have joined the greek yogurt world, I guess I need to go try that greek frozen yogurt now that Rozilla liked. I'll also try the YoCrunch blueberry greek parfait at some point as well.

Verdict?  Not scary after all
Buy Again?  as the occasional healthier alternative


Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 container (113g)

Amount Per Serving
Calories 110from Fat 5
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.5g1%
- Sat Fat 0g0%
- Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 15mg5%
Sodium 65mg3%
Total Carbohydrate 20g7%
- Dietary Fiber  2g 8%
- Sugars 12g
Protein 7g

Vitamin A 4%Vitamin C 15%
Calcium 15%Iron 2%

Monday, January 23, 2012

Turkey Hill Vanilla Bean Light Ice Cream Sandwiches
A treat review


Ok everybody, the healthy train is just getting started... oh, don't worry, there will still be plenty of high octane stuff here, but until the 2012 ice cream season kicks into high gear, let's see if we can't diversify and be a little more frugal with our fat intake.

Turkey Hill Vanilla Bean Light Recipe Ice Cream Sandwiches
Creamy light vanilla bean ice cream between chocolate wafers

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Why must the resolution gods taunt me?


It's really hard to focus on portion control and smart eating when you walk by stuff like this. I don't care that it's twenty bucks or that it has ice crystals on it, I want it, and I WANT IT NOW!! Oh it looks so good!!

I was in Walmart last night when I spotted this. I also had a thought while I was there. I overheard three things while wandering through the ice cream aisle.
  1. "But I don't really like mint"
  2. "How am I suppose to start my diet if we keep buying this stuff"
  3. "no no, I should put it back, I don't need it"
Ok, that first statement doesn't mean much, but the other two do. From time to time, I do feel a little guilty in the fact that I taunt everyone with these awesome looking treats. I know that you are in control of your own destiny and no one forces you to eat what I talk about, but.... well, it wouldn't hurt if I tried to help. Heck, I'll admit that after seven years of being the same weight, something snapped and I put on ten pounds last year. My goal for 2012 is to ditch those ten pounds but not through dieting. Dieting is an evil word. No no, I'm going to get back to portion control.

I've been too lazy with how much food I grab. I don't need two handfuls of chips, one is plenty. And I don't need 3 servings of ice cream, 1+ needs to do for now. Look, giving up your favorite treats isn't going to help you lose weight long term, but that doesn't mean you can't choose smart. While a Klondike bar may set you back 270 calories with a whopping 140 from fat, A Klondike Oreo sandwich is 200 calories with just 60 from fat. Next spread things out, have that Oreo sandwich every other night, or every third night is better.  Do a sherbet or froyo on night 2, and night one can be pretzels or something.

Ok, I'm probably rambling, but the point is don't give up and don't go cold turkey. Pace yourself for long term change. Sure you can cut your daily calorie intake in half, but that won't work long term and just makes you want food more. Trust me.... or don't, make up your own mind, that's the way to go.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Pierre's Black Cherries & Chocolate Chunks Yovation
A Frozen Yogurt Review


Just like Pierre's Hola Fruta, I haven't seen Yovation since... ok, technically I never saw Yovation in a store now that I think about it. Thankfully in 2010 Pierre's was nice enough to send a care package. I was a big fan of the flavors I tried and so I kept waiting and waiting to find Yovation sitting next to some Hola Fruta at Shaws some day, but instead they both disappeared from my life... until now! Yay for Wegman's!

Welcome back to the blog Yovation! You've remembered your Live & Active Yogurt Cultures, very nice. Our green little pint here is Black Cherry Frozen Yogurt with Cherries and Chocolaty Chunks.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Wegman's Black Raspberry
A Low Fat Ice Cream Review


After being immensely disappointed that most of the Wegmans premium pints looked melted, I decided that going low fat made sense to balance things out with my other purchases. Would I regret that decision?

Here is Wegmans Black Raspberry Low Fat Ice Cream. I was astonished that this budget ice cream actually had a plastic seal. I haven't seen one of those on a big container since.... iunno, the late 90s? Well, at least it feels that long. It's good to see it back. I look forward to a lack of ice crystals.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Hola Fruta Black Cherry Lemon
A Sherbet Review


Never seen Hola Fruta? I feel bad for you
Seen it but haven't boughten it? shame on you!
Get to eat it all the time? OOOh I'm jealous of you!

It's been a long time since I've praised my love of Hola Fruta but that's because no one carries it around here. Shaws did carry it long enough for me to get hooked, but then it disappeared never to be found again, until now... at Wegman's! YAY!

I had four pint-sized flavors to choose from and it was this newer looking black cherry lemon sherbet that really got my attention. ($2.49 a pint) Oh it's so nice to have an all natural pure fruit sherbet in my grasp once again.  I'm so excited!!

Breyers Chocolate Ice Cream
America's Favorite Chocolate Ice Cream (so they say)


Hey, did you vote for America's favorite chocolate ice cream? I know I didn't. In fact, I can't find proof of anyone who did, though I only looked for a few minutes. You know, I get frustrated when companies market stuff like that yet don't back up their claims with hard facts anywhere on the container (or website). "We asked seven random Americans if they preferred fresh Breyers Chocolate ice cream or a melted container of cheap store brand chocolate ice cream, and they went with the Breyers". Win one for Breyers!

Ahhhh, my old friend, Breyers Chocolate Ice Cream. I must have polished off hundreds and hundreds of these back when they were a full half gallon. Hey, speaking of that, how come it doesn't say all natural anymore? I know that label was there during this 2008 review (and on my 2009 samples). Instead it just says "QUALITY since 1866". The ingredient list is still fairly short. Their is Alkali in the cocoa processing which B&J's took flak for, and then there's "natural" tara gum which A Daily Scoop was not too found of. Tara gum is suppose to make it creamier, but I always liked Breyers the way it was in the first place --- maybe the tara gum allows for more milk and less cream and therefore makes it more cost effective to produce? Whatever it is, I miss the all natural labeling and the trust that went along with it.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Weekend at Crashy's


Sorry for the lack of updates. Between the day job, chores, kids germs, and most annoyingly my computer crashing every few minutes, I haven't been doing much posting. The good news is I'm back, the PC is running smooth, and I promise 3 reviews before the weekend is done. Stay Tuned!

Monday, January 9, 2012

Klondike Caramel Pretzel
A Treat Review


Oh, I had every intention of starting 2012 out healthy, I even have a freezer full of low octane treats, but then we had the back to back DQ reviews and some new stuff from B&J, and well, here we are now, finally digging into Klondike Caramel Pretzel... ummm, Klondikes. I would have reviewed these sooner but you just don't find them at very many places. I've seen these at one Walmart and... one Shaw's maybe. Not many places order them, but let's see if I can convince you to go find them.

So this one is made of Klondike's typical light ice cream (caramel flavor) 
with a caramel swirl and coated with chocolate and pretzel bits.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Ben & Jerry's Rocky Road-ish
A Limited Edition Ice Cream Review


[New for 2012] Usually I regret trying to buy ice cream from Stop & Shop because of their lackluster selection, but boy oh boy am I glad I stopped there today. The dead of winter is a lousy time to try and find new products, but what do I see before me but Ben & Jerry's first limited edition flavor of 2012!

I don't want to keep you in suspense too long, so here it is. Rocky Road-ish. Oh -ish, how I have abused your vague ways over the years. That and the word thingy, as in "plug the thingy into that rectangle-ish looking hole". Man I love being vague... vague and sarcastic.. ahhh, wait, sorry, ice cream.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

January 2012 Blizzard of the Month
The Strawberry Cheesequake Blizzard


Note: Strawberry Cheesequake actually became a full time blizzard at some point. For May 2014, we are getting a Strawberry shortcake blizzard which I hope to review soon.

Check it out, we are flipping over to 2012 with back to back DQ reviews, how cool is that? I think it rocks, but keep in mind, this is all thanks to the mobile version of the DQ website. That's right, while the DQ blog and blizzardfanclub.com website always take forever to switch to the new blizzard, browsing dairyqueen.com with my mobile phone told me early this morning that they had flipped over to the Strawberry Cheesequake blizzard. Knowing we would be out and about again, I smelled a perfect excuse to head back to DQ.

Here ya go, one medium Strawberry CheeseQuake blizzard sitting on the dash of my wife's rental car (realllllll long story). Medium you say? That's right, I'm starting the new year off cheap! woohoo! No, seriously, I was assuming that there was an impending tidal wave of cheeziness approaching, so I decided to not get my own blizzard. Instead I scooped off the top (into the cover) for my quick sampling, and then gave the rest to my cheesecake loving wife.