A WONDERFUL SURPRISE!

CONFESSION: I. LOVE. LACTAID. PILLS.

Yes, loverbunnies, I DO realize I've already made that adoration somewhat public, but here's the deal: I HAVE SOME NEW READERS!!!!

So let's give 'em all a GREAT, BIG S + D WELCOME :)

*** Claps hands and waaaves to everyone ***

Y'all don't understand how much these things just thrill me to the gills (okay, end of cheesie-marathon... psshhh, yeah RIGHT.)!

IF YOU'RE A READER, OR JUST A PASSERBY, OR ANYONE WHO HAS UNFORTUNATELY FOUND MY BLOG INSTEAD OF WA (Watermelons Anonymous), leave me a comment and say hi anyway! I love to have newbies!

(I ADORE THE OLDIES TOO, THOUGH!)

Anyways, as previously mentioned in a past blog post, I adore my Lactaid Pills more than words can say! Because I can indulge in my faaave Greek Yogurts without the nasty side effects! Now mind you, I do have to go for 4 of the EXTRA STRENGTH CHEWABLES, but honestly, I couldn't care less! (And yes, my doctor said 4 is A.OK.)

But being the Greek-Yogurt Obsessed GAL that I am, combined with being SUPER greatful that I AM still able to enjoy the splendor of such a cool, thick, and creamy delicacy, I went on the search for other brands!

AND THUS, In the spirit of Our Cutie Patootie, Miss Emma ...

CAN I GET A "WOOT WOOT" FOR A PRODUCT REVIEW?

***Silence... Crickets chirp in the distance***

ALRIGHT! WOOT WOOT!

Trader Joe's : WE HEART TJ's. Seriously, we do! The staff is adorable, their products ROCK and they have some KICK BUTT GREEK YOGURT ! (Unfortunately, I was not-so-thrilled with their Soy Yogurt... Had to try it for my Vegan Girls out there!!!)

Sorry It's backwards! I took it on with my Photobooth (MAC USERS UNITE!) because I am charging my camera!

At 120 kcals per serving (1 cup, 8 oz.), with a whopping 22 grams of Protein, the nutritional stats are out of this world! (More protein than Fage's !

But how does it taste you ask: D.I.V.I.N.E! Seriously, kids, get yo omnivorous tushies (Veg's, get yo booties out there and buy some yummy WholeSoy if you don't have it in your fridge! Yes, go right now!) out there and buy this yogurt! Cheaper than Fage's and nearly just as delicious (I like the slightly tangier taste of Fage, more, personally)! It's a S.T.E.A.L!

***Clap-Clap-Clap-Clap-Clap-Clap-Clap-Clap***

Chobani : FIRST AND FOREMOST, I NEED TO SEND A HUGE "HI, HELLO, AND THANKYOU!!!" TO TIFFANY GRAY over at Chobani for sending me a BOX FOR SAMPLING! This was SO cool! I'd never been sent anything like that, before, and after failing to find Chobani Yogurts anywhere around Philadelphia, she was kind enough to send me some! THANKS TIFFANY!

I was immediately hit with the delicate smells of Fresh Blueberries!!! That's because, unfortunately, one of my blueberry yogurts had opened! I quickly disposed of the little guy (sorry, fella!)...

... And excitedly returned to check out the rest of my flavors! Weeeeee, just like Christmas!

How cool is that?!

The little ones were very well-behaved for the camera, indeed! :)

REVIEW: Personally, I do not care for sweetened yogurts. It had NOTHING to do with the sugars in them, honestly! I've just never been a fan of sweet yogurts! I like a nice tang to my yogurt, and a refreshing, cool, taste! I tried each of the sweetened ones, though, (my family happily consumed their remains!!!) and I have to say that the smells were D.I.V.I.N.E!!! And there were real pieces of fruit! But for me, there was waaay too much of it. I like to eat fruit with my fage/plain-greek yogurt, but NEVER do I add honey or something to sweeten it. (Just personal pref!)

So yes, fruit is great, but the sweetened, syrup[py] stuff at the bottom? This just had too much of it for me! If you are someone who likes the sweetened yogurts though, I'm sure you'd go GA-GA for these babies! For as I mentioned above, my family members A.D.O.R.E.D. the sweetened ones! Literally, my dad's response after his first mouthful of the peach flavor: "WOW." He is a man who is QUITE difficult to please, especially with his yogurts! (TIFFANY, I'VE NEVER SEE THE MAN HAPPIER haha, thank you! He was in Heaven!)

As for the plain flavor, and after talking to Our Emma about this one, I think the flavor was pretty good! For some reason it tasted a little sweeter to me, but there's no added sugar! As mentioned before, I appreciate a good tang to my yogurt!

[NOTE on "The Tang": This is NOT to be confused with the slightest taste of anything sour! Sour = bad, regardless of whether it's plain or not. If it tastes "sour," feed it to your garbage!]

Nutrition-wise, it's still rockin! The plain, non-fat contains (per 8 oz serving), 140 kcals and 23 grams of Protein! It also contains FIVE active-yogurt cultures (S. Thermaphilus, L.Bulgaricus, L.Acidophilus, Bifidus, and L.Casei), whereas TJ's' contains four (S.Thermophilus, L.Bulgaricus, L.Acidophilus, and Bifidus), and Fage's contains only two (S. Thermaphilus and L.Bulgaricus). I wonder what the difference is with each of these live cultures? Anyone know? (I know that the probiotics are good bacteria that aid the body in absorbing minerals, lowering bad cholesterol, cleaning out the colon, etc... Thanks World's Healthiest Foods !) I'm curious about the individual cultures, though! Lend me your knowledge! hehe

I think this one just had a little less of the tang, which perhaps made it taste a little sweeter... Regardless, it just wasn't as refreshing for me! And after speaking with Miss Emma, I felt that my tasting was not as fair as it could have been, considering that she said it is REALLY THICK AND CREAMY, and mine was rather watery! This I attributed to the length of travel... Though the package was filled with those freezer-keeper things, my yogurts appeared to only be about half full of yogurt, with about another 1/4 of the container filled with liquid!

I hope that, someday, the stores around me carry Chobani, though, because, I sincerely trust Emma's food reviews, and I strongly believe that the length of travel without proper refrigeration caused this to happen! No worries, Chobani, I won't give up on you! We shall meet again, someday :)

What are your favorite Yogurts or Favorite ways to enjoy these yogurts? What are some of your favorite recipes that include your favorite yogurts? Let's chat! I'd LOVE to know!

***Just to mention: I purchased an Oikos Greek Yogurt , at Whole Foods, as well, but my Daddy ate it before I got the chance to do the Product Review! I know the Hottie-Tottie Healthy Ashley posted about loving this yogurt, though! Has anyone else tried it? I'll be sure to include a review this week!***

(Pops and I both adore Greek Yogurt! In fact, we have pretty much the same tastes, in general! We do a lot of the same things, too, actually... Par Example... Do we look alike? hehehe)

HINT FOR NEXT POST...

<3 FRIENDS FOREVER <3

A tout à l'heure, Mes Columbes de L'Amour!

(Please excuse my Sunday Morning Laziness... Complete with PJ's and sans make-up, haha... My apologies, but I wanted to say HI!)

OMG AND I ALMOST FORGOT...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!!