Sunday, July 20, 2008

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!



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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!)...


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


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How cool is that?!


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


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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)




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HINT FOR NEXT POST...


<3 FRIENDS FOREVER <3


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




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(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!!!!




70 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Julz, you always made me smile :0) So lovely to do the shout-outs; and I love the photograph of you and your dad!! You do look alike, haha :0D

Trying To Heal said...

ah, i love the shout out! and thank you again for your great post you left me the other day...i really appreciate it and definitely took it to heart! it's bloggers like you who help me through the hard times!

and btw, i love your blog! you are such a great writer and i love the great attitude you had when you write!

and you look gorgeous, even w/o the makeup!

Sarah said...

i love TJ's greek yogurt even more than fage too! there is something extra delicious about it that I can't quite put my finger on. My favorite way to eat greek yogurt is mixed with fruit, wheatberries, and flax. It has so many tastes and textures going on and seriously keeps me full FOREVER!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULZ'S DAD!

Anonymous said...

LOVE this post. Hilarious and adorable and giving me a serious yogurt craving. Would you believe I have never tried a greek style yogurt before? I don't even think I've ever seen any around here, it's slightly depressing! I wish so badly that I could get my hands on that Trader Joes container, you talk it up so much that I fee like I just NEED to try it!

And a quick note about your last post - Don't apologize about negativity! Everyone has down times and gets upset over issues and you should feel more than free to post about anything that is bothering you over your own personal blog. I highly doubt you would lose a lot of your loyal readers, and I can at least speak for myself in saying that I would never stop reading just because of some negativity!

Keep up the awesome blog girl!
You and your dad are adorable together :D

Little Miss Sunshine said...

HAHAHA ... I LOVE your post, you always make me smile (and laugh)!! By the way, I strangely love my label "Oldies" LOL!! ;0)

My god ... I would passed out with JOY if someone send me a box of (soy) yogurt!!!

I used to LOVE Greek yogurt! The tangier the BETTER!! Ahh, if I was you ... I would just eat the top bit and just leave the syrup at the bottom ;0)

Sadly, I'm YET to find a great tasting soy yogurt here in Perth (Aus) - I'M SO JEALOUS OF THOSE (in the US) WHO CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON 'SO DELICIOUS SOY YOGURT'/THE NEW 'COCONUT' ONES ... ZOMG!!

Olalala, eggplants?! YES PLEASE!!

Anonymous said...

you are SUPER gorgeus! if i havent told you this bfore, i love, love, LOVE you! you are awsome and totally keeping me going with all your niceness!, AND im super sorry, i completly forgot, i never added you to my blog roll, soooo, up you go! (on to my blogroll that is.....)

Anonymous said...

Aw, Happy Birthday Julz's Dad! I hope he had a good celebration - although with you around, how could he not?!

Thank you SO much for the product reviews! I actually have been meaning to give Greek yogurt another try (didn't care for it the first time around) so now I know what to go for first - TJ's!!!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, Miss Julz!! Happy Monday!

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah and P.S. you are gorgeous, as always ma'am!

RhodeyGirl/Sabrina said...

my favorite thing to do with yogurt is also a classic.

I take a teeny clear glass (or sometimes a big one haha) and layer plain yogurt, fresh berries, and granola.. yummmm! and sometimes a couple of chocolate chips sneak in there :)

Anonymous said...

Hahahaha Love you Julz!! And I was so excited with each and everyone of my shoutouts! I even got a LABEL! tataa!! Yayer!!! Yes, I really do think that your Chobani yogurts would have been much thicker if you had consumed them fresh, or with proper refridgeration. Hopefully someday you can find out for sure! And oh my gosh...TJ's greek is SO GOOD. I really need to go out and get some more!! Maybe I will this week :) ?

Anyway, have a lovely week Missy! And thanks again for the kind shout outs! Your product reviews are awesome!!!

Happy Birfday to your Fada as well!

John J. Kaiser said...

thank you for the warm welcome. I feel practically at home. ;-)

Anonymous said...

A free box of yogurt to review... A. mazing! I haven't seen Chobani in grocery stores near me either, I'll keep an eye out next time I go.

I have tried the oikos yogurt, it tastes pretty similar to FAGE and has the "tang" that you keep referring to.. i think you would enjoy it.

Thanks for the great reviews and Happy b-day to your papa.

Sarah said...

i would be HONORED to be added to your blogroll! i'm adding you to mine too because your posts always make my day. As do your comments---you're the sweetest : )

eatme_delicious said...

Wow I didn't know Greek style yogurt had so much protein! I'm going to have to find some. Thanks for the kind words you left on my blog and I'd be honored if you were to add me to your blogroll. :)

aTxVegn said...

That is such a great picture of you and your dad. You are too cute!

Anonymous said...

Miss Julz, check out my blog when you have a chance - I'm giving you an award :o)

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Watermelons Anonymous hahahahaa

Anonymous said...

hey luva! i gave you an award at my blog!

carla said...

HOW CUTE ARE YOU!
love the review.
dying to know if, in real life, yer this perky as well.

;)

Miz.

Simple and Divine said...

OKAY, I just got SUCH a high from reading all of these comments! I freaking have the grrrreatest readers EVS. <333 you all X a mill. :) (n then some!)

Anonymous said...

I LOOOOOVE yogurt!!!! Your reviews were awesome of course and so much fun to read :) Would you believe that they don't sell Fage in Canada???? Awful :(

Tina said...

So cool! Free stuff is the best! I need to try those babies!

HangryPants said...

I am a newbie, so I am saying hi as instructed.

Also, I am very jealous of your free Chobani. I know jealously is not a good thing to feel, but I am just being honest.

- Heather @ www.hangrypants.com

Danielle said...

Free stuff and your daddy's birthday! How fun! :)

lizzy said...

you are so sweet!! thanks for the really nice comment! this is my first time visiting your blog and you are absolutely stunning! i share a watermelon obsession with you...best fruit EVER! haha and my mom has been talking about the yellow watermelon for a few weeks now every since her patient brought one to the hospital, so i must ask WHERE did u get it!?

Samantha said...

I hope that a store near you stocks Chobani soon - it is a must have. I am lucky enough to find it in a bunch of stores in MA. I agree totally - way to sweet fruity syrup on the bottom - plain is the best. I have had that TJ plain too - it is really creamy & the price is right. Love your blog!!

Kelly said...

Thanks so much for the comment. I'm glad you enjoyed my blog. I'm happy you stumbled upon it because now I've stumbled upon you as well. :-) I'm so jealous of the free yogurts. I wish goodies would show up on my doorstep. :-)

Unknown said...

haha, i [heart] lactaid as well!! as the girl who used to have a tall glass of milk with her ice cream:) I wasn't much a fan of tj's plain, greek yogurt, i prefer fage, stoneyfield (i think it's called something else), skyir (expensive but tried it on sale... i await another opportunity!!)... oh, i just bought chiobani this weekend, and i'm in philly... it is here!! i've stopped at alot of stores in the past few days, so i can't remember where. if i remember i'll come back and let you know!

Anonymous said...

Hey cutie patutie... I just tagged you! Check out my blog for details... it's fun!

Anonymous said...

Oh yes! Add me add me! And I'll add you too!!!! :)

Anonymous said...

Love the yogurt post! Check out my "skinny" fruit pizza with lemon yogurt-pudding frosting from the summer dinner party! I really just love yogurt on anything though and especially TJ's 0% Greek!
Love your blog!

Anonymous said...

Hehe, Julz, you're so fun and charismatic that it even shows through your adorable posts!

Bummer that you didn't enjoy TJ's soy yogurt (I personally love the raspberry kind), but I'm glad you found others to enjoy.

And btw, you look b-e-a-utiful, as always!

Keep those awesome posts coming! :-D

Evey

Anonymous said...

Julz!! Thank you SO SO much for your comment on my blog :o) It was so incredible to read about your personal experiences with perfection. And I absolutely LOVED your idea of creating a "GOOD ENOUGH SISTAS" club! That would be freakin' incredible!

You are SUPER STRONG, girl. Your comment was like music to me, if I can be that cheesy :o) I feel like we are all one big blogging sisterhood, as you said - so it's topics like these that bring us even closer and help us understand each other even more!! Yay!!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

I miss your posts, girl!! Hope all is well :0)

Anon said...

yayyyy i love your pic with your dad. and greek yogurt = amazing

Caitlin said...

I'm a newbie who stumbled across your blog:) You are hilarious, and I love how enthusiastic you are about greek yogurt. I recently started my own blog and I'd love to add you to my blog roll!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Twin!!! Hehe I haven't talked to you in a while, so I thought I'd drop in and say hi to my other (better) half!

Anonymous said...

I got to try Fage when I was in Boston, and oh my god it was the greatest yogurt I have EVER put in my mouth. But now I'm back in Canada and crying because there is NOOOO good greek yogurt here!!!!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Your comments on my blog always make me smile. How are you always so nice, dear twin?!

Hungry Hungry Dancer said...

hahaha your soo cute!!!! i love your shout outs and especially your olympic style drum rolls! hahaha

Maggie M. said...

Hey girl, hope all is well - I miss your posts!

Anonymous said...

JOOOOOLZ I miss your blogging too, your comment made me smile as always, I just love hearing from you. You are my homegirl hahaha

Kate said...

Oh my goodness Simple and Divine!!
Your blog had me in hysterics!! Keep up all the hard work! And yes, culinary school is soooo worth it!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Thanks so much for the birthday wishes!!! You are sweet times 1000 :o)

Since we are twins, I was thinking: you should also celebrate on my birthday and I should celebrate on yours... that way we each get two birthdays!

RhodeyGirl/Sabrina said...

JULZ we are all hoping for an update soon!!!! :)

hope all is well!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Ok, so I saw your comment on Erica's blog (I wasn't stalking you, I promise hehe) about almond milk and cinnamon... I *have to* chime in and tell you my favorite new drink with almond milk-- blend a containeer of unsweetened applesauce, a cup of unsweet almond breeze, and maybe 1/2 tsp cinnamon-- tastes like drinking apple pie!

Anonymous said...

That was nice of her to send those chobanis! Unfortunately I can't find them where I live..taste them for me! Haha.

Maggie M. said...

thanks for the bday wishes :)

Bridget said...

new visitor! Your blog is so fun to read! I think I'd cry if I was lactose intolerant!!! I heart dairy products waaaayy too much!! :) Yay yogurt!

B_Hlthy said...

Hi! I just stopped by so I am a Newbie and love your humor!

I love chobani and havent tried that trader joes greek yet- I am doing a research paper on yogurt for grad school over the next few weeks too!

Def. will come back!
Check me out too!

Sarah @ See Sarah Eat said...

Hey there, thanks for the comment on my blog :) I love Lactaid pills too, I am actually out right now so I need to get more, haha. Good for you!

Clumbsy Cookie said...

I never had those, now I'm curious...
Thanks so much for stopping by on my blog!

The Peanut Butter Boy said...

I too just discovered TJ's nonfat greek yogurt a few weeks ago and I am HOOKED. I can't get enough of it, plus it's the cheapest greek yogurt I've found, has the most protein and lowest carbs of any other brand! I use it for fresh peanut butter ice cream almost every day for lunch. TJ's never ceases to amaze me.

By the way, I'm a new reader, so hello! I am the Peanut Butter Boy, my favorite brand? TJ's of course! Their creamy natural peanut butter is unbeatable.

healthy ashley said...

I'm missing Julz... I need another post!!

Maggie M. said...

Heya, I added you back. I finally put up a blogroll on my new site :D

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Yayness, I am very glad to know that my twin has good political taste ;o)

Maybe we can convince Biden to adopt us? Of course, we can still keep our own fathers too. I have to say that I was so impressed with him the other night, if he were running for president, I *might* just have to pick him over Obama. Good thing I can vote for both, huh?

Dee said...

Would you look at all that yoghurt - I'm properly jealous! Thanks for stopping by, and the lovely comment.

Simply...Gluten-free said...

I so miss Trader Joe's. I moved to Florida from California and alas no TJs. But I get seriuosly great greek yogurt here as I live really close to a huge Greek community.

btw - this is my first time to your blog, love it! I will be back!

Hungry Hungry Dancer said...

aw thanks dear!!! how have you been!?!??!?!

Anonymous said...

HEHEHEHEHE..I have to eat lactaid before my greek yogurt too :] I'm about to try my CHOBANI today!!! I've had Oikos... but I still prefer Fage to it, my mom ended up eating my Oikos w/ Honey and she ADORED it but she's not a plain yogurt type, she likes it sweetened. I just like the taste & TANG (hehe) of Fage better :] Never had TJ's tho....

Happy happy happy Friday!!!! (i LOOOVE how peppy you are, your entries make me smile!!!)

amy. said...

hey! yes, i do go to PSU! I'm a junior (well technically a 2nd semester sophomore because I'm behind). But when did you go there? Did you graduate? What a small world :) !!

Katie said...

I love your energy and enthusiasm! I like Greek yogurt, too. It's such a great protein source!

amy. said...

hey--question! are you from philadelphia? or around? if so, whereeee?!

Anonymous said...

:) Hi, Julz! Just dropping in to say hello!

Green Eyes, Green Heart said...

Your blog is SO CUTE!!! Glad I found it, dear!!
~Erin @ "Vegan & the City"

Anonymous said...

LOL!! You are TOOOOOO funny!!

Samantha said...

Is there a way for me to find out if the yogurt I bought should have been recalled? Where did you get your info? Thanks, I would hate to poison myself.

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

I promise to get a "day-in-the-life" post up sooooon... just for you ;o)

HeatherBakes said...

Great review!! I like Chobani- almost as much as Fage (and because it's so much cheaper!). Sadly, no Trader Joe's here :( Boo.

Aww, your dad is so cute! Y'all look so much alike!

Anonymous said...

Hi there!

I see that you're a fan of Greek yogurt - specifically those that aren't too sweet! I'd love to send you some free coupons to give Stonyfield Oikos Organic a try. It's the only organic Greek yogurt on the market today! Just shoot me an email at Kdrociak@stonyfield.com and let me know where to send them if you're interested.

Take care,
Kristina
Stonyfield Farm