365 by Whole Foods Review

Fro-yo girl here. The first smaller, more affordable 365 by Whole Foods (the new concept store from Whole Foods) opened in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles at the end of May. 365 replaces Ralph’s. There’s less variety at 365 compared to Whole Foods and the interior looks like a warehouse with huge floor freezers and some high tech touches such as kiosks to order made to order tacos, bowls, pizzas and brewed tea. The food court that one typically finds at Whole Foods is gone but there is an Allegro coffee kiosk, an in-store, casual, counter-serve vegan restaurant called by Chloe and a dining area. There are no butchers or bakers on site and the flowers are limited to a small selection of bouquets (with no floral department staff). It felt like there was a lot more security personnel.

Prices are lower than Whole Foods. 365 still has ample organic produce, the hot bar/salad bar where items are priced by container size rather than weight (it reminds me of how some self-serve froyo shops have adopted weightless pricing, charging by cup size rather than weight) and grab and go baked goods and prepared foods.

I went to check out the yogurt and frozen yogurt selection. First, the selection is smaller than the typical Whole Foods in the area. For frozen yogurt the only product they had was the 365 Greek yogurt popsicles. They didn’t have Julie’s Organic frozen yogurt, Yasso bars, Lifeway frozen kefir, etc. They did have a lot of ice cream and gelato though. Also, a smaller selection doesn’t mean a different selection. The yogurt selection was pretty good (Fage, Siggi’s, Whole Foods) but they didn’t carry Smari, Tarte, Blue Hill or Stonyfield’s Oh My Yog like the typical Whole Foods.

They’ve attracted a younger clientele but I didn’t see many of them using the high tech features. I did enjoy the food at by Chloe. Her face looked familiar…I’ve seen her on Cupcake Wars. I need to try her Cupcake Wars winning vegan cupcakes.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* 365 BY WHOLE FOODS: 2520 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles (Silver Lake), CA 90039

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Simple Truth Greek Frozen Yogurt Bars Review

Fro-yo girl here. Simple Truth is a line of products from Kroger launched in September 2012 with simple ingredient labels. I spotted Simple Truth Greek frozen yogurt bars at Ralph’s. A box contains four 3.5 fl oz bars/popsicles. Each bar is 120-130 calories with 3.5-4g of fat. A box retails for $4.49. During my visit the bars were on sale for $2.99.

Flavors: Vanilla, Strawberry Vanilla, Blueberry Vanilla

* Blueberry vanilla bar: It’s a pretty bar, vanilla with light purple blueberry swirls throughout. There’s a thin icy shell. The bar is soft, airy, smooth and quite creamy. The blueberry flavor is noticeable but not strong/potent. It’s very sweet and tastes mostly like cream with a hint of vanilla and blueberry. The aftertaste is slightly bitter. It looks and tastes similar to the new 365 Everyday Value Organic Greek Yogurt Low Fat Dessert Bars at Whole Foods.

Ingredients: Skim milk, milk, sugar, cream, Greek frozen yogurt base (whey protein concentrate, cultured dairy solids, milk protein concentrate, natural flavors), blueberry base (blueberries, sugar, water, blueberry juice concentrate, sugar syrup, natural flavor, carob bean gum, citric acid), corn syrup, contains 2% or less of: egg yolks, carob bean gum, guar gum, carrageenan, polysorbate 80, vanilla extract, beet juice (color)

The bars are not organic but they are “free from 101 artificial preservatives and ingredients.” 

You can find coupons at simpletruth.com

3.5 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* RALPH’S GROCERY: 160 N Lake Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

365 Everyday Value Organic Greek Yogurt Low Fat Dessert Bars Review

Fro-yo girl here. Whole Foods recently introduced a line of organic yogurt and ice cream bars under the 365 Everyday Value brand. The frozen yogurt bars come in boxes with four 2.5 fl oz bars for $3.99. There are two flavors: Blueberry and Strawberry. The bars are 90 calories each, lowfat, sweetened with organic cane sugar and contain live and active cultures.

* Blueberry bar: The texture is soft, light and creamy. There’s blueberry flavor throughout with some visible blueberry swirls. The flavor is sweet and natural with yogurt flavor but little tanginess. It’s pleasant but doesn’t have the wow factor of the best frozen yogurt bars from Yolato. 

The strawberry flavor looks similar with strawberry swirls.

Ingredients: Pasteurized organic nonfat milk, organic cultured Greek yogurt, organic cane sugar, organic blueberries, pasteurized organic cream, organic tapioca syrup, organic milk protein concentrate, organic tapioca starch, natural blueberry flavor, organic locust bean gum, organic guar gum, organic rice starch, citric acid

4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.