All the Current Froyo Offerings at Gelson’s

 

Fro-yo girl here. Gelson’s in La Canada Flintridge, CA, always has a great froyo and ice cream selection. During my recent visit, I spotted the following froyo products:

• Sweetkiwi tubs: for yogurt lovers, this is one of the few products that doesn’t mask the flavor of the yogurt. Sweetkiwi whipped Greek froyo is rich in probiotics, fiber, and immune-boosting superfoods, and it's low in calories.
• Yasso bars: Gelson’s had Yasso’s Greek yogurt bars, Poppables, and the froyo sandwiches too. The chocolate-dipped crunch bars are my favorite Yasso product.
• Enlightened Greek Yogurt Bars: Enlightened’s frozen Greek yogurt bars are low in sugar and contain prebiotics and probiotics. The bars are sweetened with monkfruit.

With three brands of froyo, Gelson’s has fewer froyo brands than Bristol Farms and the same number as Whole Foods, Ralph’s, and Vons.

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

* GELSON'S: 635 Foothill Blvd, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011

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.

Chobani Probiotic Plant-Based Drink Review

Fro-yo girl here. I spotted Chobani Probiotic plant-based drinks at Gelson’s in La Canada Flintridge when they were on sale, 2 for $4. They’re regularly $3.49 each. One bottle is 14 oz (414 ml). I wasn’t really sure what they were but they’re similar to kombucha without being kombucha. Kombucha is fermented tea. Chobani Probiotic plant-based drink is fermented oats, apple cider vinegar, and 9% fruit juice. The drinks are organic, non-dairy, naturally fermented, non-GMO, gluten-free, and probiotic. According to the bottle, “billions of cultures are feeding on oats and apples. In the bottle, cultures stay live and active. In your gut, they flourish, supporting immune health and digestion.”

Available flavors: Lemon Ginger, Pineapple Turmeric, Peach Mint, Cherry Hibiscus Tea

Peach Mint: A pretty peach color, the drink smells and tastes like fresh peaches with a hint of mint, only much tangier. It has a fermented scent and is lightly effervescent. It’s low in sugar, so I appreciate that. It’s light and refreshing. Compared to kombucha, it’s much fruitier (and has much more fruit juice). One bottle is 70 calories, 2g fat, 14g total carbs, 10g sugar, and 2g protein.

Pineapple Turmeric: The pineapple flavor is surprisingly strong and it’s very tangy with a sweeter aftertaste than the Peach Mint. The turmeric flavor is subtle.

Both drinks were very good. I still prefer kombucha but I’d get Chobani Probiotic plant-based drinks again.

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.

The Coconut Collaborative Plant-Based Yogurt Alternative Review

Fro-yo girl here. The Coconut Collaborative is one of the older coconut yogurt plant-based yogurt brands, founded in 2014 in London. It’s now the #1 premium coconut yogurt brand in Europe. In 2019, the company began producing their yogurt in the Los Angeles last year, after launching in the US the previous year.

Coconut Collaborative products are dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free and low in sugar. I bought mine at Gelson’s in La Canada Flintridge, CA for $2.29 each (regular price). One cup is 4.2 oz (smaller than average). The yogurt is rich, so the small size is good for a snack or light breakfast.

Vanilla: The yogurt looked a little clumpy when I peeled the foil off, but stirring made it quite smooth and very creamy. The yogurt was mildly tangy with a little sourness. The vanilla flavor was quite faint but the coconut flavor was strong. The aftertaste was a bit bitter. One cup is 160 calories, 13g total fat, 9g total carbs, 1g total sugars, and 2g protein. Ingredients: Coconut milk (coconut extract, coconut water, water), coconut water, corn starch, potato starch, pectin, natural vanilla flavor, vanilla bean, cultures.

Blueberry: I gave this yogurt a stir too. I liked it better than the vanilla because the blueberry flavor was stronger, though the coconut flavor was still strong. There were little blueberry pieces. It was a little sweeter than the Vanilla yogurt but still mildly tangy.

Available flavors: Mango & Passion fruit, Plain, Vanilla, Blueberry

The Coconut Collaborative yogurt alternative is widely distributed. You can find it at Sprouts, Target, Whole Foods, Erewhon, Bristol Farms, Safeway, etc. And Nekter just announced that their Energy Bowls are layered with The Collaborative's vanilla plant-based yogurt alternative.

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.

La Fermière French Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. I remember hearing about La Fermière French yogurt awhile ago and recently, they expanded their availability to Southern California. The yogurt and desserts company was founded in Marseille, France in 1952 and its products are available throughout Europe and more recently, in the US.

So, what is French yogurt? It’s custard style yogurt that’s made in small individual serving size pots. The ingredients are poured into the small pots and allowed to set, a process that takes a few hours. Oui by Yoplait introduced French style yogurt to the US in 2017.

La Fermière makes its yogurt in New York with local dairy and all-natural ingredients. The glass and terracotta pots are sustainable. They emphasize the quality and simplicity of the all-natural ingredients. The whole milk yogurt is gluten free and rbGH free. It’s free of chemical stabilizers, gelatin, preservatives, artificial coloring and high fructose corn syrup. For the fruit varieties, the fruit is on the bottom. They recommend NOT stirring the yogurt before consuming.

I found La Fermière at Gelson’s in La Canada Flintridge, CA for $2.99 each (regular price). They had five flavors. Interesting, the weight isn’t the same for all the flavors. In Southern California, you can also find La Fermière at Erewhon and select Jensen’s locations.

Vanilla Bean: The yogurt was smooth and creamy, with the consistency of a light custard. It had a fair amount of tang and was also fairly sweet. The vanilla flavor was mild and there was a cream like aftertaste. It was good but I wanted more vanilla flavor and less sugar. The texture sets it apart from most of the existing yogurt offerings in the US. I actually prefer Oui's Vanilla yogurt though - it's not as sweet and the vanilla flavor is more floral. Vanilla is Oui's best flavor. 

One serving is 4.9 oz, 180 calories, 11g total fat, 18g total carbs, 17g total sugars, and 4g protein.

Ingredients: Pasteurized whole milk, pasteurized cream, cane sugar, natural vanilla flavor, live active cultures

Orange Blossom Honey: This was my favorite variety because of the flavor of the orange blossom honey. It was tangy, smooth, creamy and quite sweet. One serving is 4.9 oz, 190 calories, 11g total fat, 19g total carbs, 18g total sugars, and 4g protein. I even made froyo pops with the orange blossom honey yogurt. The pops weren’t as creamy as the refrigerated yogurt.

Ingredients: Pasteurized whole milk, pasteurized cream, orange blossom honey, live active cultures

Plain: This wasn’t as smooth as the other two varieties for some reason. It was of course less sweet and it also had a cream aftertaste. One serving (5.6 oz) was 160 calories, 13g total fat, 7g total carbs, 7g total sugars, and 5g protein. 

Ingredients: Pasteurized whole milk, pasteurized cream, live active cultures.

The terracotta pots are stamped La Fermière and painted a lovely shade of periwinkle blue. The pots are safe in the microwave, freezer, and oven (up to 480 degrees). Previous limited edition pots included cute designs like hearts and flowers. Save them because I see a lot for sale, with some people asking for over $10 for one pot! Even their glass jars are being sold on eBay, but the terracotta pots are worth a lot more. You could even conceivably earn enough to cover the cost of the yogurt, though there are a lot for sale on eBay, so perhaps not. 

Oui has cute glass pots too. They're striped for a limited time - in navy. Very chic. I sense a battle of the chic French yogurt pots. Oui has three new limited edition pot designs.

Available flavors: Plain, Pressed Lemon, Orange Honey Blossom, Vanilla Bean, Raspberry Blueberry, Mango Passion Fruit, Pineapple Coconut and Apple Kiwi. Seasonal flavors are also offered.

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.

Humphrey Yogart Reopens in Sherman Oaks

Fro-yo girl here. Humphrey Yogart first opened in Sherman Oaks in February 1984. In March of this year, they closed their doors when they couldn't come to an agreement with their new landlord. Froyo fans were understandably devastated but this story has a happy ending. The owners, Jim and Paula Sheftel, looked for a new location and they found one in the same shopping center as their original shop. The two met and fell in love at the shop and they were both there on opening day, making yogart (so cute).

The new Humphrey Yogart is located inside Gelson’s grocery store. Thank you, Gelson’s! They started swirling at their new location today, November 18, 2016. Look for their kiosk at the front of Gelson’s.

The menu still provides many options but they no longer offer soups, sandwiches and coffee. The menu includes frozen yogurt, ice cream, shakes, sundaes, and acai bowls. Their most popular item is the blend-in style “yogart” where you choose the base of yogart (sweet vanilla, tart vanilla, chocolate), ice cream, organic soy (vegan), organic coconut (vegan) and low carb daily flavor, choose your blend in ingredients (fruit, peanut butter, nuts, green tea, cinnamon, espresso, chocolate chips, candy, cookie dough, cookie butter, brownies, cream cheese, etc.) and add a topping or cone. Your custom creation is placed in a machine and blended together.

I personally prefer the tart vanilla base because it is quite tart. It goes well with fruit and green tea.

Froyo prices: Non-fat yogart mini $3.05, small $4.05, medium $5.25, large $6.50, XL $8.05. Blend in prices start at 30 cents (the price goes up as the cup size increases).

The old stamp cards still work or ask for a new one. If you like blend-in style yogart, Humphrey’s is the place to go in the San Fernando Valley. It’s open daily from 11 AM – 11 PM.

I looked over at the old location. The building is still standing but it’s completely vacant and the façade/exterior has been removed. It looks like the entire building is being renovated. There was a sign for the Burger Lounge which must be moving in.

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

* HUMPHREY YOGART: 4520 Van Nuys Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

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.

Maia Greek Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. I spotted the Maia Greek Yogurt line at Gelson’s. The packaging says it’s naturally low sugar with only 4g added natural cane sugar. It sounded appealing since so many yogurts are quite sweet. The fact that it was non-GMO verified, 100% natural, gluten-free, kosher and made with grass-fed milk also appealed. It’s targeted at health conscious moms. 

Gelson’s had four flavors: plain, vanilla bean, strawberry and blueberry. The full line also has pomegranate cherry, peach, raspberry lime, and pineapple flavors.

A cup of Maia retailed for $1.89. One serving is 6 ounces. The vanilla bean yogurt had 110 calories with 10g of sugar, 11g of protein and 14g of total carbs.

Ingredients (vanilla bean): cultured pasteurized non-fat milk, prebiotic oat fiber, cane sugar, vanilla extract, tapioca starch, vanilla beans, live cultures.

* Vanilla bean yogurt: It’s very sour and the texture has a whipped consistency. The texture is oddly sticky, clumpy and grainy. The vanilla extract flavor is strong but not the vanilla bean flavor.

* Blueberry yogurt: The yogurt is white and doesn’t look like it has any blueberries but the blueberries are in there. It’s less sour than the vanilla bean but the texture is strangely sticky/gummy. The blueberry flavor is there but it’s much more sour than usual. I’ve never seen such white colored blueberry yogurt before.

I love yogurt, including yogurt with less sugar, but I had a difficult time eating Maia because it honestly doesn’t taste good. The texture is unpleasant which makes it even worse. It even smells unpleasant. Since it’s Greek yogurt, does it need tapioca starch as a thickener?

2.5 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.

Nancy’s Fancy Gelato: Frutti di Bosco with Greek Yogurt and Mixed Berries Review

Fro-yo girl here. Nancy’s Fancy, a line of artisanal gelato from Chef Nancy Silverton (Mozza, Campanile, La Brea Bakery), famed pastry chef, cookbook author and recipient of 1990 Pastry Chef of the Year from the James Beard Foundation, was introduced last year at the Winter Fancy Food Show. A pint retails for $10.99.

Nancy’s Fancy is all natural and made with hormone free milk with no corn syrup. The flavors certainly sound fancy and indulgent. Yes, there is one frozen yogurt flavor. I found it at Gelson’s for $9.99.

Flavors offered:

* Chocolate fondente with dark rum and Valrhona chocolate chips.

* Roasted banana with bourbon and pecan praline

* Salted Peanut Butter with Crunchy Peanuts

* Coconut Stracciatella with Bittersweet Chocolate Strands

* Spiced Stumptown Coffee with Cracked Cocoa Nibs

* Butterscotch Budino with a Caramel Rosemary Swirl

* Frutti di Bosco with Greek Yogurt and Mixed Berries: Once I lifted the lid off I noticed some ice crystals. The product wasn’t icy though. The color was a pretty deep berry. The texture was dense, creamy and thick – more like ice cream than frozen yogurt. The flavor tasted natural, fruity and tangy but they didn’t strain the fruit puree and there were a zillion hard berry seeds. Surprising – I’ve never encountered so many berry seeds in ice cream or froyo before. On the plus side they use real fruit and lots of it and the quality of the ingredients is evident in the taste. This product would much better if they strained the seeds out.

The yogurt flavor is there but it’s not as intense as the best froyo brand you can buy at the supermarket, Jeni’s. Those biodynamic grassfed cows in Ohio are doing something right. Is Nancy's much better than most supermarket froyo? Yes, the ingredients are better and it tastes less processed.

Ingredients (Frutti di Bosco): Greek yogurt (grade A pasteurized skimmed milk and cream, live active yogurt cultures), gelato syrup (sugar, water, glucose), mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries).

A half cup serving is 150 calories with 3g of fat ad 23g of sugar.

You can find Nancy’s Fancy Gelato at Bristol Farms, Whole Foods, Gelson’s, etc. See the website for the complete list of locations: http://www.nancysfancy.com/

4 out of 5 stars.

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

* GELSON’S MARKET: 635 Foothill Blvd., La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011

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.

Lifeway Frozen Kefir Bars Review

Fro-yo girl here. Lifeway introduced a line of frozen kefir bars/pops last year. I hadn’t had much luck finding them in California until a recent trip to Gelson’s in La Canada Flintridge. Gelson’s had two flavors: Tart and Tangy Coconut and Tart and Tangy Pear. Each 15 oz. package comes with six individually wrapped bars. Gelson’s sells a box for $5.39 regular price.

Lifeway Frozen Kefir Bars are available in four flavors: Tart and Tangy Coconut, Tart and Tangy Peach, Tart and Tangy Green Tea Raspberry and Tart and Tangy Vanilla.

Frozen kefir bars are gluten free, contain no artificial colors or flavors and have beneficial live and active kefir cultures. I was pleasantly surprised that each bar is 60 calories or less.

* Tart and tangy pear: The pear flavor is very prominent. The bar tastes like fresh pears. The texture was very pleasant - soft, smooth and creamy but it holds its shape. I liked the tanginess and the clean aftertaste. Yum! The bar had a milkiness from the kefir but the kefir flavor could have been more prominent.

One 1/2 cup serving is 110 calories and nonfat.

Ingredients: Cultured low fat milk, evaporated cane juice, nonfat dry milk, tapioca maltodextrin, natural pear flavor, natural flavors, stabilizer, turmeric, active kefir cultures

4.5 out of 5 stars.

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

* GELSON’S MARKET: 635 Foothill Blvd., La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011

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.