Greek Pastures Greek Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. Greek Pastures is a new Greek yogurt line featuring grass-fed milk from local Georgia farms made in small batches. Their unique flavors also set them apart. Each cup is 6 ozs. The yogurt is Kosher, gluten free and rBST free. Most flavors are fat free. The yogurt is all natural and has live and active cultures.

The line comes in six flavors: Cherry & Port Wine, Karma Java, Mixed Berries, Vanilla & Caramel, Tropical Sweet Heat (Pineapple, Mango, Habanero), Peach & Ginger

* Vanilla & Caramel: It has the thick, dense, creamy texture of Greek yogurt. I liked how tangy the flavor. The caramel flavor was difficult to discern. The vanilla flavor was more noticeable. It wasn’t as sweet as some yogurts but still fairly sweet. Tastes like real yogurt (yay)!

* Mixed Berry: The berries are cooked in a kettle and left chunky. The fruit isn’t on the bottom. You get bursts of fruit flavor and the seeds are left in. This flavor seemed much sweeter than the Vanilla & Caramel though it still had some tanginess. It was too sweet for me (though all their flavors have 11g of sugar).

I found Greek Pastures at Whole Foods for $2.09 on sale ($2.49 regular price).

Ingredients (Mixed Berry): Cultured pasteurized non-fat milk, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, pure cane sugar, orange juice.

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.

Three Happy Cows Greek Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. Dallas based Three Happy Cows is back after a fire destroyed its yogurt plant. Their Greek yogurt is “ridiculously thick,” all natural and lightly sweetened. It’s low fat, made with 2% milk and has live and active cultures. Each serving has 15g of protein. One serving is 5.3 ozs and 160 calories.

Flavors: Strawberry, blueberry, vanilla bean, caramel

* Vanilla: Visually, the yogurt looked very appealing - very thick (as thick as skyr), ultra creamy with no water on top and vanilla bean specks throughout. I also liked how it was less sweet than most yogurts. There was a slight aftertaste from the thickeners they use that detracted from the overall flavor. The texture was also slightly gummy. I think I’d like it better without the thickeners and citric acid.

* Strawberry: This had the same ultra thick and creamy texture with a distinct but not very strong strawberry flavor and no chunks of fruit or seeds.

Ingredients (vanilla yogurt):Grade A pasteurized reduced fat milk, vanilla bean base (water, sugar, locust bean gum, pectin, natural flavor, citric acid, calcium citrate, vanilla beans) and live and active cultures.

I found Three Happy Cows at Sprouts (2 for $3 on sale, $1.79 regular price).

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

4 out of 5 stars

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.

New from Yoplait: Blended Yoplait Greek Yogurt

Fro-yo girl here. New Yoplait Greek features strained yogurt blended with real fruit pieces. Yoplait Greek is not Yoplait’s first Greek yogurt, but it is the first they’ve made with the traditional straining method for which Greek yogurt is known. 

While there are many brands of Greek yogurt out there, the new Yoplait Greek tastes different than the usual Greek yogurt because it is much sweeter. Yoplait Greek reminds me of the regular Yoplait yogurt only with a thicker, creamier texture. Those of you who like a sweeter yogurt might like Yoplait Greek. The texture is soft, smooth and creamy, with almost a slightly whipped texture..

I tried the vanilla flavor which features a mild vanilla flavor. The flavor was pleasant but I found it quite a bit sweeter than what I personally prefer. It is an improvement from their earlier Greek yogurt.

Yoplait Greek with live and active cultures is fat free, gluten free, gelatin free, 5.3 ounces a cup, under 150 calories and has 100% more protein than regular yogurt. It comes in six flavors: Vanilla, Tangerine, Coconut, Strawberry Raspberry, Pineapple, Blueberry

The suggested retail price is $1.29 per cup.

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.

Muller Greek Corner & FrutUp Review

Fro-yo girl here. Muller Yogurt, the German yogurt brand, was introduced to the US market earlier this year by Quaker. The yogurt is currently made in Germany but production will shift to upstate NY later this year. All Muller yogurt products are certified Kosher and have live and active cultures.

I spotted Muller Corner, Muller Greek Corner and FrutUp at my local Safeway store. Muller Corner features lowfat yogurt and a topping (fruit or cereal) in a separate compartment. Greek  Corner is similar only with Greek style yogurt. FrutUp features lowfat yogurt topped with a fruit mousse. I liked the sound of some of the toppings, including choco balls, choco flakes, crispy crunch cereal clusters and caramelized almonds.

* Muller Greek Corner with caramelized almonds. I really liked the lowfat Greek yogurt. It was rich, creamy, thick, whipped, lightly sweetened, and tangy with a sour aftertaste. I really appreciated how it wasn't that sweet and I loved the crunchy tiny sweetened bits of caramelized almonds. One cup is 5.3 ounces, 220 calories and 9 grams of fat. Safeway had Muller Greek Corner on sale, 10 for $10 or $1.39 regular price. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

* Muller Corner with choco balls: It's plain, sweetened yogurt. The yogurt is not as thick as their Greek version (though still thick and creamy) and it's way sweeter (too sweet for me). I really liked those small crunchy white and milk chocolate crunchy balls (with crispy rice centers). Safeway had Muller Corner on sale, 10 for $10. 4 out of 5 stars.

* Muller FrutUp luscious lemon flavor. It's the same lowfat lightly sweetened plain yogurt with a layer of lemon fruit mousse. The fruit mousse was a soft gel and quite sweet. I stirred it with the yogurt and still found it too sweet. It was nicely tangy and very thick and creamy. A single serving is 150 calories. Muller FrutUp was 10 for $10 at Safeway. 4 out of 5 stars.

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

* SAFEWAY: 5290 Diamond Heights Blvd., San Francisco, CA

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 Bite Review

Fro-yo girl here. Chobani introduced Chobani Bite in January 2013. The flavors (different than typical yogurt flavors) caught my eye and the packaging is adorable. Each Bite is 3.5 ounces, perfect for a light snack. Sold in packs of four at a suggested retail price of $2.99, Chobani Bite is an all natural Greek yogurt product available in four flavors:

* Fig with Orange Zest
* Raspberry with Dark Chocolate Chips
* Caramel with Pineapple
* Coffee with Dark Chocolate Chips

I first tried Coffee with Dark Chocolate Chips. The non-fat yogurt was creamy, thick, and smooth. The coffee yogurt has mild, not overly bitter, distinctive tangy coffee flavor. There weren’t that many chocolate chips. The chips are small, flat rectangular pieces of chocolate. The yogurt is more tangy than sweet. The chocolate pieces have strong, bitter dark chocolate flavor that enhances coffee flavor and add a little crunch but are pretty bitter. I like to add a nutty granola for crunch and sweetness.

The Raspberry with Dark Chocolate Chips flavor has the same tiny, flat dark chocolate bits. The raspberry yogurt is quite tart, which I really like. It tastes more natural.

I hope they'll add more flavors in the future, including Madagascar Vanilla.

I found Chobani Bite at Target for $2.99.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

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

* TARGET: 133 Serramonte Center, Daly City

Yoplait Greek Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. The Greek yogurt offerings keep on coming. Yoplait recently launched its nonfat Greek 100 line. Each cup is 5.3 oz., 100 calories, or 2 Weight Watchers PointsPlus value of 2. Yoplait Greek 100 targets healthy snackers who like Greek yogurt. Yoplait Greek is a good source of protein, calcium and live and active cultures. It’s gluten and gelatin free. 

Flavors: Strawberry, Key Lime, Mixed Berry, Black Cherry, Vanilla, Peach

* Vanilla Yoplait Greek 100: The texture was creamy, thick and smooth but the vanilla flavor wasn’t pleasant or natural. I didn’t see any vanilla beans. It was also too sweet. The texture was a bit whipped and the flavor too artificial.

One cup of Yoplait Greek 100 is $1.59 at Safeway (or 10/$10 for Club members).

3 out of 5 stars.

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

Fraiche Palo Alto Moves to Larger Space

Fro-yo girl here. Fraiche just moved from its original and very first location at 644 Emerson to 200 Hamilton (just down the street from the old location). It’s a larger space (the old A.G. Ferrari location). Today was the first day and it was chaotically busy.



I like how the new decor is more feminine and cozier. They’ve added more seating. The menu hasn’t changed much (fresh housemade Greek yogurt, frozen yogurt, Blue Bottle Coffee, steel cut oatmeal, juices, baked goods) but they added a new fro-yo machine with two new flavors: hibiscus grapefruit sorbet and Oreo cookie.



I also spotted some slices of bread from Mayfield Bakery which can be topped with various spreads including an interesting tangy yogurt spread. The savory loaf was another new addition. It’s made with Fraiche yogurt.

I was happy that the homemade mochi made the move too.

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

* FRAICHE YOGURT: 200 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto, CA

Favorite Yogurt Brand Poll Results

Fro-yo girl here. I asked readers to vote for their favorite brand of Greek yogurt and the results are in. Fage won easily, with 46% of the vote. Chobani was a distant second, with 20% of the vote. Fage is the brand I think of first when I think of Greek yogurt and it's actually a Greek company. In 2008, they started manufacturing their yogurt in New York.

Earlier this year they expanded their product lineup Fage Total 0% flavors. Flavors: blueberry-acai, cherry-pomegranate, mango-guanabana, strawberry-goji and honey. I've seen Fage Total 0% flavors at Target and Whole Foods.


* Cherry-pomegranate Fage yogurt ($1.99 at Whole Foods): The cherry pomegranate is in a separate compartment and looks like a thick syrup with pieces of cherry. The yogurt is unsweetened, creamy, and sour. The cherry pomegranate mixture is very sweet and when I mixed it with the yogurt, it was more sour than it was tangy. I didn't like having to keep stirring it in and having uneven flavor. Find a coupon for Total 0% on the Fage website.

4 out of 5 stars.

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

Yoplait Greek Yogurt Relaunched

Fro-yo girl here. Yoplait recently re-launched its improved Greek Yogurt. Marketed as a healthy, satisfying snack, Yoplait Greek Yogurt comes in 6 flavors, including three fruit on the bottom varieties (Blueberry, Strawberry, Peach). Each cup has 14 - 17 grams of protein, live and active cultures. The yogurt is gluten free, with no artificial flavors, no artificial sweeteners.

* Honey vanilla Greek yogurt (99 cents on sale at Safeway): it is markedly better tasting than before. It's no longer unpleasantly chalky. The yogurt is very creamy and smooth with sour notes and a strong honey flavor. It would be lovely with a crunchy cereal. I'm impressed by how rich and creamy it is, while remaining a non-fat product.

It's worth trying...if you don't like it, you can always use Greek yogurt as a face mask (to soften your skin). Wash your face and apply 2 to 3 tablespoons of yogurt. If it's coming from the fridge, be prepared for a cold, clammy feeling.

4 out of 5 stars

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

Yogurt Review: Skyr & Eros

Fro-yo girl here. During my Whole Foods shopping trips, I found two yogurt lines that are exclusive to Whole Foods, Skyr.is and Eros. Technically you can get Skyr.is elsewhere (Iceland) but in the U.S. only Whole Foods carries it.

Skyr.is is imported from Iceland and at $3.39 each (6 oz. cup), the most expensive yogurt I've seen (though I think the price has dropped to $2.99). Whole Foods SF had three flavors: blueberry, plain, strawberry. There's a vanilla one too, but I didn't see it there. I tried blueberry. The list of ingredients is short: milk, sugar, blueberry juice, elderberry juice, citric acid, live & active cultures.

* Skyr.is blueberry yogurt: very creamy, smooth, dense and thick, more tangy than sour, liked the bright fresh fruit flavor but it was definitely sweeter than Siggi's...I still prefer Siggi's. 4.5 out of 5 stars.


Eros Organic Greek Yogurt is made for Whole Foods and it claims to be the first and only yogurt made with Certified Humane Raised and Handled organic low fat cow's milk from small family farms. It uses an all natural evaporation method to thicken the yogurt, not powdered milk solids or gelatin. It comes in Plain, Vanilla, Honey, Strawberry and Blueberry and is $1.99 for a 6 oz. cup. I chose honey which is made with 2% milk, wildflower honey, pectin, live & active cultures.

* Eros honey yogurt: definitely tangy, very thick, creamy, and heavy. The texture was oddly sticky (in an unpleasant way) and the honey had a bitter aftertaste. 3 out of 5 stars.

Skyr is even thicker than Greek style yogurt. It's technically a soft cheese.

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

Fro-yo Girl's 2011 Wish List

Fro-yo girl here. Happy Fro-yo New Year! Hope your resolution includes eating more fro-yo in 2011. I'm thinking ahead to what I'd like to see happen in 2011 to come up with my 2011 fro-yo wish list. Since my 2010 wish list items didn't come true, those items are back on the list.

I know fro-yo is coming to SFO International Airport, so I don't have to wish for that. I still haven't tried Yolato's fro-yo popsicles. I want to try Jamba Juice's Whirlin's fro-yo (it's the mix-in kind). My friend wants to see a fro-yo freezer (a freezer built specifically for fro-yo storage).

* Signature fro-yo spoons: I need more of these. I like to use them for home fro-yo consumption.
* Signature recyclable fro-yo cups: Berry Chill lets you collect theirs and bring them back for free fro-yo. I love that idea.
* Mobile fro-yo truck makes it to the Bay Area: This has to be the year. We can't let ourselves be that behind the times. Maybe Twirl & Dip can add fro-yo. They're already serving Straus soft-serve ice cream from their truck.
* Give someone the gift of fro-yo instantly: I've purchased fro-yo gift cards but it's a hassle to have to send it to someone. Fraiche and others have the right idea by allowing you to send your gift certificate by e-mail to someone instantly.
* More Greek fro-yo: Since Greek yogurt is so popular, it seems like more fro-yo places would come up with fro-yo using Greek yogurt as a base. Grahamwich in Chicago has a Greek fro-yo soft serve that I must try.
* Macarons with fro-yo: I know of fro-yo places that sell macarons and macaron places that sell soft-serve ice cream...I'm hoping to encounter a fro-yo sundae with macarons on top OR a giant macaron with fro-yo in the middle!

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

2010 the Year in Fro-yo Review

Fro-yo girl here. It's time to revisit my 2010 wish list to see which of my fro-yo wishes came true in 2010.

* More Yogurtland signature fro-yo spoons. This wish didn't come true but Tuttimelon came out with signature logo spoons...only they're not available in the U.S. yet. I hope to get some in 2011, without having to go to Hong Kong to pick up the spoons.

* Mobile fro-yo trucks in the Bay Area: Fro-yo trucks popped up in NYC but there still isn't one in the Bay Area. Why?

I didn't have many wishes and they didn't come true either. The year wasn't such a great one for fro-yo in the Bay Area. I'm sad about a couple of shops that closed, especially Cafe Delatti. However, the year was an interesting one. YoCream was acquired by Danone, Jamba Juice started testing its line of fro-yo (in the Sacramento area), I tried fro-yo at Target (not self-serve), Menchie's made it up to the Bay Area, and Greek yogurt grew in popularity. Next time I'll reveal my fro-yo wish list for 2011.

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

Athenos Greek Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. Hummus maker Athenos (a Kraft company) recently launched a line of Greek yogurt. I found their yogurt at Vons for 99 cents (on sale, regular price is $1.50). Vons had three flavors: strawberry, blueberry and honey. It also comes in peach. The single serving yogurt comes in a divided tub.

* Honey Greek yogurt: the fat free Greek yogurt is thick, creamy and sour (plain) and the honey was very sweet and sticky. It was a hassle to blend the sticky honey into the yogurt. I like the pre-blended honey yogurt better. The price is quite reasonable compared to the competition and I found an online coupon.

While I was in Vons, I noticed Yoplait came out with a line of yogurt called Splitz. It's meant to taste like a sundae and the package said to try it frozen.

4 out of 5 stars

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

Greek Strained Yogurt Taste Test

Fro-yo girl here. Though I’m well known for my fro-yo appetite, I also enjoy non-frozen yogurt. I’ve sampled various types including sheep’s milk yogurt, goat’s milk yogurt, soy yogurt, French style yogurt (Saint Benoit Yogurt), and Greek style strained yogurt. I prefer Greek style yogurt for superior smoothness and sour taste. I like to add fresh fruit and honey.

I recently sampled three brands of plain, non-fat Greek Style yogurt purchased from Whole Foods: Chobani, Fage and Oikos. The taste isn’t the big differentiating factor. Each is made with milk and live cultures (and nothing else). Chobani was the smoothest and creamiest of the three, followed by Fage. Fage was a little more whipped/airier than Chobani. Oikos by Stonyfield Farm was noticeably clumpier than the other two brands.

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