More Naturally Sweetened Flavors at Yoga-urt: Strawberry Serenity & Vanilla Harmony

Fro-yo girl here. We were back at Yoga-urt Kenneth Village this weekend to try the new batch of naturally sweetened flavors, Strawberry Serenity and Vanilla Harmony. I’ve had the regular versions of both many times. The new versions are sweetened with dates and grape juice concentrate, rather than organic sugar. They’re no sugar added, fruit-sweetened versions. Like all Yoga-urt flavors, they’re organic, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, all-natural, and kosher.

Naturally-sweetened Strawberry Serenity: I couldn’t really taste the dates but the strawberries were nice and tangy. So good! Natural tasting strawberry goodness.

Naturally-sweetened Vanilla Harmony: Vanilla Harmony has the strongest date flavor as the vanilla has always been pretty subtle. The dates give it a warmer flavor. Vanilla Harmony was a bit thicker than Strawberry Serenity.

I think I like NSA Strawberry Serenity better than regular Strawberry Serenity but I like regular Vanilla Harmony better than NSA Vanilla Harmony. Everything is delicious and good for you too.

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.

Favorite New Froyo Flavors of 2015

Fro-yo girl here. I’m not sure how proud I should be but this year I’m going to exceed my froyo consumption from previous years. Last year, I consumed 139 cups of froyo. This year I’ll hit 200 cups of froyo consumed in one year. So yes, I’ve eaten lots of froyo and since I live in SoCal now, most of that froyo has been consumed in and around Los Angeles.

Every year I look forward to trying new froyo flavors. New flavors in 2015 included Southern Pecan Pie (Menchie’s), Pumpkin Spice Latte (Orange Leaf), Pear (Pinkberry), and Candy Clouds (Yogurtland). Which new flavor was my favorite? I decided to pick two, one from an independent froyo shop and another from a chain.

Vanilla Harmony from Yoga-urt in Glendale, CA: It’s vegan froyo made with almond milk. They make their own almond milk and add live and active cultures. I love how you can taste the almond milk and how it tastes fresh, less processed and more natural.

Pinkberry’s Raspberry White Chocolate: Lemon Lime Pinkberry was a close second. Pinkberry turned 10 this year and I have a new found appreciation for their flavors. Raspberry white chocolate surprised me because it was tarter then I expected it to be and the hint of white chocolate added a sweet mellowness. You can really taste the raspberries and the white chocolate was the perfect complement.

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

* YOGA-URT, 1407 ½ W Kenneth Rd., Glendale, CA 91201

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.

Yoga-urt Grand Opening Pictures

Fro-yo girl here. Congrats to Yoga-urt, LA’s first all organic, vegan froyo shop. The soft serve is also Kosher and gluten free. This past weekend was the grand opening celebration, with $1 soft serve (4 ozs) and 50% off other sizes, plus a prize raffle. On Saturday they ran out of several flavors.

I think my favorite flavor is Vanilla Harmony because I like the nutty almond milk flavor and that clean finish.

Here are a few pictures from the grand opening.

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

* YOGA-URT, 1407 ½ W Kenneth Rd., Glendale, CA 91201

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.

Innovative Froyo Shop Spotlight: Yoga-urt in Glendale, CA

Fro-yo girl here. It’s been quite some time since the last innovative froyo shop spotlight. I’m thrilled to have found a new innovative froyo shop. Yoga-Urt, which just had its soft opening last weekend, July 18-19, combines froyo with yoga and it’s organic, vegan, kosher and soy free. It’s LA’s first all organic non-dairy froyo place.

What makes Yoga-urt innovative is that it’s dairy-free, organic, all natural, and handcrafted.  Their soft serve is made with dairy milk alternatives, mostly almond milk but they also have coconut and cashew bases. They actually make their own almond milk. Plus, all Yoga-urt soft serve has four strains of live probiotics. It’s all natural and good for you. They make their own gluten free vegan cones. Yes, it’s more expensive but the quality is higher.

They've developed nine dairy-free soft serve flavors that rotate. There are six flavors a day and it’s not self serve. The flavor names are influenced by the yoga theme. I saw one tart flavor on the menu (Tantric Tart) but it wasn’t being offered that day. The flavors are true to what they should taste like. Except for Tantric Tart, the flavors aren't tangy.

Toppings include fruit (fresh and dried), granola, coconut, mochi, nuts, chocolate chips and cacao nibs. Even the toppings are healthier. The gluten free waffle cones are made with rice milk and gluten free flour.

Froyo flavors of the day:
* Vanilla harmony: I’m a big fan – it reminds me of Pressed Juicery’s vanilla almond milk soft serve (Freeze) but much better. Vanilla harmony is creamier, less icy and less gritty but it still has that nutty flavor and very clean finish. It tastes less processed/more natural and less sweet. 
* Chocolate bliss
* Salted caramel zen
* Strawberry serenity - tastes so good, like fresh strawberries but creamier
* Ganesha’s sweet greens: Features a thick cashew base, lots going on with kale, spinach and other ingredients but I kept tasting fresh mint which I really liked
* Peanut butter prana: super dense, thick, creamy with lots of peanut butter

Froyo prices: Mini $3.75/ Small $5.25/ Medium $6.75/ Large $8.25, first topping $1, 50 cents for all additional toppings

In addition to froyo, Yoga-Urt has organic smoothies and organic drinks. Cups and spoons are compostable of course. Their products are good for you and they care about the Earth.

Yoga-urt was founded by Melissa Schulman, LA based project manager and certified yoga instructor. Her dream was to provide a healthy treat for her vegan yogi friends. Yoga-urt is in quaint, health conscious Kenneth Village, close to a yoga studio.

Grand Opening July 25-26

Yoga-urt is having its grand opening event this weekend. Mini cups will be $1 and everything else is half off. They’ll be open 10:30 AM – 8 PM on Saturday, July 25 and 11 AM – 6 PM on Sunday, July 26. Also with any purchase during the grand opening weekend, you’ll get one raffle ticket and a chance to win prizes from Kenneth Village businesses.

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

* YOGA-URT, 1407 ½ W Kenneth Rd., Glendale, CA 91201

http://www.yoga-urt.com/, @yoga_urt

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.