Tubs of Greek Yogurt and Bags of Kale Don’t Lie

My Latest Homemade Yogurt Concoction.

I cook, a lot, probably more than your average person, but it wasn’t always this way. There was a time I ate out more than I’d like to admit and lived off frozen dinners, ramen noodles and cans of soup. Yes, even when I was actively losing the weight.

My shift to eating less and less processed foods and cooking more and more has been a journey, and it’s far from over. My diet is constantly changing and evolving. It’s one of the reasons I get so upset when people give others a hard time about eating this or that.

Take yogurt for example. I’ve seen people get on a soapbox about eating flavored yogurt cups. Ok, we know they are full of sugar or sweeteners but maybe, just maybe, that yogurt replaced twinkies or a chocolate cookie the size of a human head —have you seen some of these cookies, my WORD? Anyway… my point is, the yogurt may be a good choice for someone just beginning to make changes to their food choices.

I started with yogurt cups. Eating whatever lite ones were on sale. After a while I decided I didn’t want all those artificial sweeteners in my system so I started to switch to ones with just plain old sugar. Then I turned to greek for higher protein. The flavored greek cups are great (like chobani and oikos,) but when I went to BlogHer Food this year I had my first plain greek yogurt parfait and fell in love. Now I buy tubs of the plain greek and top it with fruit, nuts, seeds, honey, whatever! Honestly, there’s no going back to light flavored yogurt cups for me ever again, but without them I would not be eating homemade greek yogurt parfaits today.

I have similar histories with some fruits and vegetables that I used to buy canned, frozen or not at all. Now I enjoy fresh beets, winter squashes, mushrooms, and kale. KALE! I mean really, I don’t think I even knew what kale was 2-3 years ago, and now not only do I eat it almost weekly but I can get all three of my boys to eat kale chips. All three!

However, those same three boys (well, at least the older 2) still eat boxed cupcakes, duplex cookies, candy, and chips. And sometimes, so do I. I also like to keep a box of fish sticks in the freezer for a quick midweek meal, cans of soup for a fast lunch, and recently I tried my first EggNCheese Vita Sandwich during a busy morning juggling work and 2 kids.

Vitalicious (we’ve worked together for some time) sent me the sandwiches to try and review last month but frankly, I didn’t feel comfortable eating and posting about them right after starting the Unprocessed October challenge.

Well, as you may have noticed my UNprocessed challenge has turned into a commitment to eat LESS processed almost immediately after I started, and I’ve been having a blast keeping my #lessprocessed #foodjournal on instagram these last couple of weeks.

Making the change from UN to LESS may seem like a ridiculous game of semantics, but it relieved so much of the perfection pressure I put on myself. You know, that little mental defect that says if I can’t do it perfectly then why bother to do it at all? It’s the same reason why I always failed at diets that gave me specific food lists or had a regimented workout routine. As soon as I ate something off the list or missed the workout I threw my hands up and walked away.

The truth is, for me, right now, eating completely UNprocessed is just not possible. I’m not ready. My family isn’t ready. I will continue to make the best decisions I can, striving for less and less processed, trying new things, and focusing on whole foods, but there will be times we enjoy fast food (yes, enjoy,) indulge in Halloween candy, and grab something quick for breakfast because we over slept.

And I refuse to feel guilty about this. We live in a world of compromise and convenience. All we can do is our best to navigate it, educating ourselves and striving to always to do a little better each day, because small changes equal big changes over time. Just look in my fridge.

Tubs of greek yogurt and bags of kale don’t lie, and they weren’t in there 5 years ago.

Disclosure/Notes: This is NOT a paid post but Vitalicious sponsors the Just Roni Newsletter and provides products for sampling. All opinions expressed in the post are my own. In case you are wondering the EggNCheese was delicious! Click here to check them out and be sure to use the code RonisWeigh for 10% off.

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Food Trap Alert! Shortcake Biscuits, Joe-Joe’s Vanilla Creme Cookies, Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt Pops

Warning: This is a Delectable Desserts edition of Food Trap Alerts. If you possess an untamed food trap or haven’t quite perfected the art of greediness in moderation, please click away from this page. Click away RIGHT NOW!!! (maybe go here instead?)

Joe-Joe’s Vanilla Sammich Creme Cookies: Holla!! Best dang vanilla creme sammich cookie I ever chewed on. Every product at Trader Joe’s, including this here sammich cookie of wonderment, has no artificial crap, no GMO’s, no MSG, and no trans fats. It even has real vanilla bean specks in its creme center. You can taste the fine quality of the ingredients, which make this cookie high class compared to other vanilla cremes. But watch out for the high calorie count. Two cookies rakes in 130 calories of fattening that might stick your booty, thighs or stomachs. If you know some gremlin children who deserve a healthier cookie treat, then give them the Joe Joe’s. You can even have one cookie. But don’t you dare shove these into your food trap in mass quantities. You’ll be doing yourself a disservice of tasty destruction. Moderation only, please.

Trader Joe’s store locator.

Nutrition: Calories 130 for 2 cookies, Fat Cal, 45, Total Fat 5g, Sat Fat 1.5g, Sodium 120mg, Carbs 20g, Sugars 11g, Protein 1g

Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt: Excuse me, but Yasso is a no-no. Great concept. Bad delivery. This frozen Greek pop is nicely oversized and low in calories, but the taste is so dang invisible and bland, even the Greedy Kids were searching for the flavor. Ever slurped on a watered down cup of Kool Aid? Ever drank a can of Pepsi with zero fizz? Ever poured a bowl of cereal, only to discover someone drank up all the damn milk? Yasso is among those kinds of food disasters. Something’s just…missing.

Nutrition: Calories: 70, Fat Cal 0, Total Fat 0g, Sodium 35mg, Carbs 12g, Fiber 0g, Sugars 11g, Protein 6g  

Trader Joe’s Shortcake Biscuits: Can you haz a biscuit? You bet your ass you can! …and you must. Just like the front of the bag says, shortcake biscuits are “wonderful with fresh fruit and whipped cream”. I did that ya’ll — fresh strawberries & a touch of TJ’s whipped cream on top. The biscuit might seem hard when you first grab it, but cut it open and you get a dense, moist biscuit with a perfect touch of sweetness that knows how to get the dessert-job done right. Now please sharpen the claws of your teeth and go gnaw on one of these for yourself.

Nutrition: Calories 310, Total Fat 16g, Sodium, 430mg, Carbs 37g, Fiber 0g, Sugars 11g, Protein 4g

MORE FOOD TRAP ALERTS

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Food Trap Alert! Voskos Greek Yogurt, Dr. Praegers Sweet Potato Pancakes and Dole Fruit Smoothie Shakers

Voskos Greek Yogurt: Huh? Who? What’s this yogurt? Can it compete with that big dawg, Chobani? Voskos is thick & silky. Tastes pretty good, too. But it has less fruit chunks than Chobani and a bit more tangy tartness on the taste buds. That tang actually points to less sugar, but it also has less protein than Chobani. Voskos is nice and fancy with the “no GMO’s and no artificial hormones” hoopla, so why the hells does strawberry flavor contain modified corn starch? It’s more than likely used as a thickening agent. Because it can’t get thick on it’s own? Modified corn starch is like Viagra for yogurt. Be careful because the Voskos label warns that the product “contains milk”. Are there really people out there with such deep levels of stupid that they can’t figure that out?

Price Paid: $1.50, Calories 120, Fat Cal 0, Total Fat 0g, Sodium 50mg, Carbs, 16g, Fiber 0g, Sugars 15g, Protein 12g

Dr. Praeger’s Sweet Potato Pancakes: Excuse me, but no. These are not the kind of cakes you drench in a tsunami of syrup. These cakes are made for healthy snacking, a light meal, side-dishing, or something along those lines. They’ve won a place in my stomachs that can’t be beat by any other sweet potatoe-ish packaged product. They’ll remind you of a hash brown. Nice and hearty, too. Just bake it up for a few minutes on each side and begin to bask in tasty clean eating gone all kinds of wonderfully right. The fine list of acceptable ingredients is “Sweet Potatoes, Egg Whites, Potato Flakes, Onions, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Arrowroot, Brown Sugar, Salt, Pepper”. Ahhhh. Now go. Go enjoy some for yourself.

Price Paid $4.29, Calories 80, Fat Cal 20, Total Fat 2g, Sodium 140mg, Carbs 12g, Fiber 1g, Sugars 6g, Protein 2g

Dole Fruit Smoothie Shakers:  This is a “fruit & yogurt kit” that you pour juice into. Then you shake it up and it transforms into a smoothie. No blender required. The concept is great, but there’s too many gray area variables that can screw with the final result. My freezer is apparently freezier than the one at the store. I had to semi-thaw out the contents before it would even shake & mix. You pour the juice of your choice up to the “fill zone” before shaking. I did that. But the shake tasted more like the juice than anything else. It did achieve an impressive smoothie consistency, but overall, it’s not a win. People who don’t usually do smoothies might think the world of Fruit Smoothie Shakers, but if you’re a smoothie-making connoisseur like I am, it might just piss you off.

Price Paid: $3.99, Calories 90 (w/o juice), Fat Cal 20, Total Fat 2g, Sodium 35mg, Carbs 17g, Fiber 3g, Sugars 23g, Protein 3g 

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Greedy Giveaway! Chobani Champions Kids’ Greek Yogurt

If you haven’t tried Chobani Greek yogurt yet, what the hellz are you waiting for!? Chobani is the real deal, everybody. And now greedy children scattered all over the place can set aside that horrific, artificially-laden Trix yogurt and get on the Champions bandwagon.

But ya know what? I’m loving Chobani Champions, too. Have you seen it at grocery store? Orange Vanilla is my favorite (it tastes like a creamsicle), and its smaller portion size is great for all you calorie-counting peeps. There are four flavors, ranging from 100-110 calories, all with 8 grams of protein. Go to ChobaniChampions.com to read up on all the fun the flavors and get nutrition info.

In the video: Greedy Baby is chowing down on Chobani Champions.

The Giveaway

Three winners will be randomly chosen. Each of you will receive one full case of Chobani Champions Kids Greek Yogurt. Niiice!How To Enter

Leave a comment and tell me: What do you do when you get to the bottom of your yogurt cup? Do you scrape the bottom with your spoon, or do you lick the yogurt remnants out the cup?  (I do both, depending on how hungry I am.)

Your chance to enter ends Tuesday, 3/6/12. Winners announced by 3/8/12. United States entries only. Totally null and void where prohibited.

Ready? Set. GO!

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Dannon Activia Selects 0% Fat Greek Yogurt (Strawberry) Review

When we asked in our poll, How Do You Yogurt, 60% of you responded that Greek yogurt was your thing. I'm more of a low-fat, low-sugar type of girl, but when I saw
Dannon Activia Selects Non Fat Strawberry Greek Yogurt, I decided to try it.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 6 ounces
Calories: 190
Total Fat: 0%
Saturated Fat: 0%
Sodium: 140 mg, 6%
Carbohydrates: 34 grams
Fiber: 0%
Sugars: 29 grams
Protein: 12 grams

I loved the texture, which is very thick & creamy as it says on the packaging. It's also rampant with bits of strawberries - it felt like there was some in every bite so I wasn't surprised to see that it's 3rd ingredient. What I also wasn't surprised to see is that sugar is the 4th ingredient, because this is suh-weet - not so sweet that you can't eat it, but it made me curious to see how much sugar is in each serving. Turns out there are 29 grams - which is quite a lot for a 6 ounce serving size - much more sugar in this than in Dannon Strawberry Greek Yogurt (Review), which has 16 grams per 5.3 ounce serving (or 18 grams in 6 ounces).

Each 6 ounce serving of Dannon Activia Selects Non Fat Strawberry Greek Yogurt provides 190 calories, no fat or fiber, 29 grams of sugars as previously mentioned, and 12 grams of protein.

The ingredients in Dannon Activia Selects Non Fat Strawberry Greek Yogurt are cultured grade A non-fat milk, water, strawberries, sugar, fructose, milk protein concentrate; less than 1% of maltodextrin, modified corn starch, modified food starch, natural flavors, carrageenan, carmine and black carrot juice concentrate (for color), sodium citrate, potassium sorbate (to maintain freshness), malic acid, vitamin D3.

There are quite a few strawberry Greek yogurts with less calories and sugars than this, including Oikos Organic Strawberry Greek Yogurt (Review), Chobani 2% All Natural Strawberry Banana Greek Yogurt (Review) and Brown Cow Strawberry on the Bottom All Natural 0% Fat Greek Yogurt (Review).

I paid $1.00 for a 6 ounce container of Dannon Activia Selects Non Fat Strawberry Greek Yogurt, and although it's tasty, I wouldn't buy this again given all the other lower caloric and less sugar options.

{Website: Dannon Activia Selects}

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Dannon Greek Yogurt (Strawberry) Review

We've reviewed a lot of the Dannon Light & Fit Yogurts since they are non-fat and low calorie. Greek yogurts tend to have more protein and are usually all natural - and it seems they are all the rage these days, but I associate companies such as Fage and Chobani with Greek yogurt, not Dannon. So when I saw Dannon Strawberry Greek Yogurt, I decided to give it a try.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 5.3 ounces
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 0%
Saturated Fat: 0%
Sodium: 55 mg, 2%
Carbohydrates: 17 grams
Fiber: 0%
Sugars: 16 grams
Protein: 12 grams

Surprise! Dannon's approach towards Greek yogurt is a home run. After a thorough mixing, the strawberry jam-like creation nestled beneath the ultra thick white cloud of yogurt become one and transform into a bounty of beautiful light pink creamy spoonfuls enhanced by bits of strawberries here and there. Yes, they use preservatives, sweeteners and thickeners, but they also deliver an amazingly delicious product and can manage to sell their product for about $1.00; which is less than many other companies, exhibited by the $1.89 cup of Fage.

Each 5.3 ounce cup of Dannon Strawberry Greek Yogurt provides 120 calories, no fat or fiber, 16 grams of sugars and 12 grams of protein. A 4 ounce container of Yoplait Strawberry Greek Yogurt provides 130 calories and 18 grams of sugars with the same 12 grams of protein - so Dannon beats it out handily.

The ingredients in Dannon Strawberry Greek Yogurt are, cultured grade A non-fat milk, strawberries, water, sugar, fructose, contains less than 1% of modified corn starch, natural flavor, carrageenan, black carrot juice concentrate, turmeric and carmine (for color), sodium citrate, potassium sorbate (to maintain freshness), malic acid.

Greek yogurt takes the yogurt experience to a creamy, delicious level that just can't be beat, and it seems to make me more satisfied than other yogurts - could be the protein. Dannon provides a cheaper way to enjoy the full experience, although it's not all natural (nor advertised as such). It is so creamy and perfectly sweetened that it could even serve as a delightfully satisfying dessert.

{Website: Dannon Yogurt}

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Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt (Strawberry) Review

(Photo Credit: Ronis Weigh)

I received a few coupons for Oikos Organic Yogurt a few weeks ago, and I've had a heck of a time finding them in my local grocery stores! When I finally found them at a D'Agostino's near me, I checked out the Strawberry flavor.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 4 ounces (113 grams)
Calories: 90
Total Fat: 0%
Saturated Fat: 0%
Sodium: 60 mg, 3%
Carbohydrates: 12 grams
Fiber: 0%
Sugars: 12 grams
Protein: 10 grams
Unlike the cloyingly sweet Oikos Honey yogurt, these were delicious. The strawberry preserve stuff mixed beautifully with the not-so-thick yogurt, making for a slightly more substantial fruit-on-the-bottom cup.The flavor was really spot on, making this one of my favorite Greek yogurt varieties.

Each 4-ounce Oikos Organic Strawberry Greek Yogurt provides 90 calories, no fat, 12 grams of sugars, no fiber, 10 grams of protein, and 10% of the daily value for calcium.

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The ingredients include cultured pasteurized organic nonfat milk, organic strawberries, organic sugar, pectin, organic natural flavor, organic elderberry juice concentrate (for color), and five live and active cultures.

I bought a 4-pack for $3.99 (on sale), and would definitely buy these again on sale. The amount of protein is perfect, and it's not too sweet. What's your favorite brand of Greek yogurt?

{Website: Oikos Greek Yogurt}

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Greedy Giveaway! Chobani Greek Yo-Yo-YOGURT!

90 Days of Shakeology: Days 17-21 Well, it looks like I’m officially in Smooth Sailing mode. Everything has leveled out into the upper-echelons of energy, appetite control and plain ‘ole bliss. Days 17-21 ran into my weekend. My busy weekend mommy-mode typically leaves me feeling rundown, tore up and whimpering with pathetic sorrows. But alas! This is a new experience EVER IN MY LIFE that I have not whimpered or felt like a de-energized floor mat. Not even my No-Sugar Experiment (which was still frackin’ awesome) trumps the high energy levels I have right now. I can handle mommy-mode like the Energizer Bunny. In a nutshell, I just don’t get exhausted like I used to. Sure, I get tired. I yawn and I nap at will, but except for that “all-my-fault” incident I recorded on Days 13-14, the sorrows of exhaustion are not part of life like they used to be. In other news, I finally got around to posting my Day 18 body picture. As of that day, I officially lost 4.2 pounds since starting Shakeology. Pretty awesome stuff. Let’s keep this thing rollin’.

Get the complete details of my 90-Day Shakeology experiment.

Read the Shakeology success stories.

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Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt (Honey)

I received a couple of coupons for free Oikos Nonfat Greek Yogurt 4-packs a while back, and I've had a heck of a time finding them! When I finally found them at a D'Agostino's near me, I opted to try the Honey flavor. This cost me $5.85, but I've seen it on sale for $3.99.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 4 ounces (113 grams)
Calories: 90
Total Fat: 0%
Saturated Fat: 0%
Sodium: 40 mg, 2%
Carbohydrates: 13 grams
Fiber: 0%
Sugars: 13 grams
Protein: 10 grams
The yogurt had kind of a strange flavor - a little more tart and sour than even regular non-fat Greek yogurt, and the honey was quite sweet on it's own. In fact, a little too much so. When it was mixed with the yogurt, though, they did balance each other out fairly well. As with the other Oikos yogurts I've experienced, this isn't as thick as Fage, but in this fruit on the bottom format (or rather, honey on the bottom), that wasn't necessarily a bad thing as it made mixing it together a little easier. sponsor

Each 4-ounce cup of Oikos Organic Honey Greek Yogurt provides 90 calories, no fat or fiber, 13 grams of sugars, 10 grams of protein and 10% of the daily value for calcium. The ingredients include cultured pasteurized organic nonfat milk, organic honey, organic sugar, pectin, organic carob bean gum, and five live active cultures.

Overall, this yogurt is just a "meh" in my book because I couldn't get used to the flavor which just seemed a little off. I prefer to just buy Fage 0% Greek Yogurt and dress it up as I like.

{Website: Oikos}

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Chobani 2% All Natural Greek Yogurt (Strawberry Banana)

(Photo Credit: Food in Real Life)

I tried Chobani 2% All Natural Pineapple Yogurt and enjoyed it so much that I decided to try another flavor, so I picked up the 2% Strawberry Banana variety.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 6 ounces
Calories: 160
Total Fat: 3 grams, 5%
Saturated Fat: 2 grams, 10%
Sodium: 65 mg, 3%
Carbohydrates: 19 grams
Fiber: 1 gram, 4%
Sugars: 17 grams
Protein: 14 grams

This is a fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt, and it tastes delicious. The 2% yogurt makes all the difference in terms of offering rich, creamy flavor, and the strawberry banana flavor wasn't too sweet. I didn't succeed in stirring mine completely together, but I enjoyed the jelly-like fruit on the bottom. Yum! I was fully satisfied after eating this as a snack, which is saying a lot.

Each 6-ounce container of Chobani 2% All Natural Strawberry Banana Greek Yogurt provides 160 calories, 3 grams of total fat which includes 2 grams of saturated fat (5% and 10% of the daily value), 1 gram of fiber, 17 grams of sugars and 14 grams of protein. There is also 15% of the daily value for calcium.

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The ingredients include cultured pasteurized nonfat milk, cream, evaporated cane juice, strawberries, bananas, natural flavors, locust bean gum, pectin, and fruit and vegetable juice, as well as five live active cultures. This yogurt is also all natural, gluten free and 'vegetarian friendly' as it's made without gelatin.

I paid $1.69 for a container, which is about standard for the different brands of Greek yogurt. The protein content is sky high, but the sugar content is way up there also, but as I mentioned, this was very filling for me. Sometimes I have a little less than a half with breakfast, and then the rest I make into an after-workout protein shake. That way, I'm not consuming as much sugar at once.

{Website: Chobani}

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Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt (Honey)

I received a couple of coupons for free Oikos Nonfat Greek Yogurt 4-packs a while back, and I've had a heck of a time finding them! When I finally found them at a D'Agostino's near me, I opted to try the Honey flavor. This cost me $5.85, but I've seen it on sale for $3.99.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 4 ounces (113 grams)
Calories: 90
Total Fat: 0%
Saturated Fat: 0%
Sodium: 40 mg, 2%
Carbohydrates: 13 grams
Fiber: 0%
Sugars: 13 grams
Protein: 10 grams
The yogurt had kind of a strange flavor - a little more tart and sour than even regular non-fat Greek yogurt, and the honey was quite sweet on it's own. In fact, a little too much so. When it was mixed with the yogurt, though, they did balance each other out fairly well. As with the other Oikos yogurts I've experienced, this isn't as thick as Fage, but in this fruit on the bottom format (or rather, honey on the bottom), that wasn't necessarily a bad thing as it made mixing it together a little easier. sponsor

Each 4-ounce cup of Oikos Organic Honey Greek Yogurt provides 90 calories, no fat or fiber, 13 grams of sugars, 10 grams of protein and 10% of the daily value for calcium. The ingredients include cultured pasteurized organic nonfat milk, organic honey, organic sugar, pectin, organic carob bean gum, and five live active cultures.

Overall, this yogurt is just a "meh" in my book because I couldn't get used to the flavor which just seemed a little off. I prefer to just buy Fage 0% Greek Yogurt and dress it up as I like.

{Website: Oikos}

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