Tuesday, February 28, 2012

My most favorite food product!

Here is another organic food favorite I have to share with you. This one is pretty popular and widely sold in grocery stores so you have probably seen, tried, and already eaten this. But since this is the most consumed (aside from milk) organic food item in our house, I have to add my own raves. It is:

Stonyfield Organic Yogurt


Aside from it being healthy and organic, I love this product for many reasons. 
~ It is delicious; especially my personal favorite, low-fat strawberry. Seriously, you have to try it. It tastes so good, I can never go back to eating that other kind (you know, the one that starts with "Yo" and ends with "plait").
~ It costs around $3.59 for a large, 32oz container, which is the most economic choice. It also comes in 6oz cups, 4-pack small cups for babies and toddlers, and squeezable sticks. They really have a large variety of yogurts (and other dairy products but I haven't tried all of them yet). 
~ If you go to their website and register, you can print off TONS of 0.50 off coupons. Which means if you shop at Kroger (or other stores that double coupons), you can get $1 off!
~ There are codes on the lids which you can put in under the "Stonyfield rewards" section of their website:
These points can be redeemed for all kinds of free things. I have gotten free yogurt, milk, cereal, granola bars, and magazine subscriptions. I am a fan of free things. :-)
~ This is a pretty neat company also. They are very pro-health and knowing what is in your food, anti-GMO food, and work with family farms. Their website always makes me kinda want a cow (yes, I want chickens AND a cow).

There are also many ways I use yogurt! These are my favs:
~ My girls love a bowl of yogurt for a snack, sometimes by itself or with fruit, crackers, or pretzels. 
~ In the summer time, I fill popsicle molds with 1 or 2 different flavors of yogurt and freeze them. My kids think they are the BEST popsicle treats ever! It is a healthier and cheaper option than store bought popsicles, not to mention very quick and easy.
~ I substitute yogurt for part of the milk portion called for in recipes of things like pancakes, waffles, muffins, and even biscuits. Plain yogurt and milk is a great substitute for buttermilk. 
~ It makes for really yummy smoothies. I blend up 1 banana, a couple scoops of any flavor yogurt (plain is good to keep the sugar level down), about 3/4 cup orange juice, and then about 1-2 cups of frozen fruit. This is also a favorite treat for my kids and is often a special dessert treat after dinner. 

The one negative I have to say for the low-fat flavored yogurts like strawberry or French vanilla, is the sugar content. The strawberry has 34 grams of sugar and vanilla has 28 grams but this is because they use real sugar and not artificial sweeteners. However, this is for a 1 cup serving portion, which my kids usually don't eat that much in one sitting. Also, I will mix half plain and half flavored in their snack bowls which decreases the sugar amount and they don't even notice.

There are soooo many health benefits to yogurt! Hope you and your family like to eat it and will try this organic version if you haven't done so already!

5 comments:

  1. This was my favorite as well, however I won't be eating it anymore. I'm disappointed to read in the news: "In the wake of a 12-year battle to keep Monsanto’s Genetically Engineered (GE) crops from contaminating the nation’s 25,000 organic farms and ranches, America’s organic consumers and producers are facing betrayal. A self-appointed cabal of the Organic Elite, spearheaded by Whole Foods Market, Organic Valley, and Stonyfield Farm, has decided it’s time to surrender to Monsanto. Top executives from these companies have publicly admitted that they no longer oppose the mass commercialization of GE crops, such as Monsanto’s controversial Roundup Ready alfalfa, and are prepared to sit down and cut a deal for “coexistence” with Monsanto and USDA biotech cheerleader Tom Vilsack."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that article you are referring to was published around Jan 29, 2012? Stonyfield issued a statement, or letter, on Feb 1 stating they are still taking a firm stand against GE crops. There were several questions posted about it and responses from a Stonyfield rep. One response mentions an article (not sure if it is the same one you are referring to) stating that about Whole Foods, Organic Valley and Stonyfield working with Monsanto and clearly refuted any such thing. The article can be found here:
      http://www.stonyfield.com/blog/2011/02/01/we-stand-united-in-opposition-to-ge-alfalfa/

      I guess if you think about it, all farms are going to "coexist" whether they like it or not because any farm is either going to be organic, non-organic, or a GE type of farm. Its crazy how complicated something like growing vegetables has become!

      Delete
    2. Oops! I meant 2011, not 2012.

      Delete
  2. Thank you for your response. I'm so glad to hear this! I still have an unopened yummy 32oz. yogurt (plain that I mix with frozen blueberries, soooo good!) in my fridge and I'm happy I haven't thrown it out! I'm baffled how this mis-information is still being passed around a year later. I also communicated with Organic Valley and they refuted this too which is great to hear!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great! Good to know about Organic Valley too. Enjoy your yogurt and blueberries :)

      Delete