Dole Real Fruit Bites: Apple Chunks

Yogurt covered fruit snacks are one of those things I really like, yet never remember to buy. So when the nice PR people behind these Dole snacks sent me a box containing three new varieties, I was pretty excited.

I decided to start with the Apple Chunks because I don't think there are enough apple snacks out there. (The other flavors coming up are Pineapple and Mango) The Apple Chunks Real Fruit Bites are sold in bags of six individually wrapped packets with 90 calories each. (Although if you look at the website, it is listed as 80 calories per packet -- so I don't know what happened there.)



There are roughly a dozen individual bites in a packet. The bites are nicely sized -- about the dimensions (and shape) of chocolate covered peanuts. They're lightly coated in vanilla yogurt, with little speckles of whole grain oats.



Their aroma isn't strong, but it is pleasant. Think of sweet and floral apples, and just a little hint of the vanilla yogurt. (It would make a pretty good Yankee Candle!)



As for the taste? The yogurt gives a slightly tart bite that pairs well with ripe, sweet apple. A truly good combination!

The oat flavor was a lot stronger in some chunks than others. On the strongest pieces, it was like having a mouth full of uncooked, solid apple-flavored oatmeal. I much preferred the pieces that had less oats in them (as I am not a huge fan of oatmeal to begin with). But if you love oatmeal, this would be a definite selling point.



The texture is interesting. While not hard or crunchy at all, at the same time it was not mushy or like a jelly candy. I think the best way to describe it would be to say that the texture is firm and almost papery. Imagine an apple that had been cut and left out long enough that the surface moisture was gone, but had not yet turned brown (and thus mushy). I realize that probably sounds strange -- but it's one of those things where the more you eat them, the more you want to eat them. I could see these being tasty in cereals (hot or cold) and even over ice cream.

Yep, these are really good. If you see them, you ought to give them a try.



PURCHASED FROM: Sample from company

CALORIES: 90 calories per packet

ADDITIONAL INFO: Contains sulfites, milk and soy. Ingredients processed in a facility that handles tree nuts, wheat, and other cereal grains.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: dole.com

Jala Vanilla Pomegranate Swirl Bar

I happen to really like yogurt. I like most styles, I like it in smoothies or those yogurt drinks, and it goes without saying that I like it frozen. So, being the spoiled brat that I am, my mother -- knowing that I like both vanilla frozen yogurt and pomegranate -- got me this box of bars.

I have never seen Jala local to me at home (as I write this I am in Atlanta), but according to their website, each bar has only 110 calories, contains antioxidants and probiotics, is low fat and might make me less grouchy... OK, it doesn't claim that last part, but my mother was hoping.

Anyway, so I have this rather generously sized bar in front of me (I am kind of a size queen with my frozen goodies) and so far, so good. It's a snowy white and the pomegranate swirl in the center adds a nice esthetic touch. I let it soften a bit before trying it.



And, well...honestly, I was kinda underwhelmed. It's not that the bar tasted bad -- it's just that it really didn't taste of much at all. It was as if I tried really really hard, I could kinda maybe sorta pick up a hint of vanilla, but the main flavor was simply "cold." The pomegranate swirl was somewhat pleasant, but it tasted more like pom-flavored syrup than the actual fruit -- and looking at the ingredient list for the swirl confirmed that pom-flavored syrup is pretty much what it was.

The texture was reasonably smooth but a little grainy. But that seems to be the typical way of the yogurt bar, so I would place the Jala bar at about average on texture.



I really wanted to like the bar, and it's not that I disliked it -- I just felt like I'd eaten 110 calories of "cold air" flavored stuff. But I would love to give their Lemon Sweet Tea Swirl flavor a go, so I will defiantly be giving Jala a second chance. This one, however, was a big disappointment.



PURCHASED FROM:
Found in my mother's freezer, where it will probably remain.

CALORIES:
110 calories per bar

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains milk and soy. Processed in a facility that uses tree nuts & peanuts.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
jalabars.com

Ritter Sport: Waldbeer Joghurt

It's been a while since my last Ritter Sport review, and I had this bar calling to me from my kitchen.



I've ended up being a fan of all of the joghurt (yogurt) bars in the Ritter line I have had so far. So I had high hopes for the Waldbeer Joghurt bar. All the verbiage on the wrapper was in German, but the picture showed the wild berries were a mix of blueberry, blackberry, and strawberry. Not only are the flavors there, but there are also little bits of dried fruit mixed into the filling. There is also crispy rice, all contained in a neat little milk chocolate square.



The center filling has a pleasant tang to it. I wouldn't pin it down as yogurt if I didn't know what it is -- but I liked it because it kept the bar from being too sweet.

The berry flavor is good, but it's just sort of a generic berry. I can't say that any one of the berries stood out any stronger than the others. It's certainly not bad. There's just nothing about it that made me go, "hmmmmmmmm, blueberry!"

The dried bits of fruit and the rice crisps added a nice bit of crunchy texture. The fruit bits seemed to be almost entirely strawberry.



The milk chocolate was smooth and creamy. The melt is fantastic and rich. There is the perfect ratio of chocolate to the filling, so that you get a good mixture of the two tastes.

This was a really tasty little bar! Jim thought so too, so be sure to check out his review here.



PURCHASED FROM:
The German Deli (Upland, California)

PRICE:
$3.50

CALORIES:
568 calories per bar.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
ritter-sport.com

Yoplait Light Yogurt: Red Velvet Cake

It may have been five years of living in Georgia that did it...but I just love me some red velvet cake, y'all. And while red velvet cake has always been a regional favorite in the Deep South, it seems to have become more popular in other places over the last couple of years. It's even appearing in my Southern California supermarket bakery, as well as in a cupcake version made by Little Debbie. (I would take credit for spreading the word, but I think Paula Deen had more to do with it than I did.)

In case you're unfamiliar, red velvet cake is always colored bright red. Kinda like they rendered down some of Elmo's lesser-known kin into a food coloring base. The flavor is often called a cross between a chocolate and a yellow cake. But all of the best ones that I have had -- in terms of both texture and flavor -- have been more like a lightly cocoa-flavored version of a pound cake. Really dense, rich and buttery. The cake version is always topped with a cream cheese frosting. And do I really have to say more than cream cheese frosting?!

Well, when I saw this flavor I simply had to try it...although, to be honest, I have yet to find a chocolate yogurt I have really liked. Something about chocolate and yogurt just doesn't seem to work for me (though I love chocolate frozen yogurt, so figure that one out).

So how did it taste?



Well, first, let's talk about how it looked. I wasn't expecting the bright rendered-Elmo-relative red of an actual slice of red velvet cake. This shade, however, is a very familiar pink. Familiar as in Pepto-Bismol pink. Or perhaps aging Barbie pink would be a better way to put it.

The flavor, thankfully, is far and away better than the color. The best way I can describe it is to tell you it's like raw birthday cake batter mixed into yogurt, with just a little touch of chocolate. Maybe that doesn't sound like it would be good...but it sure is!



It has a strong, buttery yellow cake taste (hence "birthday cake"). Right after the sweetness of the cake flavor wears off, the tang of the yogurt takes over. It really is the perfect hybrid of flavors. The yogurt tartness keeps the sweetness of the cake flavor from seeming to be too artificial. The sweetness is just enough that it makes you feel like you are having something that is sinful -- even if you're not.

The texture is uniformly smooth. There are no chunks, cake pieces, or swirls of frosting (not that I would have expected them). It is thinner than full fat/calorie yogurt, yet not so thin that it seems more like a dip than a real yogurt.

Whether you are watching your diet or not, this is just damn good yogurt!



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$.79

CALORIES:
110 Calories per 6 ounce container

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
yoplait.com

Yoplait Delights Parfait: Raspberry Chocolate

Marvo talked about the Yoplait Delights on The Impulsive Buy's Podcast episode number 4...of course, he also dances in a dress...

While there is no dancing in this review, I actually did get to taste the Raspberry Chocolate parfait.



The cups are divided into two layers. The top portion is the Barbie doll pink layer of raspberry, and below that is a light brown chocolate layer.



The raspberry layer was my favorite of the two. It's the type of raspberry that tastes more like raspberry flavor than like actual fresh raspberries. It's sweet more than tangy. It's almost like a raspberry candy. In fact, it's like a soft version of a Raspberry Creme Saver. I would actually eat a full sized container of this flavor alone.

The chocolate side was a little harder to get used to. I think this is because in terms of color and texture it looks like chocolate pudding -- so then, though I knew it isn't pudding, for some reason I kept expecting that type of flavor, which isn't fair because -- DUH, it's yogurt. The chocolate side is more tart than the raspberry. It reminded me of soy chocolate milk. There is a very mild chocolate taste along with a tangy yogurt finish.

The texture for both flavors is very creamy and thick. One of the things I don't like about some of the "lite" yogurts is that they can be thin and runny. (Yes, Dannon, I am looking at you.) But there is no such issue with the Parfaits. It's comparable to its higher calorie siblings.

I am not sure chocolate is ever going to be my favorite yogurt flavor, but I am chalking that up to personal preference rather than a funky product. I did like the raspberry side, and I like the idea of the Parfaits. And I am definitely looking forward to trying the lemon flavor!




PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt: Cantaloupe

It has been really hot here in good old SoCal the last couple of days. And when it's this hot, I like my snacks to be light and refreshing (and usually ice creamy). Yogurt is always a good go-to snack, and there are enough flavors out there I could probably do an entire blog just on that. (But I won't, so don't worry).

Well, Dannon has added melon flavors to their Light & Fit line. Nice!



Color-wise, it reminded me of a chunk-free version of In-N-Out's burger dressing. In fact, just looking at it made me want a Double Double more than I wanted yogurt. A more poetic way to describe it would have be to say that it is a lovely orange chiffon shade. Kinda like something Blanche would have worn on The Golden Girls.



As for the flavor? I liked it. They actually did make it taste exactly like a sweet ripe slice of cantaloupe. It even has that vaguely banana/rose water taste that cantaloupe has. There is just a slight tang from the yogurt. (Come to think of it, this would make a fantastic smoothie base.) I was really impressed at how natural it tastes. I was worried that it would either taste like bad candy or have a vile after taste from the artificial sweeteners, but those fears were unfounded.



Thankfully, this is not a fruit-on-the-bottom type of yogurt. I love fruit on the bottom, but I can't imagine that cantaloupe would hold up very well. The texture is very smooth, but it's neither rich nor creamy...but since this is a fat free, low calorie yogurt, I didn't expect it to be. The only thing I didn't really care for is the consistency. It is very runny. (In that context, I definitely prefer Yoplait's low cal/fat options.) But even with the thinness of the yogurt, it still tasted pretty good and I would certainly get it again.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Milka Strawberry Yoghurt Milk Chocolate Bar

I love the combination of yogurt and chocolate. It makes me wonder why American companies don't use it more.

Lucky for me, the fine folks at Milka have made such a bar!



I loved the smell when I opened the wrapper. It was a big whiff of a fresh chocolate-covered strawberry (you know, the cute ones with the little tux painted on), as imagined by Febreze. Fake, but still pleasant.



This is by far the best of the Milka bars I have tried so far. I think the reason why I like it so much is that the chocolate takes a back seat to the filling. Actually, the chocolate barely even registers. It's there, it's sweet and it adds a creamy texture, but beyond that it's forgettable.

I liked the filling. The yogurt (being lazy and using the American spelling) is tangy and cuts the sweetness of the chocolate. The strawberry is completely and utterly unnatural. In fact, it reminds me of a candy version of Crunch Berries. It's a "strawberry" that is so un-strawberrylike that you almost can't help but liking it. Much like the Ritter Sport version, it also contains some hard, presumably freeze-dried strawberry bits. But there seems not to be as many of the bits in the Milka bar as in the Ritter bar.

I really liked this bar. Jim reviewed this bar a bit ago (read his review HERE). Jim didn't like the bar as much I did. But I still like him, lol!



PURCHASED FROM:
German Deli

Jack In The Box Pomegranate Berry Smoothie

Marvo over at The Impulse Buy actually beat me to reviewing this (read his review HERE) and because I am feeling lazy I have used the same stock photo he did (yeah, sometimes Googling for myself is just too hard)
Since Pom is a wonder fruit will it make me less lazy? probably not- and even if it could the smoothie is so weighted down with sugar that my bloated (from the dairy) yet hyper (from the sugar) self will probably just choose to ooze myself onto the couch with some knitting.

The smoothies are a mix of frozen yogurt, raspberry, blueberry, cranberry and Pom juices (least you think an actual piece of fruit made it any where near your smoothie). Maybe it was just the combo of all the berry juices but to me it tasted the most like Cran-Raspberry juice. The yogurt added a little thickness and a vague creamy value. I think the easiest way to sum it up would be to imagine taking store brand cran-raspberry juice that had been opened and started to get that stale taste old juice get and mixed that with some milk.

I should have just stayed with the 2 for 99 cent taco's (hey at least you get to play guess the meat!)

PURCHASED FROM:
Jack In The Box

Yoplait Light- Blueberry Patch Yogurt

This may be hands down the BEST blueberry yogurt period!
Not only does this yogurt have the perfect balance of sweet and tangy base flavor.
But rather then having just a swirl of blueberry on the bottom or the top, it has whole large blueberries! What could possibly be better then entire, plump berries?!

This is one of those products I can only gush over.

PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Yoplait Light- Strawberry Shortcake Yogurt

Who doesn't like strawberry shortcake- well if the latest commercials are to be believed Richard Simmons and his short shorts- and me
Well... that is not entirely true. I do in fact like freshly made strawberry shortcake (although I prefer it made with pound cake rather then sponge cake or biscuits)

What I didn't like was Yoplait's version. I have to say that by and large I have been a fan of the Light line. The flavors are tasty, fruit packed and just all around good.

None of those things can be said for the strawberry shortcake. I can describe this flavor for you perfectly. Remember when you were a kid and were sick and got prescribed those liquid sulfur drugs? the ones that the pharmacy would stick "strawberry" flavor in to make just a touch less vile? THAT is what this Yoplait flavor tastes like. That is exactly what it tastes like- with a little way fake vanilla-type batter flavor. The best part about this yogurt was that it was a small container and was over quickly.

In the future both Richard and I will be on the sidelines for this one.

PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Yoplait Light- Pineapple Upside Down Cake Yogurt

Yes, I am on a yogurt kick again!
I tend to stay away from pineapple flavored items. The flavoring always either seems too sweet for me or it has this weird almost powdered texture. But I was intrigued by the dessert type flavor of this yogurt and gave it a try.

Honestly, I don't think I have had pineapple upside down cake more then twice in my life. No reason, it was just not a big thing in my household. But I love the idea of it. Crunchy topping, sweet bottom- Yum!

The base of the yogurt is a sweet vanilla that almost tastes like cake batter. There is definitely brown sugar flavoring. And there are small chunks of pineapple mixed in.

I could see where this would easily satisfy my sweet tooth- and at only 110 calories per cup it's a lot of bang for the bucks.


This was really good and has been added to my staples list.

PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Starbucks Sorbetto- Tangy Tropical Mango

Sorbetto is a new drink that Starbucks is launching in select L.A.area stores.
Lucky me that I just happen to work near such a store!

The Sorbetto is a 10 oz. cold drink that is yogurt based and flavored with various fruits. According to Starbucks the drink was inspired by the drinks found in the cafe's of Italy. While I am full blooded Italian I have never actually been to Italy (sad I know) so may be i am missing something but I can't think of any yogurt based Italian drinks. I even came up dry over at Wikipedia! What the drink does remind me of is an Indian lassi. And I LOOOOOOVE me some lassi's!

The first thing you notice- besides the headscratching ode to Italy is that the drink is, relatively speaking tiny. At a mere 10 oz's for $2.95 I was starting to wonder if maybe I should have stuck with my normal quad-latte (I am hard core). Of course you knew I was not going to let the chance for a review pass so I ponied up.

The drink as it turns out was well worth skipping the coffee for. The yogurt- which is the very trendy Pinkberry is smooth and tart- but not face puckering tart. The mango which is swirled on top is great. It's sweet and they don't overload the drink with it. If your lucky enough to be near one of the stores carrying these drinks try them! They are surprisingly refreshing!

Trader Joes Matcha Green Tea Yogurt

I love green tea!
I love yogurt!
So why didn't I love green tea yogurt?

The color was appealing. The smell was good. The texture was a little thin but I could over look that. No, I think it was because the best way to describe the flavor would be to tell you that it is like eating spinach yogurt. Yes, you read that right- spinach.

And I mean spinach yogurt in the worst possible sense. Imagine you took a brick of frozen spinach, defrosted it, squeezed the "juice" that comes out of said brick of spinach into some thin, lowfat yogurt. THEN you pureed some of the spinach into the yogurty sludge. Well that is what I feel like I have eaten.

Since TJ's has so few misses this one saddens me but certainly won't keep me from continuing to try more of their products.


PURCHASED FROM:
Trader Joe's

Trader Joes's Greek Style Yogurt- Honey

I am thinking if the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee got a hold of some of this he would have a new breakfast staple.
I am also thinking "Did I just date myself by mentioning the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee?" do they even still use him in the ad's?

Possibly retired cereal spokesbee's aside. Trader Joe's Greek Style yogurt is definitely strong on the honey flavor. While there is no visible trace of the honey it is the dominate flavor. The honey is strong (very strong) with floral notes and it makes the yogurt very sweet.
The texture is that great, smooth, cool sour cream-like texture that I love in Greek yogurt. What I miss with this particular flavor is the tanginess that Greek Yogurt has. There is none to be found here. Since this is the first of the TJ's Greek yogurt I have tried I am unsure if they're version is always like this or if the intense sweetness of the honey does away with it.

If you are a fan of honey, you would love this yogurt. For me the honey was over powering but I like the yogurt it's self enough to want to keep trying other flavors.


PURCHASED FROM:
Trader Joe's

Yoplait Light Apple Turnover Yogurt

I am warning you guys now we are going to have A LOT of yogurt this week!
Warm weather gets me on a yogurt kick so I have stocked my fridge. The first one I tried was the Yoplait Light Apple Turnover.
I have noticed that light yogurt tends to be either really bad or really good so I was not sure what to expect. Luckily for me the Apple Turnover was on the really good side.

The flavor is light and sweet. The flavor reminded me of baked cinnamon apples. The yogurt it's self is creamy and smooth and surprisingly light on the tang factor. Because of that it made it more satisfying as a sweet snack. The little bites of apple brought some crunch and a slight bitter edge. My only compliant with this yogurt is that the amount of apple bits is pretty sparse.

Really tasty overall and for a 100 calorie snack that is also fat free and relatively good for you it is hard to do better. This gets a coveted 11!

Ritter Sport- Joghurt (yogurt) Bar

Really I am not obsessed with Ritter Sport!
OK I kind of am!
I like the seemingly endless variety of bars that they have- AND the alcohol inspired flavored bars were both pretty darn good. With all the things I review even the things I really like I rarely finish. I have already had to buy another of the Pear bars.

So how was the yogurt bar?
Yogurt seemed like an odd filling to start with. It wasn't bad. It reminded me almost of a cheesecake brownie. The yogurt was bitter but had a slight sweetness to it. The after taste is tangy, more like sour cream then yogurt.
As a filling it grew on me.

What I wasn't sold on was the milk chocolate. It was very creamy and had a smooth melt to it. I just thought it was way too sweet. This would be great with a dark chocolate or a less sweet milk.

Froot Loops Smoothie

Having a MAJOR Froot Loops addiction any time they come up with something new I am all over it.
Recently at my local market I saw the new Froot Loops Smoothie edition. Whats so special about it is that some of the pieces have a yogurt coating... um OK.
How bad could it be

Well it's not bad (as if Froot Loops could possibly be bad!), but honestly flavor wise I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the Smoothie version and the Classic version if my life depended on it. In fact the only way to tell the difference is that the yogurt coated pieces have the texture and bite of stale Froot Loops.

Was the yogurt supposed to have flavor?
Was the texture supposed to be different?
Were they trying to keep me from buying yet another of the Marshmallow boxes?
Toucan Sam I beg of you to explain the mystery to me!


PURCHASED FROM:
Publix Supermarket

Yoplait Yogurt- Passion Fruit

Clearly I like yogurt

I was thinking about it and while I have had a ton of things that are Passion Fruit flavored I have never actually eaten a Passion Fruit. With that in mind I can't accurately tell you how true to life the flavor is- but I can tell you that it is on par with any of the other passion fruit flavorings I have ever had.
It's a strong, almost floral taste.

Personally, on it's own it is a little too sweet for me but I would be willing to bet it would make a fantastic addition to a smoothie.

Dannon Activia Yogurt- Prune Flavor

There are so many jokes that can be made they practically write themselves!

The Activia line from Dannon's hook is that it contains the active cultures "Bifidus Regularis" which if you eat the yogurt every day for two weeks is supposed to help regulate your digestive system. And of course we all know what Prunes are famous for. That's why the thought of the Ex-Lax of the yogurt world being made with the Ex-Lax of the fruit world just sort of struck my funny bone.

And well, maybe this should be no surprise but I like prunes. Yes, I am saying it loud and proud I LIKE PRUNES!
Even after the recent attempt at renaming them "pitted plums" they are still looked down on. Which is a shame. They're sweet, and juicy and well yes if you need a little extra help "getting the job done" well they are good for that too.

The yogurt is good- really good.
The texture is smooth and creamy. Flavor-wise it reminded me of a cross between plum and raspberry. There are small bits of prune mixed in.

It may seem like the worst idea ever but give it a chance because it is worth it.

Cabot Greek Style Yogurt- Chocolate

No I am not obsessed!

OK, I kind of am.
Another day, another Greek yogurt.
Chocolate was today's choice. I tried to get a good photo of the yogurt it's self but my camera was not working with me. It is a beautiful milky cocoa color.

The tanginess that was so overt with the vanilla is just as strong here. Honestly I didn't care for that at first- just like with the vanilla. But it grows on you and you find yourself dipping back into the container as easily as singing along to "Copacabana" at the top of your lungs when you think no one is looking.
The chocolate flavor reminded me of dutch cocoa powder. Had the yogurt not been tangy the chocolate wouldn't have been sweet enough. It would have been like eating melted baking chocolate. But everything balances out for the better.

The peach is still my favorite but all three flavors will work they're way into my cart again.