Fell a Little Short with the Oikos Greek Yogurt
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| Oikos Greek Yogurt by Stonyfield Farm |
I was provided with product samples at no cost. I do not accept monetary compensation for writing about these products or about my experiences while using them. All opinions expressed are my own.
Given all of the training I've been doing, I'm sure you've come to the conclusion that I've been a bit behind on my blogging. Now that the Revlon Run is over, I can start catching up! Nearly a month ago, a Communications representative from Stonyfield Farm offered to send me some free coupons so I could try their Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt. Seeing as I never turn down the opportunity to try a new product, I gave the rep my mailing address and awaited the arrival of the coupons. Unfortunately, most of the stores around me don't carry the yogurt, and those that do don't accept manufacturer's coupons. So I didn't get to try the yogurt until I visited my boyfriend Stephen in Pennsylvania a couple of weeks ago.
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| Oikos Greek Yogurt (Plain) by Stonyfield Farm |
I was sent three coupons for the Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt, so I picked up three different flavors: Plain, Honey, and Blueberry. (The Blueberry was for Stephen since I'm not a fan of blueberry yogurt in general.) We started simple in our tasting and opened the Plain yogurt first.
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| Oikos Greek Yogurt (Plain) by Stonyfield Farm |
It looked innocent enough - fresh, smooth, and creamy. However, one bite of the stuff caused my face to scrunch up in a way that it had never scrunched up before. I was seriously afraid that my face might never recover. The yogurt was certainly tangy and slightly tart, but to my tastebuds, the flavor was just too overwhelming and powerful for me to even consider finishing the entire 5.3-oz. container. I tried to turn the yogurt into a dip for the vegetables Stephen was putting in our pasta salad, but my combination of spices and seasonings didn't help the situation and I wound up tossing the yogurt in the trash. Oops.
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| Oikos Greek Yogurt (Honey) by Stonyfield Farm |
Later on in the evening, I decided to give the Honey flavor a go. I figured the sweetness of the honey would help cut the tanginess of the yogurt. One problem I had with the flavored yogurt was the fact that the honey was on the bottom, necessitating digging down to get to the honey. I've seen other Greek yogurt in containers that keep the yogurt and the honey separate, so I was expecting the same from the Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt. I had wanted to drizzle the honey on top of the yogurt before tasting rather than stir the honey in to incorporate it. Of course, this problem came about due to personal preference and had absolutely nothing to do with the taste of the yogurt. Unfortunately, I didn't like this flavor combination either.
It occurred to me that, given my initial reactions, I wasn't going to become a fan of Greek yogurt overnight. Perhaps, I should have gone a different route. Rather than eating it straight out of the container, I should have used it as the base of something else. Jennifer from Savor The Thyme used the Plain yogurt in her Meyer Lemon Dressing, while Shelby from The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch used the Plain yogurt in her Yogurt Brownies. I'm not going to give up on Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt just yet. At least not until I try Jennifer and Shelby's recipes!
Have you tried Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt or any other Greek yogurt? What are your opinions? Do you prefer the yogurt right out of the container or as an ingredient in one of your favorite recipes? I'd love to find out how you guys use it!
Also, don't forget to enter the Popchips™ Coupon Giveaway! You have until 11:59pm EST on Sunday, May 10, 2009 to enter! Just leave a comment on on the giveaway post and let me know which flavor of chips you'd like to try. There will be three winners, who will be chosen at random and announced on May 11 (my birthday!!!). Make sure you enter before the deadline!
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Greek yogurt is the best! I use it in everything and it is one of my kitchen staples, up there with olive oil and salt. My favorite brand is Fage. I usually use the low fat or non fat version, but occasionally use the full fat version in dessert.
ReplyDeleteFor breakfast I like to mix a little Greek yogurt with honey and whatever granola, cereal, or fruit I have on hand.
I use it in a bazillion dinner recipes. In the winter my boyfriend's very favorite food is a black lentil soup with tomatoes and spinach. I mix Greek yogurt with curry powder, garlic powder, and salt and top the soup with the delicious concoction. It's amazing.
I use the fat free or low fat version as my main base instead of mayo in a number of recipes, like chicken curry salad and coleslaw. I like to make a dressing with it that has vinegar and garlic and serve it mixed into red quinoa and chopped green apples. I also love a delicious Persian spinach salad, which uses Greek yogurt and lemon juice over sauteed spinach and red onions.
For dessert I serve the full fat version mixed with honey and fresh berries. It's a nice alternative to fresh made whipped cream if you can't find your whisk.
Don't give up on Greek yogurt! It's so yummy and has so many diverse uses.
Adrian B-B - Wowza! Thanks for all of the suggestions! I've seen some of my coworkers eating the Fage yogurt, so I'll definitely have to try it.
ReplyDeleteOnce I get used to the taste of the yogurt, I'd love to use it for breakfast parfaits. And your black lentil soup sounds amazing!! And, I really like the idea of using the Greek yogurt rather than mayonnaise in recipes because I don't like mayo.
Hmm... Now that I think about it, why don't I just let you make me yummy food with Greek yogurt in it? ;-)
Congratulations on your great run!
ReplyDeleteI love Fage Greek yogurt, but it's so expensive I hardly buy it and Oikos is REALLY pricey. I'm jealous that you got to try it.
I like it with fresh fruit. The tang doesn't bother me and I love that it's thick, but I do add a bit of sugar. It's also good wherever you use sour cream. Try it on chili. The whole milk one is sooo luxurious that I figure it's too good to be good for you. I find so little difference between the 2% and nonfat that I go with the nonfat...when I'm feeling flush enough to buy it in the first place.
Sue - Thanks! I'm really proud of my time and of my final fundraising total. I think my Mom was helping me along that morning. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you mention the price of Greek yogurt. Even though I managed to buy three containers of the Oikos yogurt for free, I did notice that they were over $4/each. That's a lot more money than I'd usually pay for yogurt, so the cost is going to play a part in whether I buy more in the future.
Maybe I should have added a sprinkling of sugar before trying it. Just thought that would have defeated the purpose of eating the yogurt! ;-)
I mostly enjoy it with honey. But it depends...it's so good with so many things!
ReplyDeleteGail - Sounds like I'm going to have to try a different brand of Greek yogurt with some honey. A lot of people are raving about it!
ReplyDelete