Tried the "first ever" Greek Frozen Yogurt Bar yet?

WE HAVE!  How could today possibly be the first day of Spring?! Seriously, more snow. Someone make it stop. The only good thing is that we have to look forward to warm days to come and that means more excuses to have some of our favorite summer treats. So awhile back I posted a sneak peek of a super fun package we received from Yasso. In case you don't yet who Yasso is, well they created the first "ever" Greek frozen yogurt bar out there created only with natural ingredients. Pretty cool. Yes, we know many have jumped on that bad wagon since but we give big props to the two founders of Yasso, who truly believe in and live by a healthy lifestyle and set out to make something that tastes great and won't pack on the pounds. And to be the first to do it with greek yogurt!

So as you may have seen, I was super excited when I opened this box from Yasso. Now typically we get samples in a big brown box and inside we find a styrofoam container with a pint of ice cream in it. No not this time...love how Yasso is branding themselves and standing out from the crowd. They are healthy and fun! Included was a Yasso beach bag (that I will proudly use on my beach trips..actually its my winter Y pool bag already!), a beach towel, shades, sun lotion, and an awesome drink cup. Oh and most importantly a box containing a bunch of new and existing flavors of their greek frozen yogurt bars. I love this page from one of the marketing pieces..."Get Bathing Suit Ready"...this package and the product fit it to a tee.

Well my coworkers were lucky that I decided to have this package shipped to my office because as that three o'clock hour hit when all were in a lull it was time for a taste test. This is fun because I get real reactions and its not just my take. Good crowdsourcing for this post. They sent the existing flavors of Strawberry, Blueberry and Raspberry and the new flavors that just launched of Vanilla Bean, Mango, and Coconut. I always find it interesting to see what flavors people pick. One who I would have pegged for a vanilla guy wanted coconut. So what was the reaction from everyone...."great texture"..."perfect and not too sweet"...."loved the vanilla but mango had an aftertaste"...."I need another now"..."like the creamy texture better than those healthy fruit bars...has some substance." There is one super health conscious person in my office and he was all concerned about the calories and protein in them. When I told him 80 calories and 6 grams of protein he was pleasantly surprised and then gave in to try one.

So after taste testing a few flavors myself I would have to say the strawberry was my favorite, I was excited about the mango but I think because they aren't very sweet (I have a major sweet tooth) I was expecting more of a burst of flavor and it wasn't there. I did really like the coconut and can see this being awesome on a hot summer day. These would be great on the go snacks. You know those days when you are going in a million directions and just need to eat something in the car quick. I already have a greek yogurt every morning so this would be a great option when I need to grab and go. I also like having this as an afternoon snack at work. Yasso was kind enough to send a good assortment so I was eating frozen yogurt bars as my late afternoon snack. Believe me every once in awhile I need some true sugar contents at 3pm at work but these did the trick. The Today show actually ran these on a "Cravings Curbed" segment which I do think they did but i have to agree with one coworker...that I needed more than one. Hey with only 80 calories I could have two and not feel guilty.

Yasso Strawberry Greek Frozen Yogurt Bars in production

All in all I am happy I was introduced to frozen yogurt bars. Why...well although I will take pure goodness of ice cream I too need to consider healthy alternatives and I have to be honest that fruit bars don't tend to cut it for me unless it is a super hot day. What I did really like about the Yasso Greek Frozen Yogurt bars is the consistency and creaminess. I felt like their was some substance to it. And I actually could see my grabbing this for the car ride to bring the kids to school, camp, the doctors as an alternative to my morning greek yogurt. What else...I love the brand and the people behind it and I haven't even met them! There is a personality behind these that you sometimes lose in big brands. They have a small office on Broad Street in Boston..right next to where I used to work. They are real people living their dream. Love that in itself. Thanks Yasso for sharing!!

Check em out on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Or run to one of these retailers and try them for yourself.

Fudgesicle Triple Chocolate Low Fat Bars....& FREE coupons

Yup we're still here. After a crazy summer we are getting back into the swing of things. And yes, the winners of the Eagle contest to follow soon (sorry for such a lag and we SO appreciate all who entered).

Awhile back our good friends from Popsicle sent us some coupons to try some of their awesome frozen treats. And the good news is is that they also sent some for our readers too which is super nice of them (more on how to get them for yourself soon). So what to try...well I have a daughter who just loves Popsicle anything but even better she is just like Mom and loves anything chocolate so we were so psyched when we saw the Fudgesicle Triple Chocolate Low Fat Bars. The box contains three different kinds of bars...White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, and Milk Chocolate. I think I am getting old because I so love dark chocolate (as they say its an acquired taste!) and I've never seen them in a frozen bar like this so we had to try. Plus I seriously overdid it this summer so even better that they are Low Fat because this option is probably the best bet these days :(

First taste..me with the dark and she with the white. Very yummy. I definitely prefer the dark version over the white. It has a rich flavor but not very strong. I guess they have to be kid friendly (crazy enough my 5 year old prefers dark chocolate too though) and the white was just okay to me but my daughter loved it. I think I am just used to your traditional fudgesicle taste and this departs from it a bit. All in all I have to say I would get these again. Especially for a sweet treat that does satisfy without being over indulgent.

And for a sweet treat they are not too bad on the calorie count...60 calories, 1.5 g fat, 9 g sugar.


GET COUPONS FOR TWO FREE POPSICLE PRODUCTS!
Leave a comment about your favorite Popsicle product or you must have a great childhod memory of Popsicles that you could share with us. We'd love to hear! Comment by Wednesday, Sept 15th for a chance to win two coupons each for a Free Popsicle product ($4 max value on each). One winner will be chosen.

Recipe: Lemonade Pie

I recently rediscovered a treat I used to love but had completely forgotten about. It's not quite ice cream but it is so much like ice cream I think it's ok to post about during National Ice Cream Month. This post goes out to an old roommate and a dear friend who introduced me to this refreshing summertime treat back when we were roommates almost ten years ago...ladies and gentlemen, lemonade pie...

You need:

• A graham cracker crust -- store bought is fine
• A can of sweetened condensed milk (I like Eagle Brand -- and low fat works fine)
• A can of frozen pink lemonade, thawed
• A 9-oz container of whipped topping, thawed

You need to do:

Mix the lemonade and condensed milk. Fold in the whipped topping. Pour into graham cracker crust. Place pie in freezer until solid.

You are done! Easy, huh?


Gorgeous lemon photo courtesy of nhzs at stock.xchng.


[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

Who Invented the Popsicle?

Ah, the popsicle. It's always pretty much been a part of childhood. Except, like most things, there was a time when it wasn't. But we can thank a child for bringing us this refreshing treat.

The popsicle was invented in 1905 by an eleven year old boy, who, as was common in the day, mixed soda powder and water with a wooden stick for a refreshing drink. The child, Frank W. Epperson, seemed to be a bit forgetful like I am, and left the unfinished drink outside overnight. When he finally came to retrieve it the next day, it was frozen.

It seems little Frank kept his new treat mainly to himself until almost two decades later, when he realized the possibility of the demand for this frozen treat.

Though he originally called it the "Epsicle," Epperson eventually "changed the name of his treat to "Popsicle," after his children’s frequent requests for "Pop’s ’sicle," and applied for a patent." (Popsicle History, http://www.popsicle.com/history/)

We had a contest a couple of weeks ago, and three people answered correctly. Congrats to Ruth, Jennifer, and Arianna for submitting the correct answer and winning a coupon for a free box of frozen treats from Breyers, Popsicle, Klondike, or Good Humor.

Reminder: to celebrate our hundreth post we are having a raffle of some full value coupons for frozen treats and a few other extras...To enter, email us or comment here at our hundreth post by next Wednesday, October 1 and tell us your favorite thing about Scoopalicious. *Please be sure to include an email address we can contact you at in case you win!*

The history of the popsicle is from the Popsicle website, in their Popsicle History Section. The photo is taken by Dain Hubbley who is represented on stock.xchng.