If you were to place me on a deserted island with five of my favorite things, you can be sure that I'd have me some Greek yogurt. And if that Greek yogurt was of the Chobani brand, I'd smile myself silly. Don't get me wrong, I am more than willing to express my devotion to a wide variety of Greek yogurt brands. But I repeatedly turn to Chobani because it tastes divine and is readily available. Somewhat expensive, that's true. But worth it, especially when you want yogurt that's good for you. You can imagine how excited I was to find this on my doorstep:
Jackpot! Count them, one...two...TWELVE cups of Chobani Greek yogurt in 12 different delicious flavors. When they said they were going to send me something to review, I expected a few coupons in my mailbox. Or maybe a cup or two packed strategically in some dry ice. Needless to say, I literally jumped for joy when I discovered the above. Aren't they so pretty?
Chobani Greek yogurt is, as I've said, one of my most favorite foods. The fat content in each cup is fairly low, the ingredients are all natural which means there isn't a preservative in sight. Also included in each cup—a decent amount of bone-building calcium, as well as the muscle-must otherwise known as protein. Oh, and some serious flavor that sometimes results from the addition of fruit. I know, I know...fruit on the bottom of a yogurt cup isn't always the best thing out there. I typically don't like it at all for a number of reasons (taste, sugar). But Chobani got it right. They really did, simply because they use real fruit that's been sweetened with just a touch of natural sugar. None of that HFCS stuff we've all learned to avoid (but sometimes can't, thank you food industry). And speaking of fruit, they've used it all. Think pineapples, strawberries, bananas...even mangoes and pomegranates. But if you prefer the simple style of yogurt, lemon and honey flavors keep it real. And the flavorless straight-up Greek yogurts work well in recipes. Check out the Chobani Kitchen for inspiration. You'll want to eat everything like I did in terms of the box above. Proof:
I do believe the Lemon flavor was my absolute favorite. The addition of strawberries and blueberries made it especially divine. (I wonder if I can achieve the same effect by squeezing some lemon juice into a carton of plain yogurt. Hm.) Next up, Pomegranate.
Served in a rush with a side of toast topped with peanut butter and homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam. I hate eating while I'm getting ready, but when you have to, you want something that's quick but tasty. I pack them when I know I have to eat at the gym, too.
Honey rocked my taste buds, and I honestly never thought of adding it to my yogurt. In this case, I've also added crushed peanuts and some Chia seeds, and I served it to myself with a side of banana.
What would you top your Chobani with? If you're my lucky winner, you'll get the chance to figure that out—Chobani has agreed to send one lucky Daily Dose reader a sampler pack much like the one you see above! To enter, leave a comment below telling me what flavor you'd like to try and what you'd top it off with. Please include your email address in case you win as I'll need to get your shipping info. Additional entries can be received by doing any of the following:
1) "Like" Chobani on Facebook
2) Follow Chobani on Twitter
3) "Like" Daily Dose on Facebook
4) Subscribe to Daily Dose
Just be sure to let me know what you've done, otherwise I won't know to count it! And unfortunately, the winner must be located within the continental United States. Contest ends at midnight EST on Saturday, March 26, 2011. The winner will be announced on Sunday, March 27, 2011. Best of luck!