As a kid, I was a big fan of yogurt. Now-a-days, I’m not a fan of the water-y texture or high amounts of added sugar. On the plus side, yogurt is a great source of calcium, protein, and a bit of extra fruit. Last year, I finally found the best of both worlds: Stonyfield Farms Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt.

With fruit on the bottom and the tangy flavor you’d expect from yogurt, greek yogurt has some added benefits: thicker texture, twice the protein, less lactose (a milk sugar many are allergic to), & less carbs than regular yogurt. I’ve tried a few different brands of greek yogurt, but Stonyfield Farms Oikos is the only organic brand of greek yogurt I’ve found. When it comes to dairy, organic is always a healthier option.

For Stonyfield Farms, it all began with a nonprofit organic farming school back in the 1980s. Since then, the brand has become synonymous with sustainable farms and the best dairy products on the market. Like all other yogurts, Stonyfield Farms Oikos has all 5 active cultures you’d expect in great yogurt, helping keep your digestive and immune systems strong.

Stonyfield Farms Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt is available in single-serve cups, 4-packs, & pints. Recently, Oikos’ flavor offerings expanded to a collection of 7: strawberry, honey, blueberry, vanilla, caramel, chocolate, and plain. So far, my personal favorites are blueberry & strawberry (the brand-new chocolate is on my grocery store list!). Like any other yogurt, you can cook & bake with greek yogurt too.

You Tell Me: Have you ever tried greek yogurt?

[Images courtesy of Stonyfield Farms]

Enter: Amy’s Bowls. These vegetarian frozen meals are so tasty you forget they came out of the freezer. I first discovered Amy’s while living in San Francisco. My husband is a big meat eater, but even he enjoys having Amy’s Bowls for dinner 2 times a week.

Each meal contains less than 500 calories, though be sure to watch out for the sodium – eat only 1 of these a day! For dinner, we eat a side salad first & feel pleasantly satiated after our Amy’s Bowls. Just 5 minutes in the microwave and they’re ready.

Should we all eat more whole, unprocessed foods? Yes – duh! But I’m happy to have Amy’s Bowls as a part of my regular diet, thanks to their family-owned pride & use of organic ingredients. Visit Amy’s website to see more of the Amy’s Bowls (I’ve posted my top 3 favorites here) and check out the other hundreds of tasty foods they make (big fan of their pizzas & soups too).

[Images courtesy of Amy's Kitchen]

Oops, I said the f-word: fiber. We all know what the means. “Fiber cereals taste like cardboard.” FYI: they don’t have to! I’ve finally found a cereal that a) tastes good, b) has 28% of your daily fiber in 1 serving, and c) is certified organic (major bonus!). The chosen one: Nature’s Path Optimum Strawberry & Yogurt.

This is utterly flavorful cereal! I’m still stunned at home much I enjoy it each morning, along with my cup of tea. Another bonus: you get 35% of your daily Omega-3s in 1 serving, thanks to the ground flax seeds in the cereal flakes. Sweeeeet. If you don’t happen to fancy strawberries, Optimum is also available in Cranberry Ginger, Banana Almond, and Blueberry Cinnamon.

[Image courtesy of Nature's Path]

Even with a cabinet full of their teas, I continue to explore what else is available. My latest favorite teas come from Organic India. Made from tulsi (holy basil), these teas aren’t technically “tea” because they don’t contain leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant – in America, we call them herbal teas.

Over 20 different versions of certified organic tulsi tea are available through Organic India, some of which do contain green, black, or white tea leaves (and, therefore, caffeine). I haven’t tried all of them yet, but I do have a few personal favorites already: Sweet Rose, Orange Mint, Jasmine, & Sweet Lemon. Next on my list of flavors to try: Raspberry Peach, Red Mango, and Honey Chamomile.

Who makes your favorite teas?

[Images courtesy of Organic India]

Illinois’ vegan (no eggs or dairy) bakery Nutrilicious makes cookies and donuts that are almost healthy for you. Add in the fact that they are enticingly addictive and you’ve got a top favorite of mine! I discovered them through, who else, Whole Foods in San Francisco. Ecstatically, the Whole Foods here in Connecticut sells them as well (visit Nutrilicious’ website to find a store near you with their goodies). You won’t find any flashy graphics or fancy packaging, just damn good treats.

I haven’t tried their cookies yet, but let me say just how heavenly their donut holes are … major yum! I’m partial to the cinnamon and chocolate flavors, but the gingerbread I tried last night were quite good as well. In case you are wondering, each donut hole is only 50 calories, has no saturated or trans fats, no cholesterol, and low sodium. So, they aren’t “bad” for you, but still not the same as eating an apple.

[Images courtesy of Nutrilicious]

Do you do that? Assume you have all the time in the world & put off doing or visiting things that interest you?

Fast forward to currently living in Connecticut again & I’m shopping at the grocery store. I’d become quite enamored with a gelato/sorbet company from Rhode Island. On that particular day, the store was out of the chocolate version I was craving, so I had to find something else. I’d been meaning to try Ciao Bella for the longest time (3 years to be exact), so I decided to take the plunge.

To quell my craving, the Chocolate Sorbetto was a must. I also snapped up a pint of Blood Orange Sorbetto in anticipation of future citrus desires. Ironically, I opened up the Blood Orange Sorbetto first & I’m glad I did. It’s phenomenal! Light and tangy with just enough tart punch from the citrus flavor. Major yum. The perfect addition to a hot summer day or paired with some fresh vanilla cupcakes.

It wasn’t long before I delved into the Chocolate Sorbetto as well. I was surprised to find a chocolate sorbet; usually, all I see are chocolate gelatos, which are quite good. In my 25 years, I haven’t found a chocolate ice cream that is dark enough since most are made from milk chocolate.

This is THE DARKEST chocolate frozen treat I’ve ever seen. I LOVE IT! I know, it sounds a bit melodramatic to love chocolate sorbet, but I do … I can’t hide it. The Chocolate Sorbetto solves my craving for chocolate while keeping me from eating too much. This stuff is so dark that I can’t eat more than 1/4th of a pint at once. Saves money, saves calories, but I still get my chocolate fix – sweet.

These treats are almost perfect. The issue I have? Some of them contain corn syrup (not as bad as high fructose corn syrup, but still a bit nasty). The solution? The folks at Ciao Bella have informed me that they’ve already begun replacing all the corn syrup in their recipes with tapioca syrup – hooray!

With two successful taste tests under my (still-slim) belt, I’ve already begun a list of other Ciao Bella flavors I hope to try: Strawberry White Tea Sorbetto; Banana Mango Sorbetto; Chocolate (West African) Gelato; Chocolate Chip Gelato; Cool Mint Chocolate Chip Gelato; and Malted Milk Ball Gelato – I’ve already got this one in my freezer. Just the name of it reminds me of lazy school-day afternoons with my dad, snacking on malted milk balls while we watched Batman cartoons.

Just last week, Ciao Bella shared some new developments with all theirs fans. SIX new flavors & BRAND NEW PACKAGING for 2010 was announced at Boston’s Natural Products Expo East.

The new flavors: Peach Ginger Sorbetto, Prickly Pear Sorbetto, Wild Blueberry Sorbetto, Strawberry Sorbetto, Matcha Green Tea Gelato, and Honey Toasted Pecan Gelato. I want to try them all!

The two cartons above are a peak at what the new cartons out next year. Including a new look, Ciao Bella has made a few other changes: plastics lids are now paper, tamper seal seals have been added, and all of Ciao Bella’s products are now kosher (free of corn syrup, refined sugar, and synthetic hormones). Happy dance!

Visit Ciao Bella’s website for local grocery stores & gelato bars!

[Images courtesy of Ciao Bella Gelato]

My personal taste buds lean towards sweet and savory (i.e. desserts and macaroni & cheese) instead of tangy and pungent (i.e. cranberries and asparagus). As I’ve gotten olden, my tastes have certainly changed and are growing faster than I can keep up. For example, I used to hate spinach with a passion. Now, having a salad without it seems sacrilege – I even get it on every pizza I eat!

My adoration for sweets hasn’t changed much, but it has morphed a bit. I’ve gotten much more willpower to resist it (not always, but sometimes) and I continually look for that “sweet” sensation in other places (i.e. breakfast smoothies and brown sugar-glazed ham). Being an eco-geek, I often look for baked goods that are as “natural” as you can get, featuring a short list of ingredients that I can recognize.

I’ve had my eye on the kosher-certified, allergen-free Divvies brand (no nuts, eggs, or dairy; many goods are vegan) for a few years now. When their cookies popped up in my local Whole Foods store, I jumped at the possibility to try them. If I had to choose between chocolate and molasses, I’d choose molasses every time (shocking, I know!). Molasses has a deep, soothing flavor that true cacao can’t match. Trying Divvies Molasses Ginger Cookies only served to solidify that personal passion for this dark syrup.

An uncanny balance between molasses and ginger made these cookies taste indulgent – I actually spent the whole week eating through a package of 6. Why? I wanted to savor the experience over and over instead of just eating the whole package in one fell swoop. It was worth it!

The other surprise? They were so soft and, dare I say, melt-in-your-mouth delightful. Most folks think that vegan or allergen-free dessert with be dry and tough – these babies were anything but! I actually had a tough time separate the cookies once or twice because they were so sweet, they were attracted to each other (just kidding, but they did stick together a bit).

Not only keen on cookies, Divvies also makes cupcakes, hard candies, chocolate bars, gourmet popcorn, & gift packages. Whether you have allergies or not, this is a fun and tasty brand to try.

[Image courtesy of The Nibble]