How to: Frozen yogurt popsicles

I came across this recipe and it struck me as a fun way of eating frozen yogurt. It may just get a little messy. 

Frozen yogurt popsicles are great for kids and it makes for a uncommon way to get your froyo fix. 

As long as you have the basic necessities, a plastic popsicle mold, you'll be ready to go. 

The recipe I'm going to explain uses watermelon, but, feel free to use any other fruit. 

So, here's what you need:

• 1 1/2 cups Watermelon, seedless
• 3/4 cup fat free greek yogurt, thick
• Sweetener: Splenda, honey, whatever else you prefer. (to taste)

Now, here's what you need to do:

Place the watermelon in the blender and puree until smooth. 

Then, add the yogurt to the blender and mix on high until the two are well blended.

Add sweetener to taste

Place that mixture into the popsicle molds. 

Freeze for two hours or overnight

That's it!

Frozen yogurt popsicles that anyone can enjoy. 

Mini frozen yogurt sandwiches

This recipe adds a little fun to your favorite frozen yogurt recipe. Who knew that placing a little frozen yogurt in between two cookies could make everything so much better?

Place a spoonful of your favorite yogurt on top of a gingersnap cookie and top that with another cookie.

That's it!

It may get a little messy but it doesn't get much easier than ready made cookies and yogurt. 

Frozen yogurt in Boca Raton

With frozen yogurt shops popping up all over the country, residents of Boca Raton could lose track of what's going on in their own neighborhood. I'm here to help.

The following is a map of frozen yogurt shops in Boca. If you're interested in a detailed description of each, this website can help.

According to Yelp, there are 21 locations in Boca Raton that serve frozen yogurt. The markers on the map above show a few of them. Sites such as Google and Urbanspoon can also help you on your search. 

More frozen yogurt for the holidays

Much like the I mentioned in a recent post, there are frozen yogurt recipes that can be a successful desert no matter the time of year. 


This recipe for a roasted peach sundae is a perfect example of how to make froyo a winter dish. 

What you need: 

• 3 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tsps lemon juice
• 3 cups nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt
• 6 gingersnap cookies, crumbled

Now, here's what you do:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Toss peach halves with brown sugar and lemon juice, and place them cut-side-up on the prepared baking sheet. 
3. Roast until the peaches are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. If the juice on the pan begins to burn, add a little water and loosely cover the fruit with foil.
4. Top each peach half with a 1/2-cup scoop of frozen yogurt and a sprinkle of crumbled gingersnaps. Serve immediately.

Frozen yogurt for the holidays

With the holiday season kicking off, frozen yogurt may not seem like the most appropriate dessert. However, a recipe like this Gingersnap-Banana yogurt, makes the dessert a good one all year round. 


The best part of this recipe, though, is that it already calls for frozen yogurt — meaning you don't have to spend hours making your own. This gives you more time to worry about your holiday dinners.

Here's what you need:
2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt, softened
6 gingersnap cookies, chopped
2 bananas, sliced
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped


Now, here's what you do:
Layer equal portions of the ingredients in four individual serving cups. 
Then, place the desserts in the freezer until you're ready to serve. 

Frozen Yogurt and Twitter

While roaming the pages of Twitter, I came across the official Orange Leaf page. Updates, give aways and chats with customers were litered across the feed.

I decided to look into the Twitters of other froyo franchises.

With just over 34,000 followers, Pinkberry is leading the pack when it comes to social media activity.

     

At the bottom of the followers list is Orange Leaf, with just under 3,000 followers.

With social media in the middle of a growing period, furthering a frozen yogurt business by utilizing outlets like Twitter can only help a growing franchise. 

Frozen yogurt in lyrical form

The frozen yogurt craze hasn't stopped at the boom of frozen yogurt shops around the country. In 2007, female rapper Lady Tigra, released a song called "Sorry Ice Cream"that quickly became the official song of the Pinkberry chain.

Although a music video was never created, the song can be heard on youtube.

With lyrics that start with chanting P-I-N-K-B-E-R-R-Y and end by debating which flavor is the best, the song is obviously a marketing ploy that worked.

Making Pinkberry frozen yogurt at home

Pinkberry, a frozen yogurt chain based out of California, is widely known for their froyo. Now, instead of driving all the way to the closest location in Miami, I decided to make my own. 


Here's an easy to follow Pinkberry frozen yogurt recipe:


What you need:
2 cups Greek Yogurt (strained)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla


What you do:
-Combine all ingredients in a bowl and place in the freezer for at least two hours.
-Place the mixture in your ice cream machine until it's frozen. 


That's it! 

Pinkberry has over 100 stores, most of which are located in Southern California. With only 6 stores in           Florida, making Pinkberry yogurt at home is inarguably cheaper than the gas you would spend. 
              

Frozen Yogurt using no machines

One of my favorite frozen yogurt flavors, pumpkin, can be made using one of the easiest recipes I've seen yet. No blenders, ice cream makers or machines necessary.

Here's what you need:
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups plain Greek-style yogurt (low fat works)
1/2 cup maple syrup (can substitute for sugar free)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Now, here's how it's done:

-Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate for a few hours in a seal tight container and it's ready to go. 

Pumpkin frozen yogurt is easy to make and the most time required dedicated to the freezing process.

A frozen yogurt myth busted by Seinfeld

In 1993, Seinfeld aired an episode called "The Non-Fat Yogurt."  This was when frozen yogurt shops were appearing everywhere nationwide, claiming to taste like ice cream with but no fat. 
In the episode, Jerry and Elaine become regular customers at a non-fat frozen yogurt joint, and start gaining wait in the process. They begin to suspect that the yogurt isn't "non-fat' and they have it tested only to discover there's a lot of fat. 
Although the writers of Seinfeld hadn't created that episode to claim that frozen yogurt 
wasn't as healthy as advertised, that's exactly what came of the episode. 
The following year, New York Magazine released a story on false claims made by frozen yogurt companies about the calorie count and fat content of their food. The yogurt companies mentioned in the article are no longer prominent figures in the business. 

                                            In 1994, New York Magazine released a story on the false 
                                           claims of "non-fat" yogurt made by prominent frozen yogurt companies. 

A recipe: Cinnamon Pear Frozen Yogurt

With the beginning of Fall upon us,  I wanted a way to appropriately incorporate the season into my frozen yogurt choices.

Here's an easy recipe for a cinnamon pear frozen yogurt:

What you need:

- 1 (15 oz) can of pear halves
- 2 cups vanilla yogurt (low fat works, too)
-1/3 cup white sugar (or Splenda)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp allspice


Here's how it's done:

• Drain the pears, saving 1/2 cup of juice.
• Puree pears in a blender.
• Combine pears with all of the other ingredients. 
• Blend on high until you are happy with it's consistency. 
• Either serve immediately or store in the freezer. 

How to finish it off: frozen yogurt toppings

With dozens of toppings to choose from at DIY frozen yogurt shops, I wanted to narrow down the healthiest options. Although frozen yogurt is a healthier dessert option, loading up on toppings like cookie dough and chocolate syrup won't help the cause.

So, here are my top 5 healthy topping combinations:

1. Banana slices, walnuts and a spoonful of chocolate chips.
This combo works well with a vanilla or cheesecake flavored yogurt.

2. A spoonful of butterfingers, KitKat and graham crackers.
Because these toppings pack in a lot of flavor, a lighter yogurt would work best. 

3. Lychee, mango and passion fruit flavored lychee. 
Any fruit flavored yogurt would work with lychee. Consider a mango yogurt with passion fuit lychee.

4. Blueberries and graham crackers
This pairs deliciously with a cheesecake flavored yogurt. 

5. Pineapple, strawberries and mango
An original tart flavored yogurt is best with this topping combination. 

What to call it: frozen yogurt slang

I was under the impression that everyone who has tried frozen yogurt knows that "froyo" is nothing more than a shortened version of the term. After checking out Urban Dictionary, a website full of definitions for slang terms, I realized that I was wrong.

Urban Dictionary users can enter definitions, much like Wikipedia, but much of the site has become satirical and it is rarely taken seriously. I decided to search for "froyo" and the results were not what I expected.

Here's a few of my favorites:

1. Frodo playing yoyo. 


2. A game combining the use of a frisbee and a yoyo.

3. In reference to sorority girls who binge drink on the weekend and then exercise obsessively and eat frozen yogurt in order to avoid gaining weight.

4. Google's not-so-secret code name for their phone operating system, Android 2.2.

And finally:

5. Frozen yogurt (from a contracton of frozen yogurt)




                 
                  Urban Dictionary is a Website where users can 
                  submit definitions for whichever slang term they want. 
                  Below is a screenshot of the frozen yogurt definitions from visitors. 

DIY part two: How to make frozen yogurt without an ice cream machine

Following my recent post about how to make your own frozen yogurt, I received mixed reviews from people who didn't want to buy an ice cream maker that they would almost never use. So, I found another solution.

Here's what you'll need:
- Ice
-1 cup water
-4 cups plain yogurt (low fat works)
-1 cup peach syrup (any fruit flavor works)
-2 cups frozen strawberries
-Blender

Now, here's how it works:
1. Place the water, 2 cups yogurt and 1 cup of the frozen fruit into your blender. Blend on high, stopping to shake the mixture up if it freezes.
2. Add the remainder of the fruit and yogurt to the blender, blending on high. Make sure to stop if the mixture freezes.
3. Add water to thin out the mix, adding ice until you've reached a consistency you're happy with.
4. Either serve your yogurt immediately or store it in your freezer. 

Frozen yogurt for your smart phone

In the event of a frozen yogurt craving, don't fret.

There are several apps for your smart phone to help you locate a nearby frozen yogurt shop and with about 10,000 downloads this past month, the Orange leaf application is a contender.
Here's the low down:


-It's free.
-It features a store locator.
-Offers nutritional facts for its flavors.

The Orange Leaf app allows you to create your
own frozen yogurt in the form of a game. 









                                                                                                                   








The store locator offers up any location within the radius that 
you decide. Store hours and contact numbers are also available. 

Frozen Yogurt Techniques: split or pile-up?

While at a frozen yogurt shop the other night, I overheard a conversation between two friends about they way they distribute their frozen yogurt.

Person 1: "Your cup is a mess, why would you just pile flavors up? You ruined it."
Person 2: "You are soo boring. You section your flavors off. You're just wasting space."

I looked down at my cup — a mountain of pumpkin cheesecake yogurt all covered in clodhoppers, lychee flavored boba and cheesecake bites. It was a mess.

I glanced over at my friend's cup and saw perfectly sectioned off parts of frozen yogurt and toppings. I couldn't help but compare our personalities to the way we distribute our froyo. My friend is an obsessively organized person and I'm not. He doesn't like doing things on a whim and I find that incredibly boring. We're very different and our frozen yogurt techniques just further enforce that truth.

The creative freedom given to a person at a frozen yogurt shop allows them to express themselves — even if they're a little obsessive compulsive.

DIY: Frozen yogurt

In hopes of not going broke because of my fro-yo addiction, I decided to see what I needed to make my own. According to this site, it's an easy process and I figure it's worth a try. 
Here's what you need to make a simple banana frozen yogurt:


Ingredients: 
1. cups vanilla yogurt  (lowfat or nonfat works, too)
2. 1/2 cup mango, apricot, orange or any other juice
3. 2 large or 3 medium bananas cut up

4. An ice cream maker (Here's one for $30)

Now, Here's how it's done:

1. Chop up bananas and puree with the juice.

2. Set up ice cream maker.

3. Take the yogurt out of the refrigerator, place in a large bowl and stir in the banana mixture.

4. Pour that into your ice cream maker and churn as you would to make ice cream. Serve immediately or freeze for 2-3 hours. 

And there you have it — DIY fro-yo

The price we pay for a frozen yogurt experience

Instead of throwing you into the world of fro-yo with no background information, I thought it would be an easier transition if you have what I believe is helpful knowledge. 
This is the last installment of your introduction. 
Fro-yo prices fluctuate depending on various factors such as location or demand. In South Florida, I've found that prices range from about .45 cents per ounce to .65 cents per ounce, and the cheaper places tend to provide a better experience. 
The most affordable location that I've visited is 16 handles at .49 cents per ounce. I manage to fill my cup with yogurt and toppings for under $4, which would be a problem at other shops. 
For instance, Orange Leaf, a fro-yo shop located at Mizner Park in Boca Raton requires a $4 minimum per customer. It may not seem like a big deal but I don't find it fair that my creative freedom is cramped if I choose not to overload my cup. 
The price restraints can be seen at other shops as well such as Eco Yogurt, which can be found scattered across South Florida. 

        A simple cup of fro-yo like the one above (Vanilla yogurt with kiwi and strawberries) will run you about $3.00 at places like 16 Handles, and $4.50 at more expensive locations. 

Fro-yo Fact: Although a minimum price factor can keep some people away from shops that have that policy, it doesn't seem like much of an issue. From what I've found, the shops that require a minimum are also the most expensive. 

Healthy-ish

It's easy to get carried away when given an empty cup and access to all of the flavors and toppings available at your favorite fro-yo shop but don't fret. 
There's a way to avoid going overboard. My favorite location, 16 handles (located in Boca Raton), made their shop Web-friendly by detailing the nutritional facts of their flavors. 

             Scanning over the different options allows you to check out the nutritional facts of your favorite flavors. 


The average calorie count in 3 ounces of vanilla flavored frozen yogurt is 80 calories with about 110 calories in 3 ounces of vanilla flavored ice cream. So, there's not a huge difference but for some reason, I always feel better after choosing fro-yo over ice cream. 

Fro-yo Fact: The calorie count may not seem much different than ice cream but you can see a difference in saturated fats more than anything. Frozen yogurt, because it's made with yogurt instead of cream (hence the name), has no saturated fats. The same cannot be said about ice cream. 

Fro Whoa

It might have been the midsummer heat getting the best of me but the creative freedom given to me by the the specialty shops opening up all over South Florida led me right to my first addiction — frozen yogurt.
It's been a quick rise with more than 22,000 shops sprouting up in the U.S since 2005, most of which only really took off after in the last two years, according to this Google trends chart.
To be honest, the numbers don't matter much to me. I'm all about the fro-yo itself. The flavor/topping combination along with different techniques that I've picked up since my obsession make for what I believe is an interesting conversation.
That will come later.
For now, I'll leave you with this: 

FroYoLove: San Diego, CA

Fro-yo Fact: The creative freedom I mentioned before is related directly to the fact that these shops make you do it yourself. The money you pay is based on how much your fro-yo cup weighs. Assuming that you don't go overboard, you won't be judged negatively on the contents of your cup.