We eat a truckload of yogurt in this house. Well actually, let me be more specific: *I* eat a truckload of yogurt in this house. I've been a fan of Stonyfield Greek Yogurt for many moons. I've been trying for the better part of a year to include healthy yogurts in my son's daily diet, but he's always been put off by the consistency. He's never tried Stonyfield yogurt before, however, so now that some time has passed since the last time he tried a yogurt, I picked up some Stonyfield Organic YoKids Yogurt Squeezers in two flavors - strawberry and birthday cake.
Yes, I said birthday cake. Seriously, if a yogurt that tastes like birthday cake can't turn my kid into a yogurt lover, then there's just no hope.
(but if he doesn't eat it, I totally will, because... birthday cake)
Stonyfield recently announced a sugar reduction across its yogurt products – and that includes YoKids. Though I try to keep an eye on Jasper's sugar intake while also allowing him treats here and there (cause Mama loves her treats, too!) it makes me happy when I can get mainstream snacks for him that have made a conscious effort to reduce the sugar in their products. What's more, Stonyfield is always made with USDA organic non-GMO ingredients with no toxic persistent pesticides, artificial hormones, or antibiotics.
Stonyfield YoKids is currently sponsoring the AZA SAFE (Saving Animals from Extinction) program; together on a mission to help save endangered species. As part of a year-long effort, Stonyfield will not only be contributing funds to field work but aiming to drive kids and their families to see animals and conservation projects first hand at zoos, aquariums, and on the ground where the research is happening. Stonyfield YoKids’ sponsorship of AZA SAFE will support conservation efforts for 10 endangered species, including the African Penguin.
As the country’s leading organic yogurt maker, Stonyfield has long been focused on conservation and sustainability. Each year they keep over 185,000 pounds of toxic pesticides out of the environment, helping to safeguard species and their eco-systems.
Stonyfield is asking kids and their parents, "Can a cow save a penguin, a sea turtle, or a cheetah?" and has created a series of videos in support of their campaign. You can view the videos right here: http://www.stonyfield.com/azasafe
Seriously, the videos are super cute and would be fun to watch with your kids... go check them out!
Stonyfield YoKids is also featuring an on-pack offer to get families out to visit any of the 131 participating AZA accredited member zoos and aquariums in their own communities (click here for a list). Now through the end of September, families who buy two specially-marked YoKids yogurt multi-packs will receive a FREE kid’s admission to their local AZA-accredited zoo or aquarium when they also buy an adult ticket.
I was able to locate two products that had the on-pack offer at my local Target, pictured above.
To celebrate World Penguin Day (April 25th), Stonyfield and AZA hosted a live Facebook event from the penguin encounter at Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, CT. I tuned into the event and really enjoyed watching it, and you can see a recording of the live broadcast on Stonyfield's Facebook page.
Armed with the birthday cake flavor, I was optimistic about Jasper's newest trial run with eating yogurt. I let him play with the closed package first, nap hair and all, so he could get used to it. He kneaded it in his fingers and repeated, "bert-day keck yogort!" So things were looking good.
When it was time for the official taste test, I squeezed the yogurt into the bowl, because while the convenience of the squeezer will be nice when he's older, it'd result in a huge mess if I let him squeeze it from the package at this age!
The verdict is in: he ate all of it! Sure, he held up his hand and said "no" when he realized that I had placed yogurt in front of him, but after a couple of bites and after reiterating that it is birthday cake, he willingly ate the rest of it. Success! I'm going to stick with the Stonyfield brand of kids' yogurts for now and see if I can get him to acquire a real taste for it. We shall see!
But me? I tried it too, along with the strawberry, and I thought they were really great. They have a thinner consistency than the Stonyfield Greek yogurts that I'm used to, which is to be expected of a regular yogurt and even better for kids. The birthday cake variety tastes exactly like my favorite brand of similarly-flavored ice cream - the flavor even has that hint of classic buttery frosting taste that drives home the cake batter goodness. I was also impressed with the strawberry, it has a "real fruit" flavor and I think I'll have good luck with it with Jasper as well, since he already enjoys eating sliced fresh strawberries.
Questions for you - put your answers in the comments!
Have you tried any Stonyfield products? What are your favorites?
Do you see yourself trying to visit an AZA-accredited zoo to experience endangered species firsthand?
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