Thursday, March 17, 2011

Weight Watchers Yogurt Review & $1-Off Coupon

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Weight Watchers.

I was a die-hard plain Greek yogurt eater. Haven’t bought the fancy key lime/lemon/chocolate/exotic berry flavored yogurts in a long time as I found most of them too bitter. So when I was asked to review Weight Watchers Yogurt (Visit Weight Watchers), I instinctively raised a skeptic eyebrow, but thought, ‘Well, since you’re paying me…OK.’

I’m all about taste. If I bite into an apple and it’s mushy, it goes in the trash. I won’t waste my calories on subpar food. My first taste test of Weight Watcher's Yogurt was on Wednesday. I took a 6-ounce container of the Cherry Cheesecake flavor to a meeting. As American Idol’s Randy Jackson would say, it was just OK for me. Certainly not like a mushy apple; I ate it all. But it lacked a strong cherry flavor. Fortunately, though, it sustained me through the two-hour meeting and the one-hour drive home, thanks to its protein and fiber content.

For breakfast the next morning, I chose the Caramel Spice Cake flavor and paired it with cinnamon toast and my favorite coffee concoction: coffee, stevia and chocolate soy milk. It was comfort food nirvana! The yogurt had just a hint of cloves and the caramel flavor was rich.

On Friday, I reluctantly tried Apple Pie a la Mode. I mean, apple yogurt? Really? I stuck my spoon in the container like I was dipping my toe in a pool. Like discovering the water is warm, this yogurt flavor was a nice surprise. And bravo to the person who thought to put in apple chunks! Nice touch, guys.

Sunday morning I made one of my go-to breakfasts that I knew would sustain me through several hours of hiking: a fruit smoothie. I substituted Weight Watchers Non-Fat Vanilla Yogurt for my usual plain Greek yogurt and was very happy with the results. Not only was it delicious, I appreciated the extra fiber which kept me energized throughout the morning. Here’s my recipe:

1 small frozen banana (I used a fresh one this morning because I didn’t have any frozen)
½ C frozen sliced strawberries
½ C Weight Watchers Non-Fat Vanilla Yogurt
½ C light chocolate soy milk
1 T ground chia seeds

Put everything in a blender or use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. My back-of-the-envelope calculations came up with these stats: 265 calories, 3 grams fat, 53 grams carbs, 10 grams fiber, 8.5 grams protein.

For an afternoon snack, I tried half a container of Amaretto Cheesecake and half a container of Berries ‘n Cream. Maybe it’s just how yogurt and cheesecake – both being bitter – just don’t do it for me as a good combo. The Amaretto Cheesecake was just too sharp on the tongue. But the Berries ‘n Cream? Oh yeah. That will be back in my house again very soon.

Whether you’re looking for breakfast on the go or a mid-afternoon snack to get you through to dinner, or if you just need to satisfy a dessert craving, check out Weight Watchers Yogurt. Mix them with granola or fruit, or get daring and use them in sauces for cooking. I plan to make the Weight Watchers recipe for Indian Spiced Grilled Chicken Skewers once the weather warms up and the grill comes out of hibernation. I’ve posted it below.

If you want to try Weight Watches Yogurt, $1.00 off coupon
and hit me up with comments once you’ve tried it. Good, bad, bitter or tasty, let me know what you think!

Indian Spiced Grilled Chicken Skewers
Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves 8 | Serving size: 1 skewer
2 PointsPlus per serving

6 oz. Weight Watchers Peach Nonfat Yogurt
1 T ginger, fresh, minced/grated
1 T garlic, fresh, minced (about 2-3 cloves)
1 t cumin, ground
1 t turmeric, ground
¼ t red pepper flakes
2 T cilantro, fresh, chopped
8 chicken tenders
½ t kosher salt
¼ t black pepper, cracked
2 each red bell pepper, fresh, cut each pepper in 16 pieces
16 each onions, pearl
8 each wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes prior to using

1. Place yogurt, ginger, turmeric, red pepper flakes and cilantro in a bowl and stir well until combined.
2. Place chicken tenders in a shallow glass baking dish. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Cover with marinade and toss to coat the chicken with the marinade.
4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Allow the chicken to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
5. Assemble skewers by alternating red bell pepper piece, onion and marinated chicken tenders. Discard remaining marinade.
6. Grill skewers, turning occasionally until chicken and vegetables are scored with grill marks and cooked through, about 14-16 minutes.
7. Place grilled skewers on a platter for serving.

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