April 11, 2006

Stonyfield Farm Light Banana Berry Smoothie

With all of the downer stories we've been covering for the past few days, I thought I'd kick off Monday with something a little more cheerful. I've discovered a yummy on-the-go grown-up treat--Stonyfield Farm's Light smoothies. I picked it up the other day when rushing through the grocery store in a cold sweat with two screaming, overtired kids in tow. (Let's just put it this way, people were outright laughing at me.) My family is in the process of moving to a new house, and I think everyone's stress levels are at the boiling point. A little Pirate's Booty was enough to stop the kids' crying jags at least temporarily, and I snagged one of these smoothies--the Banana Berry flavor--for myself. The cool thing is that it's got 60% less sugar than regular smoothies (and half the calories) but it achieves this without using artificial sweeteners. Instead they use a blend of sugar and erythritol, a no-calorie naturally fermented sugar that is also found in some fruits. The taste is still sweet but definitely less cloying and more "grown up" than regular yogurt smoothies. I also liked that it's less thick and more refreshing than the non-light versions.

True, a gin-and-tonic might have been more what I needed at that point, but this smoothie was a decent (and healthier) substitute.

About Stonyfield Farm: Long-time makers of all natural and organic yogurts, Stonyfield's products are found in supermarkets and health food stores around the country. The company was founded in 1983 in Wilton, New Hampshire, and began as an organic farming school. They are now majority owned by Group Danone, a large consumer foods company based in France. The so-called "CE-Yo" of Stonyfield apparently manages the company independently and retains majority control of the board. The company still donates 10% of its profits to environmental causes.

Stonyfield Farm Light Banana Berry Smoothie Ingredients: Nonfat yogurt (cultured pasteurized nonfat milk), water, erythritol (natural sweetener), naturally milled sugar, whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, inulin (natural dietary fiber), strawberry juice from concentrate, banana puree, natural flavor, milk mineral concentrate, pectin, beet juice concentrate (for color). Contains six live active cultures.