Yoplait review and giveaway

A few weeks ago the folks at MyBlogSpark.com contacted me about a giveaway and review for Yoplait and Nancy O’Dell.

I was sent a "Get Strong & Healthy" gift bag that includes a free coupon for Yoplait yogurt, an autographed copy of Full of Life, and a yoga mat with carry-bag.

I am pretty excited about the yoga mat, since I’ve never been able to justify buying a yoga mat since I don’t do yoga.  But, I’ve always wanted a mat to do strength training and abs.  As far as the book goes, I haven’t read it yet, I may hold onto it until we start talking about having kids (in awhile!) and read it then.  I think it’s something I could really enjoy when that’s part of my life.

Finally, the coupon for free yogurt.  There was only one coupon which was a little disappointing, but by the time I got to the grocery store to redeem it, they were having a sale for 20 for 10 dollars.  So, I skipped the coupon and picked four of the most decadent flavors.  What can I say, I am a sucker for low calorie taste-a-likes to high calorie foods.  I picked Key Lime Pie, Banana Cream Pie, Cinnamon Roll and Boston Cream Pie.

I’ll start my review with taste.  For breakfast, I chose Boston Cream Pie (such a sucker for those donuts! until I saw the calories….) And because I can’t eat just yogurt and need a fiber boost in the morning, I added the Boston Cream Pie to 1/3 c of all bran bran buds and 1 T chia seeds.  That is a fiber-ific breakfast!
I’ll start my review with the taste.  It was spot on.  I was eating the inside of a Boston cream donut, I didn’t really get any chocolate flavor, but I’m more of a cream person anyway :)  It worked well with the bran buds and chia seeds.  Overall, taste-wise, two thumbs up.  This is a fantastic option if you NEED a Boston cream donut.

As far as the ingredients/nutritional info go:  The front of the container boasts how it is sweetened with Aspartame (but what can you expect with a 110 calorie sweet treat).
The I looked at the ingredient list…As you can see High Fructose Corn Syrup is on the third line.  I am trying to avoid the HFCS, so I was disappointed to find it in this product.  I also bristle at the ‘natural and artificial flavors’ ingredient.  What aren’t they telling us?
That being said, who knows what ingredients go into an actual Boston Cream Pie Donut?  And I can tell you, the donut does not have this nutritional information.

So, overall, because of the ingredient list, I would have to say that these yogurts are a sometimes treat.  If I was really craving a donut or cinnamon roll etc etc I would indulge since the flavor was close enough for me.  However, if the fake ingredients were somehow replaced with real ingredients, I would eat these more often.  Even with an increase to the calories.

As a part of this spark I have the opportunity to give two of you lucky readers  a chance to receive this package (yoga mat, book and coupon).  All you have to do is leave a comment below.  For a second entry, follow me and leave a comment below telling me that you follow me.  I will pick a winner Monday night at 10pm MDT.

Vote early and often!