Snacking on Stonyfield

I've been a fan of Stonyfield Organic Yogurt since running the Half at the Hamptons in 2011 where I was given some greek yogurt at the finish line. Last week the New Hampshire Blogger and Tweeters got together for another Blog&Tweet event at Stonyfield Farm to find out more about the amazing organic yogurt being made right here in New Hampshire.

Here's the scoop on Stonyfield in a nutshell:

It all started with a man and a mission. Samuel Kayman, an organic farmer, teamed up with Gary Hirschberg, an environmental activist, to make great yogurt and help the Earth. A school fundraiser in the 1980s turned into Yogurt Works in Londonderry which has made Stonyfield the biggest producer of organic yogurt in the world!

Our Blog&Tweet group was met by our hosts Kristina and Chandra who explained that although tours of the plant no longer took place, we would be taken on a virtual film tour (similar to this one) which gave us the history of Stonyfield Organic Yogurt and a peek into the process.


Now, I went to this event already knowing what my favorite Stonyfield organic yogurt product was, but that didn't stop me from trying some new things that Kristina and Chandra pointed out to us. Ok, they really just told us to grab and try whatever we wanted from the chillers.

I first tried some Blends. This is the new yogurt for people (like me) who don't like big chunks of fruit. Instead of being on the bottom of the cup, the fruit is blended. It was good, but I still like the thicker Greek (formerly Oikos) yogurt best. Thanks to the taste-testing, I discovered two new greek flavors: raspberry and honey. 

Although I'm not a huge ice cream person, I tried some frozen yogurt. Stonyfield is the only maker of organic greek froyo at this time. I really liked the honey flavor, and lucky for me, Kristina and Chandra encouraged us to take home the leftovers.

   The last product I tried will probably become one of my favorite Stonyfield products: frozen yogurt bars. These bars are nonfat frozen yogurt dipped in organic dark chocolate. I thought the Gotta Have Vanilla tasted just like the ice cream bars I used to get with my elementary school lunches. 

So after an evening spent learning all about Stonyfield and eating a whole lot of yogurt, Kristina and Chandra sent us all home with a reusable ChicoBag filled with Stonyfield goodies including a Yogurt Cookbook and coupons along with a case of Brown Cow (sister company in California) Cream Top Greek Desserts.

Yogurt is a runner's best friend. For one thing, it is a great source of protein, carbs, vitamins, probiotics and calcium. Walk into any grocery and you will find a lavish amount of yogurt choices, but what sets Stonyfield apart is that it is organic. 

from Stonyfield website

Ever wonder how organic yogurt is made? Here's what I learned from my visit: 1. Organic milk is delivered to Stonyfield Yogurt Works from organic farms 2. The milk is heated to kill the bad bacteria 3. Good bacteria is added and the mixture is put into cups with fruit or other ingredients 4. Filled cups are put into the incubator (hot room) to form into yogurt 5. The yogurt is then stored in a refrigerated warehouse
Besides being good for you, Stonyfield Organic Yogurt is also good for the Earth. Here are some of the ways they try to decrease their carbon footprint: 1. Solar panels are used to generate power to the plant 2. They use foil tops instead of plastic lids 3. The waste from random testing along the process is fed to farm animals 4. They built a wastewater treatment plant to reduce energy use  5. They select the most direct routes for delivery trucks
In addition to making great yogurt and helping the planet, each year Stonyfield celebrates Earth Day with a festival and a 5K. The 5K has been on my bucket list for a couple of years, but I hope to run it in 2014. Maybe some of these ladies will join me?

Friday Favorites: Things You Find at a Race

Every once in a while I stumble upon something new or I'm reminded why I already love a product.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Cincinnati to run the Flying Pig Half Marathon. One of the big race sponsors was Proctor & Gamble. At the expo, P&G handed out A LOT of sample products. One that was new to me was Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream. I've been using it at night on my 40+ year old face, and I've noticed that my skin feels very soft and dewy again.

One of my favorite snacks (or desserts depending on the time of day) is Stonyfield Organic Greek Yogurt. I actually tried this yogurt for the first time when it was handed out to finishers after the Half at the Hamptons a couple of years ago. I love chocolate on the bottom!

A favorite staple that has been coming in very handy as the weather heats up is my Simple Hydration Water Bottle. It always takes me awhile as a runner to acclimate to the heat and my bottle makes it so easy to carry water or performance drinks on my runs. I had the pleasure of hanging out at the Simple Hydration booth at the Flying Pig Expo and talking to people about the bottle. It's really fun now to read the positive comments on the Facebook page from runners who bought and used the bottle at the race.

Have you ever tried a sample from a race day expo, goodie bag, or finisher's treat and fallen in love with it?   

There's still time to enter to win a pair of sunglasses! Details here! Giveaway ends tomorrow!