Why Fro-Yo is a No-No (And What to Do About It)

Listening to: The City - Ed Sheeran

So there's this frozen yogurt place called Menchie's (similar to Pinkberry and the like) down the road from where I live and everything about it is so daggone cute, from its little frozen yogurt mascot to the layout of the inside. And they have so many different flavors, including banana, mango, pomegranate, and PEANUT BUTTER OMG, just to name a few. Although fro-yo is an innovative and tasty treat sold as an alternative to the less healthy ice cream, especially in the summer months, it is still packed with sugar. And the more toppings you load on (which range from fresh fruit to gummy worms to chocolate to MOCHI OMG MOCHI SO GOOD), the more  calories you add on too. Needless to say, this "better-for-you-than-ice-cream" treat is not that much better... even worse is that this is a serve-yourself ice cream shop where you pay by the weight of the ice cream. You all know what happens when we get to a buffet.

 

Anyway, my roommate Val likes to explore different eateries, and getting dinner somewhere usually ends with Menchie's. And before going in to get it I already regret the savory treat, so much so that I find I can't even enjoy it much when I'm eating it; so what to do? I decided making your own fro-yo at home will 1) force you to buy a frozen yogurt/ice cream maker in order to get an actual consistency of fro-yo, and 2) not taste the same and therefore lead to disappointment.

But why not just try to freeze the yogurt to the point where it's a bit like sherbet, or the consistency of Luigi's Italian Ice? (Italian ice is the best btw... sort of a like a more frozen sherbet). Last night I froze some vanilla yogurt in an extra condiment cup I had and took it out of the freezer about an hour and a half later, so it was frozen but not all the way through, and was very soft. I should have waited a little longer, but I am impatient, and the center of the yogurt still had the yogurt-consistency... But I still liked it, it was like a frozen gusher.

This is definitely going to lead to
concocting yogurt popsicles soon.

I froze a cup of yogurt overnight to see what would happen if I just tried to thaw it out once I took it out. And my overnight frozen yogurt actually turned out pretty good -- just needed to thaw for a little bit. Essentially, you've just made a dessert that many stores sell to you in boxes of 12 from the freezer... and you're still just eating a cup of yogurt. I used Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla so the entire cup was 100 cal. Yes, it is not as good as other yogurts health-wise. Yes, they specifically have to advertise "NOW WITHOUT ASPARTAME" on the container, which says a lot in itself. Yes, eating regular yogurt is a much better decision to make. But hey, it's good, and it is has less calories, and the vanilla flavor is sooooo tasty. I'm not a health expert just a twenty year old college student who barely remembers to brush her hair most days.

The chicks approve! As you can see this is a
very extravagant, five-star recipe.

"Italian Ice" Yogurt

Ingredients: 

1 cup Vanilla Yogurt, or other flavors as desired

                 (if you're using plain yogurt, flavor/add fruits as needed).

Directions:

Place as much yogurt as desired into a cup. Set cup in freezer. Cover with tin foil or cap (optional). Freeze overnight. Remove yogurt and let thaw for approx. 20 to 30 minutes. Feel free to lick it while you wait. Once it thaws to the point where you can "shave" off or dig out pieces with a spoon, enjoy your new Italian ice! If you want to eat at a softer consistency . . . just wait longer.