Ski Queen Gjetost Cheeese

Whenever I go to Whole Foods, I like to try a new variety of cheese. On a recent excursion to the cheese section, I noticed this red block of cheese, and was immediately intrigued. It was priced at $4.99, and I'd never heard of Gjetost cheese before, but since I tend to love Goat Milk cheese of every variety, I wasn't too concerned.

After arriving home, I quickly looked online to find out about Gjetost, and to see what suggestions I could find for using it. Wikipedia says that Gjetost (more commonly known as Brunost) is a caramelized Scandinavian whey cheese, made from a mixture of both goat and cow's milk.

Wikipedia also stated that Gjetost is traditionally used at breakfast, and is most commonly toasted on bread. When looking at the cheese, I noticed it actually looks a lot more like caramel, and nothing at all like cheese. After adding some slices to bread, I toasted it until it bubbled slightly. The cheese has a taste that really can not be compared to any other cheese. It does in fact taste like a combination of (both cow and goat) dairy cream and caramel, and was delicious over a slice of cinnamon swirl bread. It also tasted fantastic over white bread with cinnamon and sugar, or cinnamon and honey. I could also see this working well in many desserts, and can't wait to try some melted over a slice of pear pie. The only concern I have is the size, Whole Foods does not offer a variety of sizes and considering how little you need of this cheese, those with a small or single household would most likely struggle to use this entire block of cheese.

Liberte Meditterranee Yogurt - Coconut

At a recent trip to Whole Foods, I noticed the line of Liberte yogurt. I enjoy trying new yogurts (of high quality), and tend to try one new brand each time I go to Whole Foods. As a fan of coconut, I decided it was a safe choice to try, before sampling anything more exotic.

The Liberte line offered a full fat line, and a low fat line, so I decided to try the full fat version first. The yogurt is not quite as thick as Greek yogurt, but has a rich creaminess that is unlike American yogurts. The full fat line uses whole milk, but heavy cream is also added, which brings the fat up from 5% milkfat (for standard whole milk yogurts) to 8%. This brings the calories up to to 240 for a 6 ounce container of yogurt, and 22% fat.

The yogurt was beyond anything I could have imagined. It was almost as though whole milk yogurt, cream of coconut, and whipping cream, were all blended together until the mixture had the perfect consistency. The yogurt had a great coconut taste, and the richness of the cream made it seem like an extremely indulgent dessert, even though it still falls under the category of being "healthy."

Halfway through the yogurt, I decided to save the rest for later. This plan didn't quite work out though, since my dog eagerly snuck over and inhaled the rest of the yogurt, when I wasn't looking. I will DEFINITELY be trying the rest of the Liberte line in the future (and buying more coconut for both me and the dog) and will also be sure to see how the low fat version compares. 

Red Jacket Orchards - Joe's Summer Blend

Recently, my local Whole Foods began to carry a line from Red Jacket Orchards. They had about 8 different juice blends and ciders being offered, but I decided it would be best to try one, before convincing myself that I simply *must* try them all. While looking over the flavors, I noticed one called Joe's Summer Blend. Intrigued, I grabbed the bottle, and didn't think much else of it.

When I arrived home, after chilling it for a few hours in the fridge, I grabbed the bottle to try a small glass. The flavor was rather straightforward, a high quality apple juice blend, with some lemon. It was rather sweet, so out of curiosity I looked at the ingredients to see how much sugar was used. None. In fact, the only two ingredients were apple juice and lemon juice.

It's official, I'm in love. The juice blend is a brilliant cross between apple juice and lemonade, with the sweet apples taking the place of the standard sugar or sweetener. Suddenly, Summer Blend makes perfect. Sadly, the juice is already sold out for the season, and most likely won't be returning until next spring/summer. But I will definitely be trying the other Red Jacket Orchard juices and ciders while awaiting its return. As for the price  $2.99 for a 32 ounce bottle actually seems to be on the lower end for Whole Foods, especially when taking into consideration the quality and taste of the juice.
                    

Dr. Praeger's Spinach Littles

As cliche as it may be, I like cute foods. There, I said it! And I do not believe that cute foods should only be served to children. So at a recent trip to Whole Foods, I noticed these spinach littles, and figured I would give them a try. I like spinach, in almost every variety, and figured what could the harm be in giving these a shot. And yes, they are cute and easy to eat, which are added bonuses.

Not long after buying these, we had guests over, so I decided to quickly cook some of these with chicken fingers, for some simple and quick finger foods. We served both with a few dipping sauces, including ranch, ketchup and honey mustard.

I wasn't sure what to expect for taste, but they really just tasted like spinach with a bit of starch and onion. The consistency was pleasant  and the shapes held together well. Everyone liked them with the different sauces, but I preferred them with the ketchup  I would most likely not buy these again (unless having young guests over), but I did enjoy them. I would definitely suggest anyone that has kids at home gives them a try, however, and think they would be a really great addition to packed lunches.

These spinach littles have no saturated fat, no cholesterol, and are low sodium, so needless to say they are quite healthy. They also only have about 22 calories each. The box comes with about 18, and the box was priced at $3.99. They are also gluten free, making them a great option for children with any gluten sensitivities.

Wallaby Yogurt - Mango Lime

As a child I absolutely loved yogurt, but as I got older things changed. Around the age of 20, my taste buds drastically changed, and suddenly those artificial flavors sickened me. Suddenly, standard grocery store yogurt didn't do it for me. And back then high, quality yogurts and Greek yogurts weren't yet readily available at the grocery store, so for a few years I went without yogurt.

And then I discovered imported yogurts, farm fresh yogurts, and Greek style yogurts, and everything changed. Not only did I love yogurt once more, but I had a whole new appreciation for it. I then began to try a large assortment of yogurts, and soon stumbled onto Wallaby Organic at Whole Foods, a yogurt line that refers to itself as "Creamy Australian Style."

I can't say I'm familiar with Australian style yogurt, but the consistency is actually eerily similar to most standard American grocery store brands. However, unlike those yogurts, there is never any separation to be seen. The Wallaby yogurt line offers fruit on the bottom flavors, as well as flavored yogurts. They offer a great selection of flavors, including several non-standard fruits (at least when it comes to yogurts). I recently tried the Mango Lime, which had an excellent flavor that reflected both fruits nicely, sweet with a lovely brightness from the lime. The individual yogurt cost $0.99 (the standard price is $1.19 but the yogurts are regularly on sale for $0.99). Although this may be rather high for an individual yogurt, I think it's worth the extra quarter or two, and will continue to buy the Wallaby yogurts.

Julie's Organic Blackberry Sorbet Bars

I've seen Julie's Organic ice cream at a local grocery store in the past,  but I'd only ever noticed standard flavors like vanilla, chocolate and coffee. Personally, I tend to prefer fruit flavors, or more exotic flavors and blends, which is a major factor in why I shop at so many specialty stores like Whole Foods. So on a recent visit to Whole Foods, I was pleased to see a large selection of more unique offerings from Julie's Organic, including these Blackberry Sorbet Bars.

As a fan of blackberries, I instantly grabbed a box to take home and try. After arriving home, and sticking them in the freezer for a bit, I decided to enjoy one for dessert. After taking only a small bite, I instantly regretted not grabbing several more boxes. Most sorbet products that aren't made fresh, have a very grainy texture. But these had none of that, and were perfectly smooth and creamy, like a cross between sorbet and gelato, so much so that I honestly expected to see some dairy listed in the ingredients. The blackberry flavor was also pleasantly strong, which is no surprise considering that the natural ingredients only consist of blackberries, cane sugar, and a variety of natural (and organic) stabilizers.

The sorbet bars were also a good size, which I didn't expect after reading that each bar had only 60 calories. The box comes with 4 sorbet bars, and cost me $3.99. Although this is on the higher end for a frozen treat, I enjoyed these as much as I would a small cup of sorbet at the local gelato cafe (which would cost me over $3), so that helped to justify the price. I will definitely be buying these regularly from now on, and I can't wait to try some of Julie's other products.

Ciao Bella Prickly Pear Sorbet

I first fell in love with Ciao Bella's products about 5 years ago, when I placed an order for an online specialty foods market, which offered some of their original line. I had ordered one flavor of gelato, and one of their sorbets. Both products were far superior compared to my small town (technically city) area in New England, where local shops only offered standard ice cream flavors, and flavors like M&M and Lime Sherbet were still considered modern and exotic. And as for gelato and sorbet, forget it.

Thankfully, times have in fact changed around here, and we even have our own gelato and sorbet shops. But I still like to pick up some of the unique flavor offerings of gelato and sorbet when I shop at specialty shops and Whole Foods. So when I noticed the Prickly Pear Sorbet, I just knew I had to try it. Price be damned.

And speaking of prices, at $4.99 for a pint, the price wasn't as outrageous as some of the gelato and sorbet section of Whole Foods, but still fairly high. However, for those that are more patient that I am, Whole Foods regularly does deals for Ciao Bella's line where two items can be purchased for between $5 and $7, bringing the price for each pint to between $2.50 and $3.50 (comparable to standard grocery store prices for similar and often lesser products, not bad at all!)

When I returned home, I immediately stuck the pint in the freezer for an hour, then curiosity got the best of me. After glimpsing at the straightforward ingredients (Water, Prickly Pears, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Lime Juice, Pectin, Natural Flavoring.), I was even more intrigued. I absolutely LOVE the taste of prickly pear, but usually when I find it listed in juices and frozen treats, it's overpowered or diluted by other fruit flavors. That was surely not the case with this sorbet. The prickly pear taste was strong and pure, and the lime juice only complemented the flavor, and did not at all distract. 

The sorbet was the best frozen sorbet I've ever had, and even though the texture was not as fine as freshly made sorbet at the local shop (no frozen sorbet ever is), the flavor more than made up for this fact. I will definitely be buying this sorbet again, and after great success using it in smoothies and adding it to sparkling juice, I can't wait to continue to experiment with this flavor. For my fellow prickly pear lovers, I highly suggest you get to your nearest Whole Foods immediately (or whichever store in your area happens to carry this Ciao Bella flavor). 

CP Shrimp Wonton Soup

At a recent trip to Whole Foods, I quickly noticed a special display in the seafood section, which showcased many boxes of CP Shrimp Wonton Soup. I've always loved wonton soup, so I figured it would only be fair to give it a chance.

After about a month, once the weather began to chill, I finally felt like having some soup for lunch and decided to give it a try. I followed the straightforward instructions for the soup (add water to the included bowl, heat for 3 to 4 minutes in the microwave), easy enough. I didn't have much faith in this frozen soup, mostly due to my lack of faith in frozen seafood products  so my expectations were surpassed, but truthfully only slightly.

The broth for the soup was extremely bland. It wasn't as salty as I feared it might be (which seems standard for frozen soups of any kind), but it also had a lack of any sort of flavor. I also noticed there was really no spice to be seen (unlike in the photo), or at least that was the case with my bowl. However, the wontons had a perfect consistency, and the shrimp had a decent consistency that was only borderline rubbery. They also had a lovely taste, which was surprisingly sweet.

The price listed for the item was $3.50 (which was one serving with 5 large pieces), but it was on sale for $2.99. The price seems fairly standard for Whole Foods, but at a grocery store would seem like a bit of a ripoff. I also found that many wholesale stores and some grocery stores sell this in a 6 pack for around $10 (which actually would be a fairly good deal, in my opinion).

Overall, the wonton soup was nowhere near the quality of one you would receive at a Chinese or Thai restaurant, but was superior to what one would expect for a standard grocery store product. Overall, I would not buy this product again, and I would only really recommend it to those that absolutely love wonton soup, and would like to have some to keep on hand for when a restaurant visit is simply out of the question.