I find myself in the grocery store late at night at least 75% of the time. There’s something about the silence and lack of checkout lines that makes me feel at peace. Because I can relax and really pay attention to what items are available, I sometimes find some great new products that I would have walked right past if I had been shopping during the day. Last night I needed milk and a few other staples, so I headed to my local Fry’s. I love cheese and pretty much all dairy, so I lingered in that section, thinking about what else I could buy for calcium and protein that wasn’t cheese. I noticed that Chobani yogurt was on sale, 10/$10, so since I love Chobani I figured I’d pick up a few cups. I grabbed a vanilla, a lemon, a blueberry, a key lime, but another one of their products caught my eye. Introducing Chobani Oats! |
Chobani Oats are not necessarily a new product, however last night was the first time I ever looked closely at the package. Being a celiac means that you often have to avoid foods containing oats because of the potential gluten cross contamination of the crops in the fields and processing centers. I never noticed, but Chobani Oats contains gluten free steel cut oats, rendering them safe for celiacs and gluten sensitive people. Whenever I see a new gluten free product I get a little excited and almost always have to try it.
I purchased Chobani Oats in two flavors- Banana-Maple and Cranberry. This morning I decided to start my day with a pot of French press and the cup of Banana-Maple Chobani Oats. Upon opening the container, I immediately started to panic. In my excitement about the new product, I forgot that I am extremely texturally and visually affected by food and to be frank with you all, this yogurt looks a little funky. Aside from being thick (greek yogurt is thick by definition), the oats are really obvious. Chobani slow cooks the steel cut oats in order to retain their natural nutty texture; this means that you can really feel them in your mouth when you take a bite.
I purchased Chobani Oats in two flavors- Banana-Maple and Cranberry. This morning I decided to start my day with a pot of French press and the cup of Banana-Maple Chobani Oats. Upon opening the container, I immediately started to panic. In my excitement about the new product, I forgot that I am extremely texturally and visually affected by food and to be frank with you all, this yogurt looks a little funky. Aside from being thick (greek yogurt is thick by definition), the oats are really obvious. Chobani slow cooks the steel cut oats in order to retain their natural nutty texture; this means that you can really feel them in your mouth when you take a bite.
The banana-maple flavor was a little bit too sweet for me; too sugary, not enough real banana flavor. This is a common issue with making banana flavored items, the smell of banana hits your nose much more than your palate. You taste the maple flavor right before the natural tartness of the yogurt kicks in, and while I love maple syrup, it was just a little too sweet for me when combined with the banana flavor.
Getting past the texture definitely took a few bites. I normally can eat granola on top of yogurt with no problem, but because the oats are mixed in it created a textural juxtaposition that kind of grossed me out for a bit. But after a few bites I realized that the oats are the perfect texture; chewy, not the least bit overcooked, and definitely filled me up more than a cup of regular yogurt would.
Chobani Oats Banana-Maple contains 10g of protein (20%DV) in comparison to 13g (26%DV) for regular Chobani Vanilla. I am not sure of the reason for the protein content decrease, however one can easily make up that 3g elsewhere in the day. I will be trying the cranberry flavor tomorrow morning, hopefully it’s as good if not better than the banana!
Getting past the texture definitely took a few bites. I normally can eat granola on top of yogurt with no problem, but because the oats are mixed in it created a textural juxtaposition that kind of grossed me out for a bit. But after a few bites I realized that the oats are the perfect texture; chewy, not the least bit overcooked, and definitely filled me up more than a cup of regular yogurt would.
Chobani Oats Banana-Maple contains 10g of protein (20%DV) in comparison to 13g (26%DV) for regular Chobani Vanilla. I am not sure of the reason for the protein content decrease, however one can easily make up that 3g elsewhere in the day. I will be trying the cranberry flavor tomorrow morning, hopefully it’s as good if not better than the banana!