From Sara:
I wouldn't normally buy yogurt in tubes, but I picked some up the other day and noticed a suggestion to freeze them. Sold! I now keep "frozen yogurt" tubes in the freezer for a healthier treat than ice cream.
Popping a frozen yogurt tube into a lunchbox keeps things cool till the lunch bell rings, and the yogurt's ready to eat by then, too.
I did this a few mths back when the tubes were getting close to the bbd. 🙂 Works great!
That is the only way my kids eat them!
I used to do them all the time for my little girl until I noticed that not only did they have quite a lot of sugar and artificial colors, but also high fructose corn syrup- which is really not something anyone should eat- especially little kids. I tried the stonyfield farms adult yogurt tubes for a while and they were ok- but my kid didn’t like them when compared to the sugar-in-a-tube yogurt.
This has been my hack for my youngest so he could have a big boy “yo” without squeezing it out all over himself and the floor. A child I know who doesn’t eat yogurt normally loved it frozen in a tube. Stonyfield Farms *YoKids Squeezers* are the only way to go: no fake stuff, organic and 25% lower in sugar than the other ones. Maybe since it’s aimed at kids it’s tastier than the adult version? Trader Joe’s carries it as does QFC. (Sorry for the ad but it’s great stuff compared to most crap marketed for kids.)
I pop a baby spoon through the tops of the small yogurt containers (e.g. minigo) and freeze them. Then you just take them out, peel the foil lid off and they get a popsicle. Works great for the new eaters who can’t quite figure out the tube and would likely eat the plastic. The spoon makes a great handle, is safe and keeps babies hands from getting too cold. Best news though…at least 20 minutes of contentment for me and my boys.
Regaring the frozen yogurt treats…. I did read that freezing yogurt in tubes can actually be dangerous. I don’t remember the details, but it has something to do with the fact they are frozen and in a tube (shape). I think when yogurt comes out it is in a tube/circle and can choke children when it hits their throat. I would never have remembered this, but I just got rules for our preschool lunch and these yogurt tubes were forbidden. (Only other food forbidden was peanut related products.) Just an FYI…
I’ve been freezing the Stonyfield Farms tubes for Baby A for a while now. She loves them as a treat, and so far no choking problems (knock on wood). Because of the potential for big mess, I do make her sit still (never easy, but when you’re dangling a treat…) so that probably helps cut down on the choking hazard.
Eva, I like your idea about putting a spoon in the regular cups. Will have to try that.
– L
If you’ve ever made popsicles for kids, you can make yogurt ones too. If you don’t have the plastic molds, use dixie cups with a stick (a previous hack). Mix yogurt with some milk, then freeze into popsicles. I grew up eating those as treats- especially loved the yogurts with chunks of fruit in them.
Since I’m lazier than my mom apparently, I’m going to go look for Stonyfield Farms tubes!
what’s the milk to yogurt ratio, Jill in Atlanta?
I somewhat challenge the idea that yogurt tubes are more healthy than ice cream. Gram for gram, tube yogurt (and most yogurt in general) has the same amount of sugar, same carbs, same lack of dietary fiber, admittedly much less fat (although light ice cream gets close), but then sometimes less protein. There are active cultures, which is a plus, but there is no way to know how much really. Yogurt does have slightly less calories.
I think one of the main reasons it’s healthier is because it tends to be eaten in smaller amounts and doesn’t have candy in it.
Thoughts?
The same can be done with thoes organic sugar free juice boxes, you cut off the top and with a small spoon or drooling mouth you have a better than average popcicle.
wdskmom: Just enough milk to pour easily. Milk gets icy, so more yogurt and less milk will be creamier.
Does freezing kill the active cultures?
Lee: According to Stonyfield, no.
http://www.forahealthyplanet.com/Wellness/Faqs.cfm
I make my own homemade yogurt and flavor it with no-sugar-added fruit spread, pureed fruit or honey. It would be so simple to pour it into popsicle molds and make healthy, delicious treats. Yogurt incubators can be purchased for around $20. Just look online (yogurt maker, yogurt incubator) or there are instructions for making your own yogurt using a picnic cooler or even your gas oven! I didn’t even think about making popscicles until I read the hack about freezing yogurt tubes (which I’ve already done). Thanks for reminding me about this great hack.
I loved learning about this hack at the beach one summer. The frozen yogurt tubes are nicely self-contained.
Dannon makes simply yogurt tubes now (no HFCS, etc).