Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Free and Fit-Friendly

You know that saying "The best things in life are free"? I feel like this week I'm totally living that up when it comes to feeding my stomach. And if you're in or around Chicago, you can too. Berry Chill, a chilled-yogurt delight local to the Windy City, turned one a few days ago, and it's celebrating with the entire city by offering special chill treats. From now until Sunday, you can walk away with a sweet, cold, healthy treat without having to crack open the wallet.

The catch? To score the deals, you have to follow the company's mascot, Yogi Jones, on Twitter. Throughout the day, Twitter feeds share the latest special and time to score. If you have the feed on your phone, show it when you place your order, or bring a print out with you. Some deals thus far include the Fro-J, a new drink with orange juice and yogurt promoted all week at specific times; BC Blender, a smoothie stocked with your choice of yogurt and toppings; a gift card giveaway; a 5 oz. yogurt with toppings. It's a savings of at least $4, something that makes me happy because I'd eat Berry Chill all the time if I could. And I'm glad I no longer live around the corner from the State Street location or I'd really be in trouble.

OK so what is all this praise about Berry Chill? I'm a fan because I view it as a healthy version of an ice cream sundae (trust me, my husband doesn't see it this way, he'd rather have his DQ). I'm probably incorrect in comparing it to Pinkberry or Red Mango on the coasts, but it's Chicago's answer to snacking--even for those who are lactose intolerant. The chilled yogurt that comes out the consistency of soft-served ice cream is chock full of live active cultures minus all the chemicals that wiggle into so many foods today. And unlike fats and cholesterol hiding in those DQ and Baskin Robbins treats, this one only contains 20 calories per ounce. The toppings include a fresh fruit rainbow with everything from blackberries and strawberries to kiwi and pineapple, Girl Scout cookie pieces, granola from another Chicago fave Milk & Honey, candy pieces and more, beating out the toppings bar you might remember as a kid. And the flavors get a little wacky too: Try banana walnut biscotti, pink guava, or green tea. Yum and my waistline is liking it too since I usually get the small 5-ounce size (100 calories of yogurt) topped with fresh fruit. And it won Daily Candy's Best Bite award in 2008--and nominated for other awards--so some taste buds must be liking it.

If you're on Twitter, or need an excuse to check out the hubbub (in my case), it might be worth a shot scoring some free food in the process. At least it makes my stomach happy. Photo grabbed from Berry Chill. Posted by Kate

2 comments:

  1. You're welcome! I'm digging Berry Chill and the freebies with Facebook and Twitter feeds rocks! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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