‘Frozen Yogurt’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Review: Planet Swirl {Whippany, New Jersey}

July 24, 2013 · Narrative

A few months ago, my friend Carmen, knowing our penchant for frozen yogurt places, texted me a message.

“Planet Swirl, you must go.”

And who am I not to follow orders like that?

I added it to our growing must-see-do-try-visit places on my phone, and decided to save it for just the right time.

Which happened a few weeks ago when there was a Groupon deal offered for it.

I mean, frozen yogurt AND half price?

It’s almost like our obligation.

I took the kids, and Nick brought a friend, and we stopped in one afternoon.

Easy to find right off Route 10, there is ample parking right in front of the store. As soon as we walked in, the iphones were quickly whipped out while the kids were ooohing and aahing over the decor and snapping countless pictures.

Planet Swirl took their outer space theme and ran with it, making for a fun spot to visit, and setting it apart from the countless other froyo places that are popping up everywhere.

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Review: Yummy Yogurt {Boonton, NJ}

March 4, 2013 · Narrative

You have ever one of those perfect days that are perfect because they’re just so ordinary?

Like, everyone in your family is getting along and there is no fighting, whining, or bickering?

And you managed to hit that unique balance of pure laziness with a little productivity thrown in for good measure?

And everything just … worked. And at the end of the day, you got to reflect on just how wonderful life is. And how wonderful your family is.

That was yesterday.

Nick had a commitment for four hours during the day that we ended up skipping, which meant that we pretty much unexpectedly had the day to ourselves, and to do as we wish. Which doesn’t happen often enough. We had a lazy morning, did a few errands, and just basically hung out together.

Perfection.

And as it wasn’t 17 degrees with a crazy wind chill factor, it seemed like the perfect day to check out a new-to-us frozen yogurt place.

I swear it feels like these places are popping up everywhere. Likely because they are.

Yummy Yogurt just opened in November, and we found out about them through Groupon, where they recently ran a half-off special (and if you’re local, the Groupon is still available).

Which is, like, my favorite kind of special.

Located right on Main Street in downtown Boonton, it’s easy to find, and on-street parking is plentiful (although on a weekend during warm weather, it will be much more of a challenge). A big, bright, happy, colorful space, this spot has the most amount of seating that I’ve seen at any yogurt place, followed by Red Mango. Most frozen yogurt places typically don’t have more than a handful of seats available. Yummy Yogurt has banquet-style bench seating along one long wall, and a few spinning (regular) chairs. In the center of the storefront, they have these slightly odd pod-shaped chairs. Because of how low they are to the ground, I think they’re perfect for kids.

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Review: Taro Frozen Yogurt {Morristown, New Jersey}

February 18, 2013 · Narrative

Nick has been attending a weekly workshop in Morristown in the evenings, which has given Madeline and I a standing date night and the opportunity to eat our way around the town and explore new restaurants. Last year, an old friend mentioned her favorite yogurt place was in Morristown, so Taro quickly made it on our list.

And man, am I ever sorry we waited as long as we did.

After having a kebab dinner a few doors down (review coming soon), Madeline and I walked over to Taro. It’s right on South Street, with convenient on-street parking and very easy to find. As soon as you walk in, you’re greeted with a bright, happy, neon vibe, which made up for the fact that we were about to have frozen yogurt on a cold 28-degree night.

Diehards, what can I say?

With only ten flavors and a much smaller toppings bar than their competitors, Taro really has to do something to stand apart from the others. And they have, starting with your wallet and their 0.45/ounce pricing, which is about a nickle an ounce cheaper than everyone else. While it doesn’t sound like much, it is.

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Review: Let’s Yo! {frozen yogurt}

December 6, 2012 · Narrative

The first time I visited a Let’s Yo! frozen yogurt location, I was out with friends and the kids were with The Ex. As soon as Nick saw a picture of my frozen yogurt on Instagram, I knew I was in trouble.

At our recent Apres Thanksgiving Blogger Dinner, Patsy mentioned that there was a new Let’s Yo! in Parsippany, which is a lot closer than the original one I had visited, so after school one day last week, I took the kids.

I knew as soon as they saw the tabletop iPads for customer use on every table, they would be instantly hooked.

Of course it doesn’t hurt that the kids love frozen yogurt too.

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Visit: Strawberry Fields {Morristown, New Jersey}

November 8, 2012 · Narrative

Every once in awhile, I try to surprise the kids with a treat. Which is hard since one of them asks me a million questions.

What are we doing after school?
And tonight?
And what’s for dinner?
What time are we leaving?
Can so-and-so come over for a playdate?
Can we go to the Halloween store?
When can we decorate?

It’s, like, incessant. And makes it difficult when trying to keep something a surprise.

Sheesh.

I subscribe to a few NJ-centered blogs, since I find them to be a good source of new things to do in the area, free kid-friendly activities, holiday goings-on, and the like.

Which is how I discovered Strawberry Fields in Morristown.

If you didn’t know, we’re big fans of self-serve frozen yogurt.

Because it’s healthy.

As long as you don’t overload it with junky toppings.

And it speaks to the inner control freak, letting me making it just how I like it.

Located on the usually-busy South Street in downtown Morristown, there is plenty of on-street parking available. The store was big, bright, and colorful. While we were visiting Strawberry Fields, the music piped in was an interesting eclectic mix of 60s and 70s.

This is the first froyo place that we have visited that had two levels, which was pretty cool. The yogurt selections are up a few steps, in the back of the store, and the toppings bar was towards the front of the store, near the cashier and entrance.

Which is good for breaking things up a bit when it gets busy.

We speak from experience.

At 0.49/ounce, it’s priced in line with their competitors, and with a small nod to the environment, their spoons are biodegradable.

(Nick is instagramming photos of his frozen yogurt)

For the most part, frozen yogurt places all seem to operate under the same basic set-up, so we look for what sets them apart. Strawberry Fields offers gift cards, and this is the first place that I’ve seen that offers wheat germ and flax seed as available toppings.

Which I love.

The only detractor from our visit was the condition of the toppings bar. It was a bit of a mess. And there was no excuse for that because the lone employee we saw while we were there had time to check his phone several times.

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Review: Red Mango

July 14, 2011 · Narrative

Today is my Mom’s birthday.

She was born in Paris.

On Bastille Day (the French version of Independence Day).

So every year on her birthday, they set off fireworks.

Pretty cool, right?

Happy Birthday, Mom!

After I picked up Madeline from camp, we headed down to join my Mom for lunch and a frozen yogurt. One of my co-workers, Jaclyn, has been raving about this new place that opened up near my parents, Red Mango. I remember seeing the “coming soon” signs, but never having been to a Red Mango before, it didn’t really mean much to me.

Apparently I was about to be schooled.

Jaclyn had gone to them a bunch of times in the city, and in the past week has driven 25 minutes one way just to go to this new (and much closer) location. They’re that good, she said.

All self-serve. All natural. All non-fat.

When you walk in, you go to the back of the store and choose your container. The sizes are big and very big. A slick marketing ploy to get you to really load up, if you ask me. You know, since they charge by the pound on your finished concoction.

They had some 7 or 8 different flavors. I immediately knew I was going for: Light. Refreshing. Tropical.

The fact that I spied coconut frozen yogurt, along with pineapple, certainly helped steer that choice.

Then you pony up to the toppings bar, and that’s where the fun begins. And where you can go really wrong, making something seemingly healthy into a gluttonous mess. Everything from M&Ms and gummy bears to chocolate chips, fresh fruit and nuts. All their fruit is fresh, never frozen.

I went with raspberries and pineapples, and then added their granola mix.

Madeline went with dulce de leche and strawberry frozen yogurt, topped with sprinkles, M&Ms and gummy bears.

My mom went the chocolate and heath bar route….

A Few of Our Favorite Things

September 30, 2010 · Narrative

It’s nearly the end of the week, and my brain is literally fried. To the point that I think the only thing that might save it is an early bedtime with my TV remote and a glass of something adult. I’m going to close off the week by sharing a few of our favorite things. Have an awesome weekend… I think we’re heading South or being locals. Our destination of fun is to be determined.

I discovered this frozen yogurt a few months back and it quickly became my favorite go-to when I want a little something sweet to finish off the day. Because that only happens once or less a week, it takes me this side of forever to go through the container by myself, but it’s worth it. Crunchy bits of granola, swirly swirls of honey, creamy goodness. Get yourself some. You can thank me later.

I tend to be really fickle with yogurt. I eat very little dairy basecase, and yogurt, I can usually take it or leave it. I go through phases. I found these little gems a few weeks ago. And then Nick found my stash in the refrigerator and declared it his “favorite yogurt ever,” so I had to share. Pity that. 120 calories a pop. We’ve had the strawberry and the blueberry. Perfect littler sizes for stashing in my tote for a quick breakfast when I get to the office, right next to my egg white sandwiches. Yumminess.

We go through an INSANE amount of grapes between the three of us. Cold from the fridge or icy cold from the freezer. Love them. The kids love them. I love when they’re on sale (ninety-nine cents a pound this week at Shop Rite!).

Project 365
September 30, 2010, Photo #171

I got this chair exactly three years ago from Freecycle. It wasn’t put together. It made two moves with us. And never got put together. A few weeks ago, when the kids weren’t home, I decided, once and for all, that I’d finally put the darn thing together before Madeline’s posterior no longer fits in it. There were no instructions and no picture to go by. After about forty-five minutes and a few choice words from this person who doesn’t swear, I gave up. Thank God for The Neighbor Husband, who came to my rescue the following weekend. Apparently if you give a man a Beer Margarita, you can just about get anything done (thank you!). I can’t believe that someone gave this away. It was brand new, still in its original shrink wrap. I’m betting they couldn’t put it together either. Now Madeline has a nearly matching set for her and a friend. Perfect way to end the warm weather season.