The weather at SparkPeople headquarters is finally getting warm. We're saying sayonara to winter with lunch-time pickup basketball games, open windows in the office--and ice cream taste-tests.

Blue Bunny recently unveiled some new ice cream treats that feature probiotics and granola. They come in flavors like double chocolate and double strawberry, so we were excited when Blue Bunny sent us some to try. If it's cold, sweet and creamy, chances are we'll like it--or at least try it.

What they say:
Aspen Snack Bar and Sedona Sandwich: frozen novelties that combine creamy probiotic frozen yogurt and honey oat granola:

Aspen Snack Bars – These snack bars combine creamy, probiotic frozen yogurt with a layer of fruit filling topped with crunchy granola crumbles and enrobed in a yogurt coating. This better-for-you snack will be available in two flavors:

• Raspberry Vanilla: Raspberry low fat frozen yogurt with a layer of raspberry fruit filling topped with crunchy granola crumbles and enrobed in a vanilla-flavored coating.
  
• Double Strawberry: Strawberry low fat frozen yogurt with a layer of strawberry fruit filling topped with crunchy granola crumbles and enrobed in a vanilla-flavored coating.

Sedona Sandwiches – These healthier ice cream sandwiches feature creamy, probiotic frozen yogurt with thick swirls of fruit or fudge, sandwiched between two chewy honey oat granola wafers. Sedona Sandwiches will be available in two flavors:

• Double Strawberry: Strawberry low fat frozen yogurt with a thick swirl of strawberry fruit flavor, sandwiched between two honey oat granola wafers.
  
• Double Chocolate:

Chocolate low fat frozen yogurt with a thick swirl of fudge, sandwiched between two honey oat granola wafers.


What we say:
I ate the Double Chocolate Sedona sandwich with granola outside....I was really pretty indifferent toward this. The chocolate tasted OK--not great and not bad. I didn't care for the texture of the outside. I think I didn't like the coldness of the granola.



I had the double strawberry yogurt Sedona sandwich. I thought it was tasty, and the strawberry taste was authentic--not fake. I would eat this again. I liked the crunchy exterior! The granola on the outside was sweet and crunchy.

MMM! Raspberry ice cream is one of my favorites (OK, technically black raspberry chip), and this low-fat, low-cal option didn't disappoint--even without the chocolate! But be careful...it will leave you wanting more! (I ate the Aspen raspberry bar.)

Yummy! One word describes this bar. I had mine as an afternoon snack, around the time when I usually crave something sweet. It was delicious.
The granola added a great crunch, and the yogurt had a strong sweet strawberry taste that took care of my sweet tooth craving. I would definitely buy these for sweet treats or even desert.



The raspberry yogurt frozen Aspen bar was REALLY good. I like all three parts, the inside raspberry, the outside yogurt, and the bit of granola. This would be something I would buy to quell an ice cream craving.

I tried an Aspen bar (strawberry) and thought it was really good! I really enjoyed the taste. It is definitely as good as some of the other low-cal options I've tried.

(No one who ate these treats thought that the probiotics made a difference, but they did appreciate the taste, portion size and nutrition info of the Blue Bunny treats. These aren't as "low-calorie" as some other ice cream treats, but we enjoyed them and thought they were a great, premium sweet.)

Nutrition:
(for the chocolate Sedona sandwich)


(Aspen bars have 150 calories and 8 g fat)

Price:
Aspen bars: $4.29
Sedona: $4.99

Where to buy?
Find a Blue Bunny retailer near you.

Would you try this? Have you?