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The Lite Choice Tour
Ada from NYCOLLEGEATS gives a recap of her tour at The Lite Choice!
Hello everyone! A few weeks ago I was contacted by The Lite Choice and offered a tour of one of their stores along with samples of their various products. I’m not gunna lie, I jumped around my apartment upon receiving this email because you all have witnessed my infatuation with the frozen dessert. Before the founding of The Lite Choice (in 2008) I was addicted to Tasti D-Lite and would get one EVERY single day before swim practice. While I still occasionally enjoy Tasti, I feel The Lite Choice far surpasses them in terms of quality and taste.
I got to meet the lovely Claudia, pictured below, who explained the technical and business aspects of the chain. I found this highly fascinating, since I prefer to understand a company’s values before whole-heartedly supporting them.
She shared some interesting info about the company’s founding and the product’s nutrition. All these years I have erroneously deemed it “fro-yo” when technically it is a “frozen dessert” since it does not contain enough fat to be considered ice cream and does not contain the probiotics of yogurt.
A serving of their yogurt contains 80 calories per cup (some flavors slightly more), is certified kosher, low fat and gluten free. They also do not utilize any artificial ingredients or preservatives. I was quite impressed by how many of their flavors were made using USDA certified organic flavors, which you can distinguish by the green labelling.
Claudia was so generous and offered to concoct a bunch of products for me to sample. An interesting part of The Lite Choice is that they can instantly create ANY flavor of your selection in addition to the flavors they offer that day. This was a dangerous piece of info for me to learn, since now I might get one every day! Out of the selection of flavors, I selected hazelnut, and coconut. I also got to sample the flavors of the day, which included banana pudding, dark chocolate truffle, vanilla, fluffernutter, and caramel. Holy. Yum. All of these flavors were amazing, but my favorites were definitely the hazelnut and caramel. Might I say these tasted better then Haagen-Daz?
To concoct the flavor Claudia simply filled a cup with vanilla soft serve
Added a couple pumps of flavoring
Placed it in the stirrer
And voila! Easy as pie (or as hazelnut soft serve, I should say):)
She also asked me if I had a favorite product of theirs, and I immediately responded with “coffee freeze” which is essentially a coffee milkshake. I may not have mentioned this before, but I am a milkshake fanatic. When I was younger I drank one every single day and never got sick of them. My favorite milkshake flavor is definitely coffee, and this was a fabulous version of one. As I was drinking I wished the cup would never end since it was SO tasty:)
She also whipped up a banana protein shake, which contained the whey form of protein. The shake included vanilla soft serve
banana, skim milk, and whey protein.
Off into the vitamix it goes!
Holy yum! The below picture is terribly blurry, but trust me. This bad boy was amazing. I could see it being a great post-run snack between the milk’s calcium, the banana’s potassium, and the whey protein.
The Lite Choice also sells freshly ground peanut butter and almond butter which contain nothing but the nuts.
I got to sample a cup of both and, man, were these tasty. I wanted to add some to my soft serve.
but I didn’t have to since it was already incorporated into one of the flavors. . . fluffernutter! I loved that this flavor did not taste artificial, but like actual freshly ground peanut butter.
They also offer an array of great toppings, with my favorites being the cereal, almonds, and m&ms( for a special treat).
In addition to their famous soft serve, they sell a plethora of bars which come in such interesting flavors as “cookies and cream” and “coffee espresso”. Claudia gave me a huge array to take home, so I look forward to sampling some tonight.
For the colder months they offer hot chocolate, which at 99 cents is such a steal. It tastes like thick, chocolaty goodness rather than the watered-down variety sold at many corner stores. At 130 calories per cup, it also makes for a healthy choice!
Look how cute this cake was! I might have to get one for Valentine’s Day. . .
I love that you can buy individual slices of the cake. since sometimes you don’t want to purchase an entire one.
Mmm more bars and sandwiches
After speaking with Claudia I also learned that the company strives to aid the community by offering special promotions and handing out samples in local schools and gyms. They also plan to work with a diabetes foundation, which will be really great. They extend their generosity even further by providing gift cards and deals through their Twitter and Facebook pages. I highly recommend that you follow them on Twitter and Facebook so that you can score some awesome deals!
Now that I’ve had a tour and learned about the company’s values, I feel great fueling my soft serve addiction with their product. Not only does The Lite Choice possess a superior taste, but the company promotes great values in aiding the environment and local communities. Man, writing this post made me seriously crave some more, I’m going to dip into my freezer supply now;)
Thank you so much, Claudia, for giving me such a great tour! I seriously felt like yesterday was my birthday haha.
Posted by Ada
The Scoop About The Lite Choice
Karla Walsh from The Healthful Bites won a “Taste the Difference Tour” from our sweepstakes. Continue reading for her recap:
When I was interning in the City last summer, I tried to make the rounds to various restaurants to try the offerings. Of course, New York is famous for the pizza, pretzels and cupcakes, but there are plenty of other goodies to discover. I chronicled my ten favorite places that I had visited over the summer on this blog before moving back to the Big Apple, and the folks over at The Lite Choice discovered themselves on my list!
Claudia and Ron were kind enough to offer a visit to one of the “TLC” stores for a Taste the Difference tour.
When I arrived, Ron told me about the USDA organic flavors and the all-natural and kosher dairy mix that makes up the yogurt base. Today’s flavors at the Upper West Side location? Chocolate Rocky Road, Raspberry Truffle, Chocolate, French Vanilla, Angel Food Cake and Chocolate Chip Mint. All flavors have between 80 and 120 calories per serving—much less than the 200+ calories per serving that can be found in premium ice cream flavors with the same name (300 calories per half cup, Haagen Dazs?!? Seriously?).
Ron let me take the reigns and fill a cup. I began with a couple spoonfuls of Angel Food Cake (tastes just like the pastry Mom makes!) and French Vanilla (a classic!).
Next, I learned about the peanut and almond butter options for mix-ins or toppings. No doubt, other food bloggers out there would have a ball playing with, and tasting the creations from, the fresh nut butter churner!
Simply flip a switch and the nuts—and nothing else—are mixed into a creamy consistency. Ron topped the French Vanilla yogurt with some almond butter, then mixed the two in the fancy “Any Flavor, Any Time” shake-like machine! The results, with a little hot fudge that Ron recommended:
Like a Reese’s treat with some cool vanilla thrown in the mix! I snagged a few bites of this as well…had to pace myself! 
Last summer, and the times that I have been back this year, I’d noticed the “Any Flavor, Any Time” sign, but never taken advantage of it. So I asked Ron, “How do they do that?”
Well, you begin with a plain base, such as French Vanilla. Next, add a squirt from their flavor bottles, which are basically blended fruit concentrates or other natural flavors.
Then get ready to do some mixing! The flavor and yogurt go on a ride in the shake machine until they are thoroughly combined.
I got to try this too! And can I say thank you Ron for the perfect angle on the photos to make my biceps look nice and buff? 
The final product: Strawberry yogurt. The verdict: another winner! And there is no additional cost for custom flavors. Cool!
We also chatted about the stores loyal customers (some come in twice or three times a day, slurping on protein shakes for meal replacements!) and discussed top toppings. Can you guess which is the most ordered?
Rainbow sprinkles. (Or do you call them Jimmies?) Either way, I can see their colorful appeal. Just remember that one tablespoon has about 60 calories, so you may want to ask for “light sprinkles.” There are a few tasty fruit toppings offered as well!
Our tour ended with a trip the the lobby freezers, which stocked to-go pints and quarts, ice cream sandwiches and bars and frozen yogurt cakes. I might have to come back for one of the cakes for a future celebration, don’t you think?
What a fun afternoon! You can’t really have a bad one with all that tasty yogurt. Thanks to the crew at The Lite Choice for the fantastic tour and delicious treats! You know I’ll be back
What is your favorite flavor and topping for ice cream, frozen yogurt or gelato?
The Lite Choice Taste Tour by Finance Foodie
Forays of a Finance Foodie took a tour of TLC:
“Next best thing…”
As many of you know, my favorite dessert is and has always been ice cream. Unfortunately, the only love I get back from ice cream is around my hips and stomach – great if I was a bear trying to hibernate for the winter, but bad if I’m trying to get in shape for swimsuit season. Luckily, for those days when I’m hankering for something sweet but have already indulged, I can turn to my lower calorie friend – the soft serve.
Soft serve is a frozen dessert very similar to but much lighter than ice cream, since it’s lower in milk fat and contains up to 60% air by volume. I had always enjoyed McDonald’s original vanilla soft serve in high school (sweet, cheap, and only 150 calories a cone!), but soon abandoned that in favor of Tasti D-Lite when I moved to NYC (a bit pricier but loads more flavors!). Although I liked the wide variety of flavors, I always thought Tasti D-Lite tasted a bit artificial and well…obviously “lite”.
Enter The Lite Choice.
The Lite Choice (TLC) is a chain of soft serve shops in New York and New Jersey that is similar in concept to Tasti D-Lite (the owners were former Tasti D’Lite licensees) but unlike Tasti D- all flavors are natural, kosher, and USDA organic. After meeting TLC’s team at the International Restaurant Show, I, along with Team Finance Foodie’s photographer Jen “Q” Chen, stopped by The Lite Choice store on Broadway and 96th for a taste tour of all their products.
The first item up for sampling was TLC’s all natural peanut butter and almond butter- which is actually made on site in their nut grinding machines. The peanut and almond butter are then added to plain vanilla soft serve to create…you got it – peanut butter and almond butter flavored soft serve! I especially liked the almond butter flavor, as you could actually taste bits of the almond crunchies in the soft serve.
We then got to make our own flavor soft serve using the wide variety of different syrups lined up against the wall (which are all USDA certified organic flavors, natch). In addition to the 4-5 pre-made flavors, customers can create their own custom blend with over 70 flavor combinations to choose from (I recommend the coconut!)
Here I am sampling the cookies n’ cream, which was one of the pre made flavors of the day. NOM NOM!
TLC also makes a variety of desserts using soft serve, including:
Special occasion cakes
Soft serve bars
And my favorite item during the tour – the soft serve fudge sundae (can you believe that this is only 300 calories?!?)
All and all, I was incredibly impressed with The Lite Choice – healthy, all natural, and tasty. Now I won’t ever abandon my beloved full fat ice cream (don’t worry Ben and Jerry’s – you guys still have my heart and sales dollars), but The Lite Choice is definitely the next best thing!
“Next best thing…”
As many of you know, my favorite dessert is and has always been ice cream. Unfortunately, the only love I get back from ice cream is around my hips and stomach – great if I was a bear trying to hibernate for the winter, but bad if I’m trying to get in shape for swimsuit season. Luckily, for those days when I’m hankering for something sweet but have already indulged, I can turn to my lower calorie friend – the soft serve.
Soft serve is a frozen dessert very similar to but much lighter than ice cream, since it’s lower in milk fat and contains up to 60% air by volume. I had always enjoyed McDonald’s original vanilla soft serve in high school (sweet, cheap, and only 150 calories a cone!), but soon abandoned that in favor of Tasti D-Lite when I moved to NYC (a bit pricier but loads more flavors!). Although I liked the wide variety of flavors, I always thought Tasti D-Lite tasted a bit artificial and well…obviously “lite”.
Enter The Lite Choice.
The Lite Choice (TLC) is a chain of soft serve shops in New York and New Jersey that is similar in concept to Tasti D-Lite (the owners were former Tasti D’Lite licensees) but unlike Tasti D- all flavors are natural, kosher, and USDA organic. After meeting TLC’s team at the International Restaurant Show, I, along with Team Finance Foodie’s photographer Jen “Q” Chen, stopped by The Lite Choice store on Broadway and 96th for a taste tour of all their products.
The first item up for sampling was TLC’s all natural peanut butter and almond butter- which is actually made on site in their nut grinding machines. The peanut and almond butter are then added to plain vanilla soft serve to create…you got it – peanut butter and almond butter flavored soft serve! I especially liked the almond butter flavor, as you could actually taste bits of the almond crunchies in the soft serve.
We then got to make our own flavor soft serve using the wide variety of different syrups lined up against the wall (which are all USDA certified organic flavors, natch). In addition to the 4-5 pre-made flavors, customers can create their own custom blend with over 70 flavor combinations to choose from (I recommend the coconut!)
Here I am sampling the cookies n’ cream, which was one of the pre made flavors of the day. NOM NOM!
TLC also makes a variety of desserts using soft serve, including:
Special occasion cakes
Soft serve bars
And my favorite item during the tour – the soft serve fudge sundae (can you believe that this is only 300 calories?!?)
All and all, I was incredibly impressed with The Lite Choice – healthy, all natural, and tasty. Now I won’t ever abandon my beloved full fat ice cream (don’t worry Ben and Jerry’s – you guys still have my heart and sales dollars), but The Lite Choice is definitely the next best thing!
photos: Jen “Q” Chen
The Lite Choice on WCBS Radio
KTU Giveaway!
Win a $10.00 gift certificate to TLC!
All you have to do is click on the link below and create a KTU rewards account: KTU Rewards
Take the short KTU survey and you will automatically be entered for a chance to win the gift certificate! Hurry- the giveaway ends on April 28th!
Good Luck!
The Lite Choice is the Right Choice!
KTU 103.5 features The Lite Choice – NYC healthiest soft serve
[audio:http://www.thelitechoice.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/The_Lite_Choice_30_sec_on_WKTU_4-6-10.mp3|titles=The Lite Choice on WKTU 4-6-10]
Grand Opening of Huntington TLC Store
March 21st was the grand opening of a new Lite Choice in Huntington, New York! Susan and Sharon are the owners of the beautiful new location. The grand opening was a huge success! There were tons of happy, amazing customers excited to try the soft serve. Everyone was very excited about the new store and thought the soft serve was delicious! There was also a brand new TLC van at the store. The Lite Choice is very excited to expand to a wonderful new area.
International Restaurant & Foodservice Show
The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show Of New York Was An Amazing Success!
The Lite Choice participated at the International food show at the Javits Center from March 1 to 3. We had a booth there along with the Electro Freeze company. We served over 3,000 free small servings of Dark Chocolate Truffle and French Vanilla!
Photo Shoot Friday: Tasti-D-Lite, I'm breaking up with you.
Ellen from Fired ‘n’ Fabulous took a tour of The Lite Choice! Check out her experience below!
It’s not you, it’s me. My needs have changed. I’ve found something real and that is made using USDA organic flavors, that satisfies my taste buds like nothing else can. I’m moving on…
When the owner of The Lite Choice emailed me about coming in to do a “Taste The Difference” tour, I was all over it. Sampling yummy froyo—now that’s something I’m good at! Actually, I learned that it’s not froyo and it’s not ice cream, which is why it’s called soft serve. Why? Because it only contains 3 percent of fat, and ice cream has at least 10. And, TLC is all natural—it’s not made with added sugars and artificial ingredients that’s used in frozen yogurt. Pretty cool, huh?
I was greeted with a cup of hot chocolate—it was so rich and chocolaty. And, it only sets you back 130 calories and 99 cents!
You know when you walk into a yogurt store with your heart set on Cookies ‘n’ Cream, only to be let down when you see it’s not being served that day? Well, TLC makes a promise that you can have any of their 70 flavors at any time. Seems impossible, right? Everything can be made with vanilla or chocolate—flavored syrups and toppings are added to make the flavor of your choice.
One of my favorites was peanut butter. The peanuts are ground fresh, directly into your cup! It was so yummy, and the crunchy texture made it so I didn’t even need a topping!
My absolute favorite was Chocolate Chip Mint. Pieces of mint candy bar were mixed in with chocolate—it was so so good. Seriously, it tasted like something you’d get at Cold Stone, without all the fat and calories. It’s only 109 cals a serving!
I was so busy sampling every flavor that was put before me—Raspberry, Butter Pecan, Coconut, Chocolate Fudge, Banana—that I didn’t get any pics! But at least I snapped this hot fudge sundae before I devoured it. How many calories would you guess this is?
You know me, I’m always trying to find ways to be eat better. One thing I’ve been working on recently is cutting back my intake of processed foods and foods that contain a bijillion ingredients I can’t pronounce—healthier dessert options is a start, right?!
TLC gave me a coupon to come in with six friends to get FREE soft serve, so to all my NYC readers out there, let me know when you want to go and we’ll make it happen! I’d love to bond with you
Geeze, it’s only 10am and I’m now dying for a treat! I’m off to the gym though for yoga and a kickass treadmill run. Tell me: What’s your favorite froyo/ice cream/soft serve flavor? What about the toppings? Ohh I looove toppings!