I sure love my chai tea! How about in Frozen Yogurt? On March 19,  Yogen Früz is unveiling its newest and most highly anticipated flavor Chai Latté in its NÜmixes portfolio at stores across North America. Yogen Früz’s Chai Latté is blended with low-fat or non-fat frozen yogurt providing you with a healthy alternative to your everyday coffee-break.

Yogen Früz prides itself on providing a one of a kind frozen yogurt experience including two unique elements that set it apart from its competitors. Other brands which simply provide an assortment of toppings, Yogen Früz’s proprietary blending process allows customers the opportunity to choose from an array of fresh fruits to create a personalized frozen yogurt treat. In addition, Yogen Früz’s NÜmixes program offers a fun spin on original flavors including: Chocolate Almond, Key Lime Pie, Piña Colada, and introducing the newest flavor Chai Latté.

Yogen Früz is offered in low-fat, non-fat and no-sugar-added frozen yogurt options, which can be custom blended with a large assortment of fresh fruit and/or sweet crunchy toppings in a cup or blended into a nutritious fat-free, ice-free dairy or non-dairy smoothie. Yogen Früz adds one billion viable probiotic cultures to each serving of healthy yogurt. Probiotics have been shown to help with healthy digestion, immune system support, better mineral absorption and assist with lactose intolerance.

Whether you are looking for a healthy snack alternative, or to just enjoy a tasty frozen dessert or nutritious smoothie, Yogen Früz offers more than just a delicious treat; each bite provides the body with essential vitamins to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. With its added assortment of NÜmixes, Yogen Früz maintains its position as industry leader – consistently creating innovative ways to enjoy frozen yogurt.

Not too long ago, I wrote a posting on Modern Mix Vancouver about Domo Tea’s Chocolate Ecstasy Flavoured Infused Matcha.  With the same craving for a sweet healthy drink this morning, I opened my new can of “Vanilla Cloud” flavour-infused matcha, which happens to be Domo Tea’s top selling product.

Vanilla Cloud has a rich silky texture and a mild matcha flavour enhanced with natural vanilla. Made with organic matcha tea, organic evaporated cane juice, and all natural flavours. Contains no cholesterol and no saturated or trans fats.

As a personal preference, I enjoyed the vanilla more than the chocolate flavour – I thought it blended better with the matcha taste.  To intensify the vanilla aroma, you can top up your drink with vanilla-flavored soy milk.  At $10 for a 100g package in a resealable can, Vancouver-based Domo Tea products are available at several groccery stores (especially health/natural food stores) in our city, including Urban Fare and Capers.

Jenny Gaynor, a 33 year old Los Angeles based artist known for her airy, almost ethereal glass creations seeks to provide meaning to the things we touch everyday, thus creating handmade pieces of jewelry and art. Using her exceptional skills deriving from years of training under world-reknown glass artists in Murano, Italy, Gaynor’s vision to defeat redundancy has made her succeed in creating something that is truly unique.

For more information, visit www.jennygaynor.com.  For a list of Irish Pubs in Vancouver, click here.

Probably inspired by my friend Naomi and the ever-changing colors of her nails, I’ve been trying out different nailpolish lines to see what I like best.  For example, MMV has previously featured Lippmann Collection and Sula’s Paint and Peel Nailpolish.  But for the latest and greatest, Sally Hansen just came out with a “complete salon manicure” nailpolish line which works in five different ways to help improve your home-manicure experience:

1.  As a Base Coat – smoothes out imperfections for a flawless surface.
2. As a Growth Treatment – protects problem nails, allowing them to grow longer and stronger.
3. As a Strengthener – reinforces nails to help resist splits, chips and cracks.
4. As a High-Intensity Colour – glides on concentrated pigments in two coats for a salon-quality manicure.
5. As a Top Coat – provides extra protection and brilliant shine.

I love the shape of the nailpolish brush – really flat and broad to paint the color on smoothly.  I tried the color “Yellow Kitty” (a springy pastel shade of yellow, uncommon in nailpolish colors) and found that I had to apply three coats to get that smooth, lacquered look.  Perhaps you will only need two coats for the darker colors.  Sally Hansen’s “Complete Salon Manicure” is available in 42 new shades (wow!) and retails for $7.95 at select drugstores and mass retailers across Canada for Spring/Summer 2010.

Dining Out For Life is an annual fundraising event involving the generous participation of volunteers, corporate sponsors and restaurants. In exchange for their financial support, restaurants are listed in a city wide marketing campaign in an effort to increase customer traffic.

With over 230 participating restaurants across greater Vancouver, this event is sure to both satisfy the palates of Vancouver’s foodies and the needs of these two amazing charities.  25% of your food bill will benefit Friends For Life and A Loving Spoonful.  This year, Sumac Ridge Estate Winery will be providing their continued support for the Vancouver edition of Dining Out for Life as a title sponsor.  Sumac Ridge will donate $1 for every bottle of Sumac Ridge wine sold in the month of March to help support people living with HIV/AIDS.

With the flexibility of having breakfast, lunch or dinner at great restaurants around Vancouver, this is a great reason to go out for a meal.  Some MMV-familiar restaurants participating in this event include CRU on West Broadway, Corner Suite Bistro de Luxe in Downtown, Socie+y in Yaletown, and Fraiche in West Vancouver.

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A Loving Spoonful provides free, nutritious meals to men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS in Greater Vancouver and the surrounding areas. In the last year alone, A Loving Spoonful has provided over 100,000 meals to those who need it most. Meals are delivered weekly by a team of dedicated volunteers. ‘The Spoon’, as it is affectionately known, operates five distinctive meal programs, ensuring that each individual client receives a food service that best suits their needs. One of these programs is ‘The Family Pantry’, a unique and pro-active food service that provides pantry essentials, fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy products to families living with HIV/AIDS.

Friends For Life supports people living with life-threatening illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, their families and their caregivers. This leading wellness centre was formed with the belief that no-one should face a serious illness alone, and offers a broad range of complementary and integrative therapies aimed at shifting the focus from illness to wellness. Programs include massage/body work, yoga, Naturopathic and Traditional Chinese Medicine, a nutrition/meals program and care for individuals confined to their homes.