If you have been reading my prior posts regarding FNCE 2011 or follow me on twitter, you would know just how excited I am to hear that Chobani is launching 3 brandspankin’ new flavors in Jan 2012. The best part? I was lucky enough to taste all 3 new flavors and

can confirm they are just as ahhmazinggly good as all the other Chobani varieties.

Normally I’m not a huge passionfruit fan, especially when it comes to yogurt. I just didn’t like tiny seeds in my otherwise smooth and creamy dairy goods. Well, this all changed at FNCE when I tried Chobani’s new Passionfruit flavor. SOO good.

The two new other flavors included Blood Orange and Apple Cinnamon.

Let’s just say the Cinnamon Apple was like apple pie in a cup.

A few reasons I love Greek yogurt, and Chobani in particular, is that Greek yogurts are double strained so are thicker and also have a TON more protein than regular yogurt varieties. Just one 6oz fat free Chobani has 14g protein!

I love using Greek yogurt in a number of ways, including adding it to smoothies for an extra protein source but an added bonus is it makes the smoothie super creamy and thick. Plain, non- fat Greek yogurt is also an excellent alternative to sour cream for baked potatoes etc. Most people cannot even notice the difference between the two!

Oh and other BIG Chobani news? They are going to Australia!!! At the FNCE conference I spoke with the Head Chef from Chobani and he said they had already bought a yogurt factory in Melbourne and their headquarters will be in Sydney. How exciting!

Have you tried Greek yogurt? If so, how do you find uses for it? I’d love to hear your suggestions!

So unfortunately the FNCE fun had to come to an end and everyone had to return to the real world. Boo.

Day three consisted of some more great sessions, my favorite being the very last session I attended of the whole conference that just so happene

d to be all about blogging! I got some great tips, so improvements on This Aussie Eats may be seen in the near future

Other fun times of day three included myself and other RD2Be’s rushing back to the hotel to pack up, check out, and head to the hotel. This might have been easy was it not for all the amazing swag we collected at the conference!

The above is why I came to FNCE with a 41lb checked-in bag and one small carry on and left with a 50lb bulging bag and two large overflowing carry-ons. In my loot is 9 (nine!) new books to read, all signed by the authors and of course my DVD signed by Bob Harper himself. As I work my way through the books I’ll post reviews with my thoughts and opinions. As for the cookbooks, I’ll be sure to recreate the recipes and post about those too. Just don’t expect fancy-dancy photos like the book has!

Kevin didn’t miss out

on the goodies either. This was his souvenir from the trip.

Thanks to Kind Bars for that one!

I also scored some sweet coupons.

Someone once asked me why I liked America so much. One of my replies was “because of the whole coupon system thing”. Its totally true. Australia needs to learn a thing or two about this whole coupon business, I had never used a coupon til Sophomore year and now i’m hooked lol.

Annndd now, its back to the real world. Goodbye San Diego!

Question: Have you ever received some sweet goodies at a conference? Or maybe you’re one of those ‘extreme coupon’ people?!

This morning started off with a student breakfast hosted by Kellogg’s. It was a great way to meet other students at the conference as well as learning more about the Kellogg’s company. We completed a quiz while watching slideshows of how the company

has developed and evolved over several decades.

Kellogg’s did a great job of telling students how much the company values us as up-and-coming nutrition experts leading the way for younger generations.

This yogurt parfait was a delicious way to start the morning.

After the breakfast I attended some great sessions. First up

was all about packaging yourself professionally, a session held by Anna Graf Williams, cofounder and senior partner of Learnovation.com

I then took a quick walk through the expo hall where I happened to run into The Laughing Cow and ‘Guyatitian’ David Grotto (dressed for the California Strawberry Council). Fun!

My favorite session of the day was ‘Be The Brand’, a vibrant session hosted by the mother of the ‘me first movement’ Rebecca Scritchfield and ‘Guyatitian’ and author David Grotto. The session was all about how to find your niche and go with it, creating your own brand that makes you recognizable and memorable not only within the nutrition community but to the world. Super helpful information in a super fun environment!

Day Two ended with dinner at The House of Blues.

I shared a crispy prosciutto flatbread with a fellow RD2be Megan, pairing it with a Vodka & orange with a splash of cranberry juice.

As an intern, it has been a tremendously fun, exciting and a priceless experience being able to network with other RDs, health professionals and students that have gathered in one place to share and learn about topics we share a common passion for.