Orange Leaf yum yum.

If you haven't heard yet, the Midwestern frozen yogurt chain Orange Leaf opened up a location in Cedar Rapids a few weeks ago. Its located over by Westdale Mall, in a new strip mall alongside Coffeesmiths and Milios Sandwiches. I hadn't ever heard of Orange Leaf before, and to be honest the name made me think it was a Chinese restaurant. It made me think of orange chicken, which is understandable I guess. Actually, I don't really know why its called Orange Leaf except maybe to make it appear like an environmentally conscious chain. 

Recently Orange Leaf has expanded from a few stores in the Kansas city area to over 120 stores nationwide, with 72 slated to open up in 2012. In fact, a new location will be opening up near Lindale mall, which is great because that's a bit closer to my house. Orange Leaf is getting lots of business from people all over Cedar Rapids, and its quickly becoming a popular spot with highschoolers, despite its slight tendency to be expensive on a teenage budget. 

If you've ever been to YoTopia in downtown Iowa City, its essentially the same thing. Upon entering you choose a bowl size. Then, there are over 10 flavors of frozen yogurt to choose, like peanut butter, chocolate brownie, mint chocolate, strawberry, pomegranate and many more. I'm not a huge fan of chocolate goods, so I always opt for the sour fruit flavors. I got a mixture of pomegranate, mango and raspberry. Then, you can choose toppings. Basically every classic candy is available, and then different kinds of fruit like strawberries, kiwis, raspberries, and my personal favorite, blueberries. The fruit is what really makes the bowl complete for me, so I tend to put less yogurt in and more toppings. Then, you weigh your yogurt and pay by the ounce. The decor in Orange Leaf is very modern and casual, its a nice place to sit and eat. 

real action shot of my delicious yogurt.