Being a mom is by definition a busy job, but around here, mornings are the busiest time of all. In the rush to get everybody dressed, fed, and ready to go out the door, lunches and snacks tend to get left to the last minute. Back in September I was motivated to make fancy lunches every day, but it’s May now, and honestly it can be a struggle to keep lunches interesting for my girls. If Kay had her way, she’d put candy in there every day, but I don’t think so! I do understand why she’d get bored with the same old thing though, so I’m always on the lookout for new and healthy snack ideas.
When it comes to snacks, allergies are also an issue. Like many schools, Kay’s preschool is nut-free due to a classmate with an anaphylactic allergy, so we’re very careful about what kind of treats we send. We recently discovered freeze dried Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps, and we’re already big fans of this tasty and versatile treat! Naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and packaged in a peanut-free facility, Fruit Crisps are allergen-free and classroom-approved. And since they don’t need any prep, they’re a morning rush time saver for me too!
If you’ve never had freeze dried food before, think astronaut food! Freeze dried food was popularized in space programs because it’s super light and keeps for years without refrigeration. To make these delicious Fruit Crisps, the fruit is peeled, sliced, and flash frozen, and then dehydrated under pressure until over 95% of the water is removed. This process leaves behind virtually all the vitamins, nutrients, and flavour. Since microorganisms can’t grow without water, the freeze dried fruit doesn’t need preservatives to keep it from spoiling.
Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps are 100% real freeze dried fruit with no added sugar or preservatives. They contain all the nutrition of fresh fruit, but in a convenient mess-free pouch printed with fun Disney characters that my kids love! Each pouch contains 2 servings of fruit, and they come in 3 very tasty varieties: strawberry/banana, pear, and apple.
Unlike dehydrated fruit, freeze dried fruit has the flavour of fresh with a light crispy texture that almost melts in your mouth. The texture makes these ideal for toddlers and preschoolers, but don’t let that stop you from snacking on these too. The whole family thinks these are yummy! Kay’s favourite is the Fuji apple, and I confess to being partial to the strawberries.
Fruit Crisps aren’t just for school snacks though. I don’t know about you, but my kids are constantly harassing me for food (unless it’s dinnertime when they decide that eating is the worst thing ever), so I always have snacks in my big mom purse. Sure, granola bars are convenient, but they have way too much sugar for me to feel comfortable feeding them to my kids on the regular. In comparison, Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps are just fruit with no sugar added. When your ingredient list is one item long, you know you’ve got a winner!
Kay likes taking a pouch with her to the park. Fruit Crisps mean no messy, sticky hands which is a blessing when we don’t have access to soap and water.
We’re big fans of Fruit Crisps! They’re the ultimate in convenience when we’re out and about, and I don’t even mind the kids eating these in the car. They’re a healthy choice for self-feeding babies, toddlers on the go, preschool or daycare, and hungry moms too!
Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps are available at your local supermarket and online at Amazon. For more information visit Brothers All Natural or connect on Facebook.
Other Ways to Eat Fruit Crisps
You can totally eat them out of the bag, but there are lots of other ways to eat ’em too! Here are a few of the ways we’ve enjoyed our freeze dried Fruit Crisps.
- Add a handful on top of your morning yogurt or cereal for natural sweetness and fruit flavour. I like the strawberry/banana Fruit Crisps best for this.
- Try these as a mix in with your oatmeal. I highly recommend crumbling a few slices of Fuji apple and stirring them up with milk and a dash of cinnamon.
- Add Fruit Crisps to your trail mix recipe. I think this will be perfect when we go camping this summer.
- In a pinch, freeze dried fruit can substitute for fresh fruit in baked goods like pancakes or muffins, desserts, sauces, etc. Grab these tips for substituting freeze dried fruit for fresh.
Win a Fruit Crisp Prize Pack!
One of my readers will win a box of Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps to try for themselves along with a $50 Mastercard gift card to help make lunch and snacking more interesting. Enter in the giveaway widget below. This giveaway is open to residents of Canada, 18+. All the winner’s entries will be verified.
Click here to check out my other open giveaways and be sure to like me on Facebook!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation. Nevertheless, all opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ. This post contains affiliate links. This West Coast Mommy is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
I’m worried about the salt and sugar content of snacks I give my kids. I also look for whole grains and fibre content.
When buying snacks for my children, I would like the ingredients to be Organic, Non-GMO,dye free, and sugar free. I also will not purchase snacks with artificial colours, flavours, or sweeteners.
Quite honestly I never paid attention as we rarely bought prepackaged stuff back when the kids were smaller. My daughter is crazy for veggies and fruits and actually quit eating meat for 2 years. My son was more of a meat eater then anything.
I try and find the most natural foods to give my son. It doesn’t always happen (because, let’s be realistic!), but I try to make sure most of the food he eats is natural.
I look for ways to change up the regular snacks my kids have. I look for “healthy” as close to the original state as possible for fruits and veggies. Great vibrant colour and texture are important as well.
I look for quality ingredients and products that are sourced using fair trade practices.
Honestly – the most important thing to me is that he eats it. He’s going through a picky phase right now!
I look for snacks that are preferably organic with no preservatives or HFCS.
I watch the amount of sugar in it. I love giving them more natural products.
Healthy snacks are important as well has any additives all natural snacks
I look for ingredients that are lower in sugar, and more natural. I don’t like artificial dyes or colours.
I steer clear of foods with lots of added sugars like candy bars or soda.
When I made lunches for my children, I wanted it to be healthy. I usually made each one a sandwich or two with protein in the middle, fruits and milk, Sometimes, I would add a favorite cookie. The protein would be one of their favorites as well as the fruit. They ate their lunches as far as I know and they were rarely sick.
healthy snacks that are tasty and don’t contain a lot of sugar
I try to find natural snacks with less sugar
Low in sugar, and contains mostly natural ingredients.
It is important for my kids snacks to be healthy and nutritious, and not loaded with sugar.
I look for snacks that are made from natural ingredients and low in sugar and additives.
The most important aspect of any product (that is pre-processed in any capacity) is the list of ingredients; I like to see natural products and ingredients I recognize and absolutely no fructose (or any of its various names and variants like agave, glucose, beet sugar, molasses, cane sugar, etc.). I don’t mind naturally occurring sugars (like in whole fruits), but I do not like to see added sugars.
Healthy and tasty is what I always strive for.
I look for snacks that are going to be sugar free and that are safe for everyone, mainly meaning nut free
I read the nutritional labels to see how much sugar there is as well as how many daily vitamins they are getting. While I want my kids to enjoy their snacks and hope they taste great, I also want them to be nutritious.
I choose healthy snacks with no sugar.
I am definitely looking for snacks that have less sugar and a long shelf life.
I try to find healthy snacks that travel well. My oldest son loves to eat fruit at home, not so much at school. I think it’s because they get mushy/ Dried fruit would be perfect since he loves raisins.
I like products that are made with real food without all the added junk.
Most importantly nut free so I don’t have to worry about sending it to school
I look for a snack that is healthy, portable and not too messy to eat!
My son has a number of allergies so priority goes for snacks excluding those (eggs, peanuts, and dairy), then to excluding too much sugar and preservatives. I have tried these before and love them!
I look for snacks that are lower in sugar (unless natural sugars from fruits, etc) and without a ton of added chemicals
I guess something that is good for them that they will eat ! My kids are fussy .. so if they will not eat it , it does not matter how good it is for them !
I try to buy things without a lot of extra ingredients, sugar or chemicals.
I look for no artificial sugars, colours or flavours.
I am most concerned about organic ingredients and the use of natural sugars vs. processed sugars in foods for my children.
I look for healthy ingredients and make sure there isn’t too much sugar.
I look for snacks that have natural ingredients, and ingredients I recognize
I try to find snacks that are lower in sodium & sugars, and higher in fiber. For snacks like cheese & crackers I always look for cheeses with a very low milk fat % which is what our dietitian recommended. Some of the creamier cheeses are really high.
Finding healthy – not boring – snacks to pack in lunches is always a challenge. I constantly scan the nutritional value charts to ensure that processed snacks are not high in sugar or salt. I love that the Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps are so versatile!
I like natural, healthy ingredients. I love the idea of adding these to oatmeal.
Low in sugar, as natural as possible (e.g. no artificial dyes etc), and preferably locally made (or at least somewhere in North America instead of overseas).
I look forward snacks that have mostly natural ingredients, less sugar and are affordable.
I look for snacks that have less sugar and preferably no additives, including flavours or colours.
(I just had my computer freeze so this might be a duplicate comment and apologize if it is.)
When I purchase snacks, I consider the company’s reputation, taste, no additives, nutritional value and whether or not they get eaten.
The post important thing is that it doesn’t contain anything artificial.
My top 4 things to watch for
1) nut free – we arent allergic but most spaces we play require snacks be nut free.
2) dairy free – we are all allergic to dairy
3) no added sugar, colouring or sugar substitutes
4) healthy and yummy.
I appreciate that there is no added sugar in these snacks.
Both my children love fruits and vegetables, so I always look for snacks that are healthy
I choose snacks with less sugar and more natural ingredients.
I like looking for snacks that are all natural, but still delicious for my kids.