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My daughter is a snacker – we always have to make sure to have them on hand, particularly on the go. They are a great way to keep her energy up and an occasional great bribe. Lately, I’ve seen snack-size organic snacks popping up at local coffee shops, like Starbucks, and packaged in multi-package containers at Costco. While I traditionally like to buy in bulk and then pass them out in reusuable snack bags or containers, sometimes picking up snack-sized packs is what the situation calls for.
Here are several organic snacks my family has tried out and given the thumbs up:
Peeled Snacks– The snack bags are 110 – 150 calories per bag. They have both an organic or 100% natural line – the organic line contains organic dried fruit ONLY – no added sugars, coloring or preservatives. There are 5 organic flavors like Mango, Banana or Apricot. You can buy them online or in local Starbucks, Whole Foods or Nordstrom. One thing I don’t like about snack-sized packaging is that it typically cannot be recycled at the curb but Peeled Snacks will take all of their bags back for recycling – you just have to mail them back.
Funky Monkey Snacks – The snack bags have 1 serving of fruit and 50 calories or less per bag. They contain organic dried fruit ONLY – no added sugars, coloring or preservatives. I assume these are great because I never got to try them! My husband and daughter ripped through several bags over a long road trip. There are 7 flavors like Banana & Cinnamon or Pineapple & Lime Juice. You can buy them online at Amazon.com or in local Targets, Whole Foods or Kroger.
Annie’s Homegrown – Annie’s has a host of organic snacks including BunnyFruit snacks, CheddarBunnies, ClassicsCrackers, and SnackMix. Fruit snacks – the gummy kind – are my daughter’s favorite treat. Most of them are made with high fructose corn syrup and a lot of other junk. BunnyFruit still has syrups and sugars (organic cane sugar and organic tapioca syrup) but it also is made with real fruit juice and no artificial colors – so for an occasional fruit snack treat, it’s a better choice than conventional brands. Organic CheddarBunnies are a great alternative to traditional “fishy crackers”, they are made with organic wheat flour and organic cheese – no sugar added. Our Costco sells a pack of Annie’s snack-sized treats that is perfect for things like birthday party or classroom snacks. You can also find them at Starbucks and at over 10,000 other stores.
Peter Rabbit Organics – A reader turned me on to these – thank you Sabrina! They are fruit pouches made from 100% organic fruit ( no added sugar and preservatives) and use only certified organic suppliers, and local ones, when they can. I love the pouches these are in, they are ‘drinkable’ and would be great for older infants learning to eat solid foods and drinking from a straw. My 3 year old sucked this down and told me it tasted like “fruity applesauce”. They come in 3 flavors like Strawberry & Banana, Apple & Grape, and Mango & Banana & Orange. I found them at Starbucks but they are also available online, at BuyBuy Baby and other retailers.
My sons love the Peter Rabbit Organics! I tried the Mango, Banana & Orange myself after seeing them at Starbucks and it definitely has a strong banana flavor. My 17 month old doesn’t seem to like bananas anymore, so I ordered the Strawberry and Banana, hoping the strawberry would be strong enough to cover some of the banana. He LOVES them!! We have to hide them or he’d eat them all day long. My 3 year old likes them too, but somehow he manages to make a huge mess every time because he has so much fun squeezing whether his mouth is on it or not.