Snikiddy Organic Grilled Cheese Puffs

These baked corn puffs were a big hit with my kids! The ingredients are organic and all-natural. The Grilled Cheese flavor tasted like Cheetos, just not as salty and that seemed like a healthier alternative. The Mac & Cheese flavor tasted a little like pirate booty and was only mildly salty, but still with lots of flavor. Although there’s no fiber, this is definitely a healthier option. Buy on Amazon.

Bare Apple Chips

All of my kids love apples so when it comes to apple chips, as long as it’s just chips, they can have as many as they like. Bare Apple Chips are made of Fuji and Reds and there are absolutely no other ingredients. They’re baked so they’re crunchy and the flavor is more condensed, which makes them sweeter. Half a cup, which is a reasonable serving, provides 4 grams of fiber! There’s also Granny Smith and Cinnamon flavors. There’s a $3.00 off coupon on Amazon now if you buy a 24 pack of the 0.53 size (perfect for school lunches). Buy on Amazon.

Eat Your Vegetables Chips by Good Health

These chips are nothing short of amazing! They include no less than 8 vegetables: carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, beets, and shiitake mushrooms, plus several types of beans. Unlike regular potato chips that are thin and have a light, airy consistency, these are more like tortilla chips. I couldn’t taste the beans at all but I think this is what gives them the heartier texture. It’s amazing that there are so many veggies in there and obviously this doesn’t replace eating raw and cooked veggies, but it’s a very nice supplement to a vegetable-rich diet. Buy on Amazon.

The Sea Salt flavor was pretty good. My oldest kids found it too salty, but my five-year-old loved it, claiming “I love salt!”. The Sea Salt & Lyme flavor was too sour for us all (except for my husband who loves sour flavors) but the big winner was the Sour Cream and Onion flavor. You can really taste and sour cream and onion, no need for extra dips. These chips are crunchy, zesty, flavorful and addictive. They reminded me of cool ranch Doritos. My daughter really loved these as well. What I especially like about these chips is that because they are packed with fiber-rich veggies, they are very filling. A serving (14 chips) makes a perfect snack, along with string cheese, for example.

Bare Chia Coconut Bites

I’m always trying to get my kids to eat food with omega-3’s. Bare Chia Coconut Bites come in three flavors: we tried the chia and vanilla, chia and flax and chia and pineapple. The ones with the flax and vanilla tasted very similar. They’re perfect for that sweet/salty craving. The sweetness is pretty delicate and not overpowering. It’s so good, I would use it as a topping for yogurt, overnight oats or to make a beautiful presentation for a fruit salad. The pineapple flavor was a little strong for my kids and I. It was just too sweet and although it contains sea salt, I barely felt it. Half a cup has 4 grams of fiber and the chia and flax has a bonus of extra omega-3’s from the flax.

Baked Chewy Bars from Enjoy Life

Granola bars are a popular snack because they travel well and you can always throw one in the bag or purse. Enjoy Life makes a variety of bars that contain Pure Life Balanced Dry Blend made of sunflower kernels, cassava flour, sorghum flour and quinoa flakes. Plus, there are no artificial ingredients and they are wheat, dairy, and nut-free. We tried The Carrot Cake, Lemon Blueberry Poppy Seed, and Caramel Blondie flavors. The Caramel Blondie was hands-down, everyone’s favorite. It was like eating cake both in terms of consistency and  flavor! At only 7 grams of sugar per bar, it’s a pretty decent cake alternative! My daughter loved the lemon blueberry poppy seed flavor but the rest of us were not huge fans of the lemon flavor. At 5 grams of sugar, she can have it every day. The carrot cake was also pretty popular. It was delicious, a little tangy and not overly sweet, plus six grams of sugar is not bad at all! It also has 20% of the recommended vitamin A, so I guess you can say it’s part of a veggie serving… Buy on Amazon (there’s a 15% off coupon right now).

Protein Crisps by Our Little Rebellion

These chips are made with soy protein and cassava, so each serving (24 chips) has 10 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber! The vegan chips are low in fat and carbs and they’re very filling. We tried the hot buffalo flavor and they were simply too spicy for both my husband and I  – I didn’t even have the kids try. My mouth was on fire! The Sweet & Smokey BBQ was better but I’m not a fan of BBQ and neither are my kids. My husband is, though, and liked these a lot. He thought the BBQ flavor was not too strong and since he’s a vegetarian, these chips are a great addition of plant-based protein for him. Buy on Amazon.

Popcorners by Our Little Rebellion

Popcorners is one of our go-to snacks and the Carnival Kettle and Salt of the Earth corn chips are very popular in our household but I wanted to try more exotic flavors that will give my kids that new taste they’re looking for. First of all, not sure if this is a new thing, but all of the corn in the chips is non-GMO, plus the chips are all double-pressed for extra crunchiness. The White Cheddar are very cheesy and delicious – the kids loved it. The Cinema Style tastes a lot like buttery popcorn and were also a big hit with the kids. The Sweetly Salted Caramel is perfect for that sweet/salty craving and is not overly sweet. I found these so addictive! I was supposed to leave some for my husband because he wanted to try them. Oops. Buy on Amazon.

My hands-down favorites are a tie: Cheesy Jalapeno and Sweet Heat Chilli. The Cheesy Jalapeno were surprisingly delicious! They’re very spicy and taste a lot like nachos that you buy at the movie theater with that orange gooey nacho cheese. Not sure how, but whoever made these managed to replicate the taste while using real cheese ingredients and jalapenos. The Sweet Heat Chilli chips were also amazing! They’re sweet, salty and spicy – this chip has it all! They’re not too spicy, though, and all the flavors mixed in together are simply perfect. Buy on Amazon.

I was not compensated for this post. I received samples. This post contains affiliate links. We receive a small percentage of the money generated by your sale (and it doesn’t cost you anything). 

Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman has also written for The Huffington Post. She has been living in New York City for fourteen years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 10, 8 and 5) and loves finding great products that make her family’s life easier. 

The post Healthy & Delicious Snacks Your Kids will Love! appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

Football season is here in my house and I am always looking for healthy and delicious recipes to serve to my game-obsessed husband. My challenge was to make something with Blue Diamond Almonds Smokehouse Almonds and Wasabi & Soy Sauce Almonds that had #GameChangingFlavors.

I decided to use non fat greek yogurt and make two healthy dips. One dip would be on the sweeter side, the other dip would be savory.

For the Sweet Almond Dip, I took Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds, honey, and non-fat greek yogurt. The almonds have a great smokey flavor that paired nicely with the sweet honey.

I was going to chop up the almonds, and then decided to blend them in my Vitamix.
If you don’t have a strong blender, you can use a food chopper, or food processor.

Then add a teaspoon of honey, the ground almonds, and the greek yogurt. I used around 1/2 the container of greek yogurt. I mixed the ingredients together with a spatula.

I served it with cut up red delicious apples. Since the apples will brown, you can sprinkle lemon juice on the apples to stop this or cut up the apples right before you serve it.

 For the savory dip, I took Blue Diamond Bold Flavor Wasabi & Soy Sauce Almonds.
When the almonds are combined to the greek yogurt, it calms down the spiciness and still lets the bold flavor come through.

I served it with celery, you can substitute any other veggie.

My dips were so easy to make and were super delicious (and healthy). Your family won’t miss the chips!

Print

Greek Yogurt Dip 2 Ways: Sweet and Savory

Course Appetiser

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Nancy Johnson Horn, The Mama Maven Blog

Ingredients

• Sweet:
• Honey
• Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds
• 1/2 container greek non fat yogurt
• Savory:
• Blue Diamond Wasabi & Soy Sauce Almonds
• 1/2 container greek non fat yogurt

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Healthy Sweet Almond Dip:
• Grind 1/2 the container Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds in a strong blender or food processor
• Add almonds to greek yogurt
• Add a teaspoon of honey
• Mix together and serve with cut up apples
• Healthy Wasabi & Soy Sauce Greek Yogurt Dip:
• Grind 1/2 the container Blue Diamond Wasabi & Soy Sauce Almonds in a strong blender or food processor
• Add to greek yogurt
• Mix together and serve with cut up veggies

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds.

The post Greek Yogurt Dip 2 Ways: Sweet and Savory appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

As a snacker who is following a gluten free lifestyle, it’s been hard to find snacks that satisfy my sweet and salty tooth. So when Gratify Gluten Free Foods recently sent me several of their snacks, including pretzel thins and chocolate covered pretzels, I was pretty excited. Pretzels are one of my favorite things to snack on and it’s been hard to find a brand that I really like that’s gluten free. So using Gratify Gluten Free Foods, I made this Gluten Free Pretzel Crusted Chicken.

The snacks I tried out were the White Chocolate Peppermint Twists, the Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Twists, Dark Chocolate Twists, Dark Chocolate Peppermint Twists, and Everything Pretzel Thins.

White Chocolate Peppermint Twists (MSRP $4.99)

Gluten Free pretzel twists covered with white chocolate sweetly studded with peppermint candy flakes. These were my favorites and so delicious.

Dark Chocolate Twists  (MSRP $4.99)

Gluten Free Pretzel Twists coated with rich and creamy dark chocolate. It marries sweet and salty beautifully. Size: 5.5 oz.  

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Twists  (MSRP $4.99)

Gluten Free Pretzel Twists surrounded by peppermint candy flakes for this celebration of mint-meets-chocolate holiday snacking. Size: 5.5 oz.  

Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Twists  (MSRP $4.99)

This was my absolute favorite. Gluten Free pretzel twists covered with peanut butter and milk chocolate. Seriously addictive. Size: 5.5 oz.  

Everything Thins (MSRP $5.99)

These thin pretzels are dusted with garlic, onion, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and sea salt which will definitely remind you of an everything bagel. They were so good with hummus, but I wanted to see if I could finally tackle pretzel crusted chicken cutlets. Using gluten free pretzel thins meant I could keep this recipe gluten free (so I could eat them as well).

Gluten Free Pretzel Crusted Chicken

Store bought gluten free breadcrumbs are so last year! Kick things up a notch by using Gratify Gluten Free Foods Everything Thins crushed up instead of breadcrumbs. They’re wheat free and dairy free and certified gluten free.

You’ll need to grind up the pretzel thins. I used my trusty Vitamix blender, but you can use a food processor or even place the pretzel thins in a zipper sandwich bag and crush them with a can.

It’s okay that there are still some bigger pretzel chunks – if it bothers you, make sure you grind it even finer.

Beat several eggs.

Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and then into the pretzel thin crumbs. Place in a glass pan that has cooking spray in it. Bake at 350 degrees until cooked through (turn over after 20 minutes and cook for 10 more minutes). Or you can add some cooking spray to a frying pan and cook until done.

Print

Gluten Free Pretzel Crusted Chicken

Forget boring gluten free bread crumbs! Use gluten free pretzel thins!

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2 lbs

Author Nancy Johnson Horn, The Mama Maven Blog

Ingredients

• 1 package Gratify Gluten Free Foods Everything Pretzel Thins
• 4 eggs
• 2 lbs chicken breast
• Cooking spray or olive oil to line baking pan or frying pan

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and then into the pretzel thin crumbs.
• Place in a glass pan that has cooking spray in it.
• Bake at 350 degrees until cooked through (turn over after 20 minutes and cook for 10 more minutes).
• Or you can add some cooking spray to a frying pan and cook until done.

Buy on Amazon.

The post Gluten Free Pretzel Crusted Chicken appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

Giveaway is closed — Patricia is the winner! One of my favorite snacks, Fisher NUT EXACTLY Snack Bites is now available at Walmart and retailers nationwide. You may remember we talked about them last month. Fisher NUT EXACTLY Snack Bites contain no artificial ingredients and only 15 to 16 calories per snack bite, making them the perfect go-to snack for back-to-school or anytime. And I won’t tell if you keep them for yourself and don’t share with your kids.

I went to the Walmart by my mother’s house to pick some up.

Fisher NUT EXACTLY is the perfect snack to take with me when I go to the indoor play place with my kids.

While indoor play places are a lot of fun for the kids, they aren’t always fun for the parents. It’s loud, kids are running all around, there’s tons of chaos. Sometimes I want a little peace.

How to Stay Sane at the Indoor Play Place

1. Find a place you can sit down and relax. Preferably one where the kids won’t see you. Hiding is fine, as long as you can still see your kids.

2. Bring a special snack and a beverage for you! Maybe an iced coffee or ice tea – wine is generally frowned upon and open container laws….. I like to bring Fisher NUT EXACTLY Snack Bites because they are delicious and super portable. Plus the bag is resealable.

3. Bring your smartphone (duh!). Catch up on friends on facebook while your kids play and have a great time. You should still watch them anyway, but relax a little. Plus you can capture funny moments like the one below. Instagram away and tag grandma!

4. Was it a stressful week? You can either hide or just start playing yourself! Who says pirate hats aren’t funny when you’re 44 years old!

Fisher NUT EXACTLY SNACK BITES is a combination of roasted nuts and whole grain popcorn, rolled into a bite-sized snack that’s dipped in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peanut butter or salted caramel.

The new varieties available at Walmart or a retailer near you include:

• Almond Popcorn Dipped in Milk Chocolate
• Pecan Popcorn Dipped in Salted Caramel
• Peanut Popcorn Dipped in Peanut Butter

Stop by your local Walmart between Friday, 9/11 to Sunday, 9/13 to sample the three new varieties.

At 15 to 16 calories per snack bite and no artificial preservatives Fisher NUT EXACTLY is a snack you can feel good about eating. The re-sealable stand-up bag makes snacking convenient. I love that Fisher NUT EXACTLY offers a sweet yet savory taste and unlimited poppablitity – a perfect crunchy combination of sweet and salty. And they are sooo good. 

For more information about NUT EXACTLY flavors and product availability,  check out www.FisherNutExactly.com #FisherNutExactly (your kids will love them too).

Follow Fisher on Social Media:

www.Facebook.com/FisherNutsBrand

www.Twitter.com/FisherNutsBrand

www.pinterest.com/fishernuts/

And don’t forget to stop by your local Walmart between Friday, 9/11 to Sunday, 9/13 to sample the three new varieties.

www.Facebook.com/FisherNutsBrand

www.Twitter.com/FisherNutsBrand

www.pinterest.com/fishernuts/

Prize Package Giveaway:

Enter to win a prize package includes an assortment of the Fisher NUT EXACTLY snack bite varieties and a $50 Walmart Gift Card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Staying Sane at the Indoor Play Place #FisherNUTEXACTLY appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

Serving size of almonds are 28 almonds with 15 grams of fat (1 gram saturated fat, o grams trans fat, 3.5 grams polysaturated fat, 10 grams monosaturated fat), o grams cholesterol, 120 mg of sodium), 5 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

The post Snack Boldly with Sriracha Blue Diamond Almonds appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

Now that my baby is one and eating solids all the time, I find it really difficult to come up with snack ideas that are also good to take on the run. Cheerios is very popular in our household but I want to give him a variety, while still focusing on healthy food. I found a company that makes the perfect snacks for little hands, as well as a company that has some great snacks for moms.

Ella’s Kitchen is a  multiple award-wining company that was started seven years ago. Its founder is a father who had a picky toddler and wanted to make healthy, organic food that kids really want and that is fun to eat. Ella’s Kitchen have a wide range of food for kids of all ages: from 4-month-old infants to toddlers and are the first company to introduce pouches to the baby food market.

I recently received Puffits, Munchy Biscuits and Nibbly Fingers for review. What I loved about them most (other than the fact that my baby devoured them) was the extremely low sugar content. The Nibbly Fingers and Munchy Biscuits have two grams of sugar in each pack and basically taste like unsweetened cookies. The Puffits have one gram of sugar per package and honestly tasted like cardboard to me, but my baby loved them. They make the perfect alternative to Cheerios. My older kids liked all of the snacks as well, which was surprising because they didn’t taste sweet at all. These are so easy to just have in the diaper bag or purse. You can buy them on Amazon.

What about for moms? Carrington Farms makes Organic Milled Flax Packs, which are individually-sized packets that contain only organic milled flax. Flax is a great vegetarian source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids and is suitable for vegetarians or vegans. These have 2800 mg of omega 3’s which is are beneficial for heart and brain health and also give you that glowing skin. They’re perfect to take with you and sprinkle on your salad during lunch or add to yogurt for a healthy afternoon snack. They contain 3 grams carbs and 3 grams fiber (so they’re actually zero carbs) and have a nice amount of iron as well. You can buy them on Amazon.

.

Craving some chocolate and want something filling? Usana makes protein snacks that are big on flavor and protein (12 grams!) and low on fat and calories. My favorite is Fudge Delite. It tastes like a brownie but not as sweet and rich – just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth craving and it’s very filling and delicious. Other flavors are Choco Chip and Peanutty Bliss. You can buy them here.

I was not compensated for this post. I received samples.

Editor’s Note: This post contains some affiliate links (so a (very) small percentage of sales will go to this blog).

———————————————————————————————————————————————-
Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman has also written for The Huffington Post. She has been l been living in New York City for twelve years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 6, 4 and a baby) and loves finding great products that make her family’s life easier.

The post Yum! Healthy Snacks for Babies & Moms appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

We also love that it’s vegan, kosher, gluten-free, and made with non-GMO ingredients! They’ve recently added some new flavors like Apple Grape, Apple Mango, Apple Cherry, Apple Peach, Apple Berry to their already popular applesauce line of Apple Cinnamon, Apple Banana, Apple Strawberry, and Apple.

Besides Applesauce on the Go, GoGo squeeZ offers Organic Squeezable Fruit  and Fast Fruit: Fruit on the Go! (aimed to children of all ages).

GoGo squeeZ participates in Terracycle recycling (which we love). Go to Terracycle’s website for more information on the GoGo squeeZ Brigade.

You can buy GoGo squeeZ at major retailers like Target or buy on Amazon.

Thank you to GoGo squeeZ for sending samples for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own.

The post Kid Healthy Snack of the Week: GoGo squeeZ Applesauce On The Go appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

I live in NYC and often get to sample exotic cuisines from around the world. I love Indian, Asian, South American, you name it. When it comes to snacking, though, I stick to boring foods such as fruit, cheese and crackers. SunRidge Farms has a plethora of healthy snacks, some with awesome, exotic twists that are worth trying out, just to give your taste buds a little jolt. In addition, to celebrate 30 years, SunRidge Farms has recently expanded their solar-powered manufacturing facility as they are committed to green living. I recently received some samples. Here’s what my family and I thought: (Read more after the jump).

Organic Tropical Mango: It comes in pretty large pieces that are absolutely delicious, albeit a little hard to chew. We all loved those but my 4-year-old gave up on them quickly because he didn’t like to have to chew so hard. Oh well, more for us. My daughter loved these but also complained they was hard to chew because she has a loose tooth. My 7-month-old loved gnawing on these (as you can see in the picture).

Thai Curry Cashews: I’m a big fan of nuts, cashews in particular, but aside from the occasional Pad Thai, I’m not a huge fan of Thai food. Luckily, these don’t taste like Thai at all, but more like Indian food, which I love. They really hit the spot with my occasional Indian food craving. These cashews are so yummy I’m going to have a hard time going back to regular cashews.

Wasabi Tamari Almonds: These are really good if you like wasabi (I love it and put a lot on my sushi). The almonds are very, very crispy and crunchy and fresh. Warning: do not put a handful in your mouth! Just eat a couple at a time.

Almond Butter & Cranberry Power Chews: These power bars are great for snacking. They don’t actually have butter in them, just almond butter, which is really healthy, but I felt that they tasted a little too buttery for me. I did like their sweet and tangy cranberry flavor and the noise they made when I chewed them. My husband didn’t think they tasted buttery at all and also liked the tangy cranberry flavor. He thought they were a good snack to take to work. (He was completely indifferent to the noise they made when he chewed them.)

Peanut Butter Power Chews: These were better than the Almond Butter Chews. They didn’t have as much of the butter flavor, just mostly peanut butter, which is a staple in my house. Again, loved the noise they made when I chewed them!

Dark Chocolate Almonds: I’ve had dark chocolate-covered almonds a million times, but there is something different about these. The dark chocolate seems to be better quality.

Dark Chocolate Coconut Chews: I love both dark chocolate and coconut so this is a winner for me. My only problem: the pieces are too small, I wish they could make them bigger! Then again, because they are so small they can make great cake or cupcake decorations. They are so yum – the perfect healthy alternative to Mounds.

Organic Quinoa Coconut Granola with Mango: First of all, I just want to say that I don’t think granola is a health food. Having said that, this particular granola can make a healthier alternative to other snacks, such as candy and chips, so if your kids are asking for for a treat with food coloring and corn syrup, this is a much better option for them, just use it as a treat. I personally loved the taste – the coconut flavor was pretty mild and the mango made it a little tangy which was a nice twist. A half cup is 6 grams of protein and 6 grams of fat so if you add nonfat yogurt or milk you’ll get a nice amount of protein in it. I had it with milk and it was delicious to the last bite. But that was my one treat for the day.

You can purchase these products, and many more, at SunRidgeFarms.com

I was not compensated for this post. I received samples.

———————————————————————————————————————————————-

Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman has also written for The Huffington Post. She has been l been living in New York City for twelve years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 6, 4 and a baby) and loves finding great products that make her family’s life easier.

The post Healthy Snack Review: Discover a World of New Flavors with SunRidge Farms appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.