Back To School Snacking With Chiquita Bites

Disclosure: I received this product for free from the manufacturer to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the manufacturer of this product.

Although, it's hard to believe that I have a preschooler and kindergartner this year, we're steady ticking off the days until school starts. One of my main concerns for this school year is lunchtime and afternoon snacks. Moo will be attending school for a full-day and JJ will only go a half-day. I want to make sure that I'm packing them lunches and snacks that are: (1) nutritious, (2) portable and (3) don't require any prep work (kid/school friendly). That's where Chiquita Bites come in.

Behold the goodies!

We recently got a chance to sample a variety of the Chiquita Apple Bites and they were a hit! Even my picky eater, JJ, got in on the sampling action. Our sample package included:

Peeled Juicy Red Apples (Single Pack)

These were Moo's favorite because they're peeled. While she will eat the peel of an apple, she prefers to have the peel off. It gets stuck in her teeth and that drives her nuts. Like we seriously have to find her a piece of floss and floss the peel out before she will finish eating.

Juicy Red Apple & Grape (5 Pack)

These were her second favorite and JJ's favorite. They both loved the grapes!

Juicy Red Apple With Caramel Dip (4 Pack)

I enjoyed these. This was the first time either of them had tasted caramel and Moo was not a fan of the richness. I don't think JJ knew what to make of the caramel sauce honestly, but again they loved the apples.

Juicy Green Apple (Family Pack)

Moo has an allergy to green apples, so I got to enjoy these by myself. I prefer green apples over red ones. So, this worked out perfectly. And of course, JJ probably would have like these but the fact that he's used seeing red peels on the apples and not green threw him off and he didn't try them. He just kept pointing at the green peel and then looking at the red apples like why are they different?

Juicy Red Apple (Family Pack)

I've never seen my kids really battle over food, but since they both LOVE red apples, neither wanted to share these. Thank goodness for bowls. That solved the who gets to hog the bag problem.

What I Love

What I love about all of the Chiquita Apple Bites is that the apples are very crisp. I'm not fan of soggy or soft apples and neither are my children. Even the peeled the apples were very crisp. You could hear the crunch when you bit into them and I love that sound when I'm enjoying an apple.

I also love that these are pre-sliced because I suck at cutting apples in thin slices. My slices always end up chunky for some reason. They also pre-washed and ready to serve. Each pack of the single serves provided the kids a half-cup of their fruit serving, which is great portion control. I also love the singles because I can pack them fresh fruit for school now.

Apples will turn brown quickly and also absorb the odor from other foods if you pack them together when they're cut. The singles will stop that from happening. Another plus is that I can throw those single servings into my purse as an afternoon snack when I pick them up from school. We can buy some to share with their classes (I'm thinking skip the lollipops for Valentine's Day and do these instead) without any issues.

I'm really excited that the family packs are resealable. Having resealable packaging really helps to prolong the freshness once you've opened them. I'm definitely going to be ruling and rocking when it comes to packing the kids' lunches now. Speaking of ruling, Chiquita is hosting a Moms Rule Back To School Contest from now until August 25th. All you have to do is 'Like' the Chiquita Snacking Facebook page and then comment on one of their Back To School posts sharing a tip or trick about how you make going back to school easier. You could win a $1000 shopping spree and a years worth of Chiquita Bites!! (See official rules and regulations here.)

Overall, I love that Chiquita Bites are nutritious snack options. Healthy eating is very important to us and Chiquita is helping us to continue that even whether we're on the go or at home. So, if you're looking for a healthy snack option for your kids, be sure to give these a try!

Before you go, don't forget to enter the giveaway below. One of you will win a Thirty-One Thermal Tote thanks to the lovely folks at Chiquita! This tote will be perfect for packing lunches or just to keep snacks cool while you're on the go. Please note that the actual design/color will vary.