The other day my brother emailed me asking my opinion on some organic prepackaged snacks they were considering buying. He said that for their busy family (which includes two working parents and two kids, ages 8 and 4) it is important for their school snacks to be individually wrapped. After reviewing the list of ingredients he emailed me I thought the “Organic Jammy Sammy Snack Size Sandwich Bars” had both pros and cons:
Pros:
- It was organic (although just because something is organic does not mean it is okay…there are a lot of highly processed organic foods out there)
- It contained whole grain oats
- It contained whole grain barley flour
- Salt was the last ingredient on the list, which means it was what they used the least of
Cons:
- The first ingredient (and what it contained the most of) was the strawberry filling which lists cane juice (a sweetener similar to sugar) as its top ingredient
- The strawberry filling also contained rice starch and pretty much anything with the word starch (like corn starch) is highly processed/refined
- The strawberry filling also contained citric acid (a preservative)
- In addition to the cane juice in the strawberry filling these bars also had two other forms of sweeteners listed – agave and more evaporated cane juice
And in summary I said they were probably better than a Fig Newton or Nutrigrain bar (which I think must be similar from looking at the picture), but they don’t look fabulous mainly because of the sweetener issue. I suggested they try to find something with whole-grains as the first ingredient (instead of the sweet filling) and not having any sweeteners listed in the top three ingredients.
So after our discussion I decided it would be a fun challenge to try to find as many prepackaged “real food” snacks as I could. I’ve done a few posts on snacks in the past, but never before using “individually wrapped” as the main criteria. So there may be a little bit of overlap with some of my previous snack posts. But without further ado, here is what I came up with (and also shipped to my niece and nephew!)…
- Small packages of pecan pieces that I found in the baking section of the store…unfortunately this is one of the things on the list that is not organic, but again that was not my main criteria
- Little boxes of organic raisins
- Individual bags of almonds
- Fruit leathers (found at both our main grocery store and Target)
- Packages of sunflower seeds (still in the shell)
- Funky Monkey freeze dried fruit (they have this brand at both Earthfare and Target)
- Organic mandarin oranges that are actually preserved in orange juice instead of another type of sugary syrup
- Lara bars which are fruit and nut bars with a very small list of ingredients (found at Earthfare, Harris Teeter, and Target)
- Individually wrapped bags of popcorn, which I wish weren’t cheese flavored and I also wish were organic, but this was all I could find (and it is hard to ignore the fact that popcorn is 100% whole grain!)
- Bananas…obviously everyone knows about bananas, but they do conveniently come in their own little individually wrapped package (made by nature of course) so I sent these to sort of just make a point. And I sent two little packets of peanut butter that could be sent to school with the bananas since they do not go to nut-free schools.
- Applesauce in little squeeze packets
- Package of pumpkin seeds
- Another brand of freeze dried fruit
So from what I heard the package arrived, and the kids “tore” into it…which was good to know! And when I spoke to my 8-year-old niece on the phone, she said that she was already familiar with some of the things I sent, and excited about trying the new stuff. The only thing she said she would not eat are the raisins because she already knows she doesn’t like them. Starting next week they will pull from that box for their school snacks each day, and I certainly look forward to hearing the outcome!
Great post! I am glad to learn about the funky monkey freeze dried fruit. I found a brand at Costco (brothers international)-and purchased a good bit only to realize they are made in China.
We are probably 3/4 of the way there on whole foods only. But I’m having the hardest time in this area! And part of it is b/c my kids are older (out of sight out of mind doesn’t work too easy for teenagers) and lots of snack subs they can’t have (popcorn, sticky/chewy anything) farther limit my options. I’m not giving up though! Eventually they’ll eat what’s here or starve I suppose! 🙂
If you come across any discoveries or tips when it comes to teenagers please do share…it will be a while before my kids are that age! Good luck 🙂
I’m confused as to why they need individually wrapped snacks. I completely understand working parents… busy lives… but speaking from experience it doesn’t take much time to put some raisins (or any other snack) into a container. It’s something that can easily be done the night before… or even on the weekend… putting the kids (or adults) snacks in reusable containers is a snap and my kids always like filling their snack containers.
We never buy anything individually wrapped because of the environmental impact… especially when it’s so easy to buy bulk or a bigger version (e.g. jar of applesauce) and put them in our own kid-sized containers. Oh, yeah… not to mention it’s a lot cheaper. 😉
I agree that it is not our personal choice either (in most cases), but everyone certainly has different requirements and priorities. Whatever the reason is though I certainly prefer for them to at least select something reasonably healthy over a highly processed alternative!
I’m with you… and I hope that when I wrote that… it didn’t sound like a rant… I’ve been doing a lot of beach clean-ups here (Wrightsville Beach, NC) and we have been finding SO many wrappers (amongst other things) from individually wrapped single serve foods. It’s such a bummer. I was hoping to point out that it’s super easy to make foods that seem not so convenient… convenient. 🙂
As a mother of 3 young children, I completely agree that REAL foods are most important.
Absolutely, LOVE your blog and congratulations on 100 days 😀
I don’t know about other busy parnets, but my son’s Montessori has a policy not to allow any packaged snacks that they cannot read the original contents of the food items. So, we’re only allowed to send yogurt, fruit, veggies, cheese, etc. I would have like to send him a sweet snack, also.
I totally understand individually wrapped snacks. As a mommy of 2 (5 and 2 – I pack lunches for both of them) who works outside of the home, I find myself asking these questions at the grocery store:
1. Is it healthy?
2. Is it minimally processed?
3. Does it need to be organic?
4. Does it need to be reheated at school?- because I can only send plastic and don’t want it reheated in plastic in the microwave
5. Will my kids eat it?
6. Can I afford it?
7. Can I make it at home in a better form?
8. Does it have minimal packaging?
9. Was it shipped from a minimal distance?
10. Could I buy it at a local market instead of this regional grocery store?
I literally stop and ask myself these questions at every stop I make in the store – and probably a few more. Very few things answer all the questions in the manner I want them to. There are a few things that I compromise on most due to cost and convenience. Can we please give each other some breaks on this – people are just trying to make the best with what resources (time, money, patience) we have.
I couldn’t agree more! I am often times focused on so many different priorities I forget something else important (like I will get everything right, but then forget to see if it was organic). Shopping for something new can be quite the challenge!
Thanks for these tips. I really enjoy this blog and the 100 days blog. Lots of fun and thought provoking. On a related (sort of) note, has anyone out there done any research on homemade household cleaners? Thought I might look into that today.
Thanks for the comment! I have not done any research on homemade (or natural) household cleaners…but that along with personal items (like soap, toothpaste, sunscreen, etc.) is a whole other world to be uncovered!
I totally appreciate this particular post! We have two young children and both work outside the home, and although I do try to buy in bigger packages and pack in smaller containers when I can, these individually wrapped snacks come in really handy!!! My kids frequently take fruit leathers, raisins or nuts for snack, and I always have a LARA bar on hand for myself. I also bought an air popper (thanks to you!) and we’ll pop a batch on the weekend and divide it out for snacks during the week. I’m amazed at how my kids haven’t really missed all of the processed foods that we used to eat. They love the whole wheat waffles – that’s our special weekend treat. Keep the good stuff coming 🙂
So glad to hear that the information has been helpful and best of all that your children have been accepting! It is amazing how most of the time they will just eat what we give them, which just means that we have to make the right choices (and it sounds like you are!).
I love reading your blog. We haven’t gone 100% real but we’re making great strides. My kids aren’t the problem, it’s my husband, I’m going to try some of these snacks on him (but in bulk as I try to avoid packaging) I also loved your post on your fridge…not only am I inspired by the contents but the organization!
As far as Sherri’s question, between baking soda and vinegar, there won’t be much you can’t clean. I personally use Basic H (by Shaklee) for almost everything else. My mother owned a health food store in the 70’s and that’s one product we’ve used for over 30 years. Two drops and you’ve made your own glass cleaner (and saved a bottle), it’s safe to wash fruit/veggies in and it cleans everything. One bottle will last us about 1 1/2 years and I use it constantly. I also like the fact that I can let my 4 year old help and not worry. Hope that helps!
Thanks for your comment and good luck with your husband!
Hello,
If your interested in providing your kids with natural foods we (True Nutrition, LLC) offer a mix of kosher beef jerky, figs and english walnuts that kids seem to love. Origninally produced for adults but our clients give it to there kids and they love it. It is zone friendly and tasts great.
Contact me if your interested !
Best,
Nick