My kids love fruit, but fruit isn’t always very convenient to serve. With two kids at school and another at home, it seems like I’m always giving an entire piece of fruit to one of the kids. Usually that means about half of the fruit ends up in the trash because they can’t eat the entire thing.
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So when we got the chance to try fruit from Lil Snappers, I thought they might be just what we need. Lil Snappers are premium, kid-sized fruits that are perfect for little ones’ snacks, treats and lunches. There are over 20 varieties of Lil Snappers available with the apple and pear varieties grown in Washington state by Stemlit growers and the citrus fruits grown by Sunkist in California and Arizona. The fruits are all sized perfectly for little ones and are packed in 3-pound bags that stand up in the fridge and are re-sealable.
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We were sent several different fruits to try out: Pink Lady apples, Cara Cara Navel Oranges, California Mandarins and Minneola Tangelos.
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Pink Lady® Lil Snappers
- Pink Lady is the only truly pink apple grown
- The crisp bite and sweet, tart flavor make it a favorite for kids
- Pink Lady is great sliced up by mom for a snack and it goes great with cheese, peanut butter, yogurt, or any apple recipe
Cara Cara Navel Lil Snappers
- Considered ‘The Power Orange®’ for its amazing nutritional value
- 30% more Vitamin A and 20% more Vitamin C than regular navel oranges
- Over 100% of daily Vitamin C requirements in one orange
California Mandarin Lil Snappers
- Sweet and juicy
- Easy to peel
- Excellent source of fiber and a good source of folate as well as an excellent source of Vitamin C
About Minneola Tangelo Lil Snappers
- Bold, tangy, tart-sweet flavor
- Hybrid of a grapefruit and a tangerine
- Extremely juicy
- 100% of Vitamin C requirements and an excellent source of folate
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As soon as I took the Lil Snappers fruits out and started taking pictures, the kids wanted to try them immediately. I cut a couple of the Pink Lady apples into slices for them and they each took a California Mandarin to the table to peel themselves. They loved them! My 2-year-old son ate 3 Mandarin Lil Snappers by himself. He needed help peeling his, of course, but my daughters were able to open and peel theirs all by themselves. I love that, since I’ll be able to send the California Mandarins in their lunch boxes and know they’ll be able to peel and finish the fruit all by themselves.
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Since then, we’ve tried all of the Lil Snappers fruits and the kids love them all. I like knowing that their eating fresh, premium fruits and that none of the fruit will go to waste. The kids love the fruit because it’s the perfect size for them and because it tastes so good.
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For a fun way to serve the fruits, my kids helped me pick out a couple of creations from the Lil Snappers Healthy Recipes for Kids Page.
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First we made the Fun Fruit Creepy Crawler:
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For the Fun Fruit Creepy Crawler, we just sliced Cara Cara Navel Oranges – a large section for the body and thinner slices for the legs. I used a slice of Pink Lady Apple for the bug’s head stuck 2 blueberries on with toothpicks to make the eyes. I think it’s so cute and would be great for kids’ parties in the future.
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Next we made the Fruity Twirls:
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For the Fruity Twirls, I just cut a Pink Lady apple, a Cara Cara Navel Orange and a banana into slices. I poked a small hole through the middle of each piece of fruit with a knife. Finally, I slid a thin cookie pop stick through a decorative straw to strengthen it and then slid both through the fruit pieces. I used a small rubber band under the bottom apple slice to keep it from slipping down. It’s tucked up under the apple so it’s not visible.
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The fruit creations were both really easy to make, and the kids were “claiming” them before I could even finish making them. I’ll definitely make them again for fun snacks or party treats for the kids. My kids already love the Lil Snappers fruits, but the fun fruit creation recipes would be a great way to make fruit fun for kids who may need some convincing.
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Be sure to check for Lil Snappers Kid Sized Fruits at your local stores in Louisiana (New Orleans), Florida (Jacksonville) and North Carolina at the following locations: Rouse’s, Publix, Ingles Super Markets, Harris Teeter Super Markets, Winn Dixie Stores and C&S Wholesale Groceries. If you aren’t in these areas, ask your local store’s produce manager about stocking Lil Snappers for you.
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Learn more about Lil Snappers Premium Kid-Sized Fruits online.
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I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Lil Snappers. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating