Go Gourmet Slammers Snacks Review and Fun Valentine Printable

With Valentine's Day around the corner, finding healthy treats that won't give kids cavities or bellyaches can be hard. When walking down the Valentine's aisle you will see that stores have stocked the shelves with sweets, chocolate, and candy that are filled with sugar. With diabetes and obesity on the rise among kids, why not offer them a healthier, but fun option for Valentine's this year?

Slammers Snacks are tasty, superfood snacks designed to fuel kids with organic fruits and vegetables such as mangoes, acai berries, beets, sweet potato, carrots, and yumberries. Some even have ancient grains for added nutrition like: chia, quinoa, and amaranth. Not only are they a healthy alternative to sugar-laden candies and convenience store snacks, Slammers are, mess-free, easily digestible, and serve as a great source of essential vitamins. Three new Superfood Smoothie flavors: Creamy Banana Chocolate, Pomegranate Grape Crush, and Watermelon Kiwi Burst come packed with seven grams of protein. Creamy Banana Chocolate is their newest and has the least amount of sugar!

Our Thoughts:
We absolutely love Slammers Snacks! They are so delicious and good for you. We received two cases total with a selection of all the flavors to try. We love them all! I love that they are organic too. My favorite is the New Watermelon Kiwi Burst flavor with added protein. These are in a convenient pouch that lets them easily travel with you for snacks on-the-go.

Slammers Snacks can be given as valentines or placed in lunches with cute lunch notes. I have made some printable Valentine's/Lunch Notes with some Slammer Snacks graphics for you to wrap around your Slammers Snacks when sending them with your kids' lunches or as a special Valentine's Day snack. Click the above graphic to go to the PDF and save it on your computer to print out. Cut around the whole rectangle for each wrap, wrap around the Slammers Snacks, and tape remaining edge to secure it around the superfood smoothie pouches.

BE SOCIAL
Website: http://slammerssnacks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kidsgourmetslammers
Twitter: https://twitter.com/slammerssnacks @slammerssnacks
Instagram: https://instagram.com/slammerssnacks

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links can be found in this post. Thank you for your support of this blog!

Keep Healthy Snack Bars Review

I homeschool, but still love to have snacks on hand at home and traveling when my family members get a little peckish. I try to find snacks that are healthy and wholesome, but sometimes I cave into my cravings and the kids want for sugary sweets and unhealthy confections. I am only human! Fortunately I was given the opportunity to try something in the snack food world that is good for my family.

Keep Healthy Inc. is a company that produces healthy snack bars. Their bars have no artificial ingredients or preservatives. The ingredient list on each bar is short and sweet. Every ingredient is pronounceable and fairly simple! All of their bars are gluten free, Non-GMO, kosher, and made in the USA. They also do not use refined sugar or high fructose syrup - just fruit and nuts. I love that these are easily packed in a lunch or on-the-go snack when we have field trips and outings. There are 6 different types of bars including: Original Date Bars, Chocolate Covered Date Bars, Original Fruitkies Bars, Chocolate Fruitkies Bars, Organic Protein Bars, and Organic Low Glycemic Bars. Keep Healthy is also a proud sponsor of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. 2% of sales are donated with a minimum donation of $10,000 in 2016/2017.

Some of the Keep Healthy variety of snack bars.

Keep Healthy Inc. sent me a variety pack of 16 individually wrapped bars to try. In it each bar was a different flavor...so as you can imagine I didn't have time to try them all. Every bar I did sample (which was actually quite a few) was really yummy though.

The Original Date Bars have a base of dates, the fruit superfood that is high in fiber and antioxidants. Dates are also great for anti-inflamatory benefits.These are all gluten, dairy, and GMO free. Includes 4 delicious varieties to try including: Apple Walnut, Apricot Coconut, Cashew Date, and Pecan Date. I loved the Apple Walnut one the most from this section.

The Keep Healthy Chocolate Covered Apricot Coconut Date Bar is my absolute favorite!!

The Chocolate Covered Date Bars are their original date bars covered in dairy free chocolate. Includes four delicious varieties to try: Chocolate Covered Apple Walnut, Chocolate Covered Apricot Coconut, Chocolate Covered Cashew Date, and Chocolate Covered Pecan Date. I love chocolate, so these were my favorites out of the date bars and my absolute favorite was the Chocolate Covered Apricot Coconut.

The Original Fruitkies Bars have only three kinds of ingredients: fruit, nuts, and brown crisps. These are in their health bar section because the sugar is lower than the snack bars. Still they are sweet enough to gratify the hankering for other things. These come in 9 delicious flavors which include: Blueberry Pecan, Cherry Fig, Cherry Walnut, Cranberry Pumpkinseed, Macadamia Date, Mango Almond, Papaya Cashew, Pineapple Coconut, and Strawberry Apple. I love the Pineapple Coconut and Mango Almond one. So delicious!

The Chocolate Fruitkies Bars are better for you than any regular candy bar or cookie. They are so luscious and guilt free! They come in 8 flavors including: Chocolate Covered Apricot, Chocolate Covered Blueberry, Chocolate Covered Cherry, Chocolate Covered Cranberry, Chocolate Covered Mango, Chocolate Covered Papaya, Chocolate Covered Pineapple, and Chocolate Covered Strawberry. I got to try the pineapple and mango one. Both were really yummy!

The Organic Protein Bars are new to the Keep Healthy Health Bar collection. Each provide 15 grams of plant based protein.These are a great to replenish protein right after a workout. These are also USDA organic as well. There are 6 flavors including: Almond Vanilla Crisp, Apple Cinnamon Crisp, Chocolate Cherry Crunch, Chocolate Coconut, Chocolate Fudge, and Strawberry Banana Crisp. I love the Apple Cinnamon Crisp the most out of the ones I received.

Delbin enjoying the Keep Healthy Banana Nut Organic Low Glycemic Bar.

My oldest son, Delbin, has Type 1 Diabetes, so when he has a low blood sugar I like to have healthy snacks on hand that will supply him with the proper things he needs. I hate having only sugar-filled or overly processed snacks to offer him. Keep Healthy Bars have the perfect bars for his low blood sugars and they also have Organic Low Glycemic Bars that won't radically change his blood glucose levels. These particular bars help him be fueled with all natural, plant based ingredients and keep his blood sugar stable. Besides diabetics watching their levels, these bars are great for Great for: busy lifestyles, the sugar conscious, weight management, and before or after a workout (12 grams of plant based protein!).There are 5 different flavors of the Low Glycemic Bars including: Banana Nut, Chocolate Cherry Mint, Coconut Crunch, Lemon Zest, and Sea Salt Brownie. My favorite of these was the Coconut Crunch and Lemon Zest.

Keep Healthy Snack Bar Varieties.

I love these snack and health bars. Keep Healthy Inc. offers a wonderful variety of yummy flavors that you are sure to love. These are perfect to satisfy those cravings and energize you throughout the day. They are the perfect snack without the guilt and great to refuel your kids for an after school snack or brain food if you homeschool.

BUY IT
You can purchase the bars from the online store on Keep Healthy Inc.'s website. A box of 16 bars is $23.84 to $39.84 depending upon which bars you select.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Santa Cruz Organic Agua Fresca Review #momsmeet #KeepOnCruzin

Agua Fresca juices from Santa Cruz Organic come in three refreshing flavors: Pomegranate, Grapefruit or Mango Passionfruit. These beverages are all gluten-free and Non-GMO Project Certified. Lightly sweetened with organic sugar and a hint of organic lemon juice, these fruit drinks are similar to popular aqua fresca drinks in Central America and the Caribbean. They are made with USDA Organic certified ingredients, with organic juice/fruit puree as the first ingredient after water and will help keep you hydrated all summer long.

Santa Cruz Organic is famous for their wide range of 100% juices and blends, but they have other organic products as well. Santa Cruz Organic currently offers more than fifty organic products that range from organic fruit juices and sparkling beverages to organic fruit sauces, chocolate syrups, peanut butters, and fruit spreads. All their items are Non-GMO Project Certified. They are also a Green-e certified company, meaning they recycle more than 95% of their waste and buy enough renewable energy credits each year to cover their production needs.

We received a set of different products from Santa Cruz and Moms Meet to try out. First my daughters and I tried out their juices. They sent us three different kinds: 2 from the Agua Fresca line (their pomegranate and mango passionfruit flavor) and one of their lemonades (regular lemonade flavor). Make sure you shake these juices up gently before pouring because the fruit puree tends to settle to the bottom.

These were all very good and wonderfully refreshing. My daughter Teela and I loved the mango mango passionfruit flavor the best and my daughter Zari told me the lemonade was her favorite. I loved the sweet and tangy flavors of the fruit against the lemon juice in each Agua Fresca. The lemonade was so good too not too sweet or sour like others I've tried. They have other flavors of lemonade besides original: cherry, mango, peach, raspberry, and strawberry lemonades. I love that their juices are better for you than other juices because they are organic and GMO free as well! I also love the pretty glass jars they come in.
 

Santa Cruz Organic Applesauce

We then tried the organic applesauce that was also in the pack we received. The applesauce was really good and I love that no sugar or high fructose corn syrup is added to sweeten it. It also has no added colors and gives 100% daily value of Vitamin C. This applesauce is perfect on its own and only has three ingredients: organic apples, water, and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Their applesauce comes in convenient pouches to take on-the-go, cups for packing in lunches, or in a jar. Besides regular applesauce they have apple apricot, apple peach, apple strawberry, and cinnamon apple sauces. These are also gluten-free as well as GMO free and certified USDA organic.

SOCIAL • CORNER
Website - santacruzorganic.com
Facebook - facebook.com/santacruzorganic
Twitter - twitter.com/santacruzjuice
Pinterest - pinterest.com/santacruzjuice

BUY IT
A 32 oz. bottle of Santa Cruz Organic Agua Fresca retails for $3.20 - $3.49, depending on the location.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received these products for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program (greenmomsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of this product.

Go Organically Earth Day Sweepstakes and Fruit Snacks Review & Giveaway

With Earth Day on the horizon, Go Organically Fruit Snacks is celebrating with their first-ever Earth Day Sweepstakes. Now through Earth Day, April 22^nd, Go Organically Fruit Snacks invites participants to enter the sweepstakes by growing a virtual tree for a chance to win. Participants can increase their chances of winning by sharing a unique link on social media; so the more you share the more you care for your virtual tree! Select winners will receive Go Organically Fruit Snacks.

To enter, participants can visit either the Go Organically Fruit Snacks Website at www.goorganicallysnacks.com and click on the Earth Day Sweepstakes Button, or go directly to the contest at http://goearthdaysweeps.com/. Participants simply enter their info in exchange for a virtual seed. The first day they enter, the seed is planted into their own virtual plot.

Each day participants revisit the website, http://goearthdaysweeps.com/ they help the seed grow and gain another entry. When participants share their seed's progress on social media with a unique referral link, followers who click on the link will be brought to a page letting them know that they've helped that seed grow. Followers are also given the option to enter and grow their own virtual seed. Those who grow their virtual tree will be entered to win Go Organically Fruit Snacks!

Go Organically Fruit Snacks come in Tropical, Fruit Medley, and Mixed Berry flavors. They come in boxes of 8 pouches. They are all USDA-certified organic, GMO free, and gluten free. They are made with real fruit purees, real fruit juices, natural flavors, and colors from natural sources with no preservatives. They provide 100% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C per serving (one pouch) and are an excellent source of Vitamins A & E.

All 3 Flavors of Go Organically Fruit Snacks.

I've only tried the Tropical flavored Go Organically Fruit Snacks before. I received the all the flavors to try this time. I actually love the Fruit Medley flavor the best. These fruit snacks are all delicious and even though they are not as bright in color as other fruit snacks they are just as yummy. I love that they are organic and GMO free! These are also great for an Earth Day snack. I will definitely be buying these if I can find them.

Go Organically...
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/GoOrganically
Twitter - https://twitter.com/goorganically @goorganically
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/goorganically/
Instagram - https://instagram.com/goorganically/

BUY IT
Check out these sweet deals!

• Instantly save 50¢ or share and save $1 on your next 8 ct box of Go Organically Fruit Snacks! http://smarturl.it/GoOrgCoupon

WIN IT
Prize: Win two boxes of Go Organically Fruit Snacks.

I run giveaways with Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to review and an opportunity to give away some. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review and giveaway.

Wordless Wednesday Gigantic Apple

This apple tree we uncovered from the grape vines produces huge apples.

Wordless Wednesday Dried Apples

dehydrating apples

dried apples

My Mother's Day and Birthday Gifts

This year my Birthday and Mother's Day fell on the same day, May 10th. My Mother's Day gifts consisted of blueberry pancakes and french toast made by my oldest son in the morning, a beautiful handmade card and newly planted Marigold from Teela, and 6 garden beds full of new soil, herbs, tomatoes, vegetables, and strawberry plants from my husband. We had to majorly upscale the garden this year because we found last year that two beds don't really feed a family of 6 very well. We are also planning on putting in 6 more if we get around to it. The orchard we planted last year is in the background along with some chopped wood we are going to sell. Isn't it pretty!

We have raised bed gardens! Yay!

The card Teela handmade was absolutely adorable. The front had a heart glued on and on the inside she drew a forest scene with trees, nests of baby birds, mama and daddy birds, bees buzzing around a hive, butterflies, a sun, ladybug, bunnies, a deer, squirrel, and flowers. On the back she drew a heart filled with smaller hearts and three people holding it at the bottom, one person swinging off of it, and another climbing a ladder that goes to the top where you can apparently slide down a rainbow on the other side. Very clever :)

My Marigold plant and Mother's Day & Birthday Card from Teela.

My husband also took me to Burgerville in Kelso Washington so that I could participate in their annual free Mother's Day Strawberry Treat. They had a sundae and a shortcake you could pick from. I got the sundae this year. Yummy!

My Free Mother's Day Burgerville Strawberry Sundae. Yummy!

After I got my sundae and brought it home we ate my favorite Extreme Veggie artichoke pizza from our local Hometown Pizza and sang some My Little Karaoke with my family. I am really thankful for my family and grateful for everything they do for me.

How was your Mother's Day??

Planting a Fruit/Nut Orchard and Edible Garden with Food Stamps (SNAP EBT)

My daughters and our homemade raised beds.

A while back we made 2 raised beds for a garden (the third in this picture never got finished) out of used lumber we had lying around. Back then we didn't know how we were going to furnish the soil or plants because we didn't have the means or the money to that we knew of. We just knew we wanted a garden and that we loved the idea of a raised bed garden to tide us over until our greenhouse was built and the aquaponics system was put in.

Then we got on Food Stamps (SNAP EBT) because my husband, Brian, has been out of work because of a disability (an orthostatic intolerance). We, like many other people on food stamps, did not know at first that we could buy food bearing/producing plants and seeds with our food stamps at the stores that accept them. We found out through a friend, that bought a salsa garden for himself with food stamps, that it was possible.

Our fruit orchard is taking shape.

We decided to test the system out and see if we could get larger food bearing/producing plants like trees and large bushes. We came home from Fred Meyer with three gorgeous Earliblue High Bush Blueberry Bushes, their last ones in stock. We also went to both local Walmarts subsequent days afterward and picked up 8 Heritage Red Raspberry plants, 4 thorn-less Sawtooth Blackberry plants, 3 Sweet Cherry trees, 1 Profusion Flowering Crab Apple tree, 2 Granny Smith Apple trees, 1 Honey Crisp Apple tree, and 1 Bartlett Pear tree all with our food stamps! My neighbor also gave us 2 Desert King Fig trees that are going in the ground soon.

Thorn-less Sawtooth Blackberry plants: we planted these in the kids area where the large trampoline is.

Blueberry bushes and raspberries.

We have ran into a few snags when using food stamps, unfortunately though. Some of the plants had been marked down and were in the discounted section. The tags showing the discount didn't ring up the plants as a food producer and so the checkout person had to find the original tag to the plant and then take the discount off manually. We also tried to buy two beautiful Semi-Dwarf Eureka Lemon trees (the common supermarket lemon variety) from Fred Meyer, but even though it is without a shadow of a doubt edible and was even growing fruit on both trees when we showed it to them we couldn't get them because the tag didn't indicate anywhere on it that it was an edible. Instead, it called the tree a "patio plant", indicating ornamental. We are still fighting this one. We also found that at the time we found out about this program it was a bit late in the season and a lot of the Spring stock of plants were picked over and already taken. Very few places that take food stamps also carry food bearing/producing plants. We wish more gardens with nurseries and farms that sell their plants would take EBT. We did find one in the area that wasn't a large chain store, called Pikku Farm in Woodland Washington, but we haven't been able to get a hold of them by phone yet.

The cashier at Fred Meyer cut the tops off large paper sacks and stuck the folded top into the bottom of the sack for transport.

We also picked up some Sage (Common, 2 Pineapple, and Blue), 2 plants of Basil, 6 Brussels Sprout plants, 6 Broccoli plants, 6 Rainbow Swiss Chard plants. These we planted in our raised beds full of aged manure and soil. Our friend gave us some beets from her garden to eat and some she pulled out with the large ones were too small and so we put them back into the ground in our raised beds along with a bunch of scallions that had the roots on them still. We already had a cherry tomato plant in the corner growing.

Raised bed gardens with the blueberries and raspberries in the background.

My daughters with the raised beds and the compost pile in the background.

I love that all this planting and growing our own food will help us never go hungry. We also are teaching our kids where food comes from and how to grow and harvest it. Soon we will have a sustainable orchard and garden all thanks to the SNAP Gardens: Food Stamps Grow Gardens program.

Airborne Gummies Review

I received this free sample courtesy of Smiley360 to facilitate my review.

I tried the all new Airborne Gummies. Airborne supports your immune system*. They have a great source of vitamin c (1000 mg) plus 9 other vitamins minerals and herbs. They are assorted fruit flavors (citrus, mixed berry, and grapefruit - naturally and artificially flavored) and comes in a bottle with 21 gummies in it. Has both Vitamins C and E for antioxidant properties. Has Selenium, a component to help with increasing antioxidants. It also has 35 mg of herbal blend including Echinacea and ginger. 3 gummies is a serving size, for children 12-13 years old: no more than twice a day and 14 years and older: no more than 3 times a day. Gluten free. These also come in a larger 42 count size and Kids Gummies, which are specially formulated for younger kids.

These taste really good but have a coating of sugar on the outside which I thought was not necessary. My older kids liked the taste as well. They were gummy and chewy. My favorite of the three flavors is the grapefruit.

Price is around $7.49 (21 ct) and $14.99 (42 ct): during time of post.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received free product to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. *"This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease."

Safeway Fresh and Local Produce Tour with Ron Rivers Pear Orchards and Duckwall Fruit

Me at the Pear Orchard (photo
credit: Safeway)

This free trip was sponsored by Safeway. I also received free swag for going, but I was not obligated to write up this post. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting.

On August 22nd I was whisked away to a gorgeous pear orchard nestled in the Hood River Oregon Valley. This is one of many farms and orchards that supplies Safeway stores with fresh produce locally. This particular pear orchard is owned by a 5th generation grower and farmer named Ron Rivers and Duckwall Fruit. They have been producing and perfecting pears since 1919.

I carpooled with a local blogger, Maryann Collier and her colleague Dawn from Coupon Savvy. We headed to Portland to meet the other bloggers, media and Safeway representatives, etc. at the Hawthorne Boulevard Safeway. When we arrived we were greeted warmly by the Safeway representatives and put on a very large tour/shuttle bus complete with its own bathroom for the journey to Hood River. They also had made us each a large gift basket filled with goodies to sit next to. I felt very spoiled ;)

When we got to the Hood River Safeway we picked up some other Safeway representatives along with Fred Duckwall (President of Duckwall Fruit), Ed Weathers (VP and Sales Manager of Duckwall Fruit) and Scott Bradley (VP of Safeway produce). They answered some of our questions as we were transported to the farm. When we got to the orchard we all got out, took in the gorgeous scenery and had a lesson on pears from the experts. We met Farmer Ron Rivers and his wife. They told us the ins and outs of having a pear orchard.

Ron Rivers has over 200 acres of pear orchard located in the foothills of Mt. Hood outside of Parkdale Oregon. We learned that because of the micro-climate and fertile soil that is rich with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from the volcano, Hood River Valley is one of the best places to grow pears and other fruit. A single pear tree can produce pears for over 100 years and some of the trees we saw while we were there were over 50 years old! When frosts threaten the crop they turn on large fans and heaters called smudge pots to help the orchard warm up and create a smoke blanket to protect the fruit trees from radiative cooling. A pears skin is fairly delicate so the really cold moisture can damage it or the blossoms before fruition. On the Ron Rivers farm they have about 55 employees that work 10 months out of the year to prune the trees, thin the fruit, and hand pick the fruit. Hand picked fruit is in better condition with less bruising than fruit picked by machine. Duckwall Fruit gets over 2.5 million cartons (7000 bins) filled with pears annually that were picked in the 60 day long picking process. The pears are transferred from the farm to a ambient air cold storage or controlled atmosphere storage (CA) facility at Duckwall Fruit to be further hand sorted and graded. The CA storage suspends the normal ripening process and allows the fruit to be held up to eight months after harvest. You can read the complete process at Duckwall's website.

I told Mr. Rivers that I had a farm with a couple of pear trees on it and he told me that he would love to visit sometime and give me pointers on my small orchard. I thought that would be fantastic and told him I would like that very much. We then rode the tour bus to the next area where they had set up a yummy looking spread of food and some tables and chairs for us to sit at all under a canopy tent. We were welcomed at the entrance by a Safeway banner that said, "Welcome Have fun and enjoy the farm!" It started raining and we could hear thunder and see lightning in the distance. We hurried with our cameras and other blogging devices to the closest shelter. Mr. Rivers saw me trying to get photographs of the canopy with Mount Hood in the background and he personally invited me up to his covered upper deck that overlooked the valley. It was a breathtaking view!

Chef Ben from the Celilo Restaurant and Bar in Hood River prepared a feast that incorporated pears into everything we ate and drank. For the drink we had Sparkling Pear Soda with Honey Drinking Vinegar. It wasn't overly sweet with the honey and minced pear and it had mint or basil to bring out the flavor. Next on the table was Phyllo Wrapped Pears and Curry Butter. These were really good and I loved the interesting combination of sweet and spicy. Next was Pear Endive Spears with Walnut Vinaigrette. These were one of my favorites. They had a great crunch with the endive spears and the pear that was paired with the nuts and tangyness of the dressing was perfect. Next was Pear Jam and Crackers. I love the Open Nature Multi-Grain Cracker Crisps they picked for spreading the jam onto. I am definitely going to have to seek out a box of them at Safeway. The Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Pears were so good with the salty and the sweet! I also loved the smokey flavor of the Cedar Planked Pears that were grilled to perfection. Then there was the Grilled Pear, Turkey, and Brie Sandwiches with Roasted Garlic Aioli. These were actually two sandwiches skewered together and since I love brie and garlic this was delicious!

Me dishing up the yummy food. (photo credit: Safeway)

I was getting a bit full when they brought out the desserts! There was a Thai Sweet Chili Glazed Pear Tartin which was something I wouldn't have thought of to put together, but it was really good and there was Roasted Pear Pie Butterscotch and Caramel Parfait which was, in my honest opinion, too sweet. I wanted to finish the parfait, but I just couldn't. While we ate under the canopy we listened to the rain and thunder. Wow so much yummy food! They also gave us some pears and large bags to bring home some extra food if we wanted to. How could I pass that up!?

Once the rain cleared we had pictures taken of everyone and headed back on the bus.

We stopped off at the Hood River Safeway again and got a first hand look at the display for the Duckwall Fruit pears with Ron Rivers' picture hanging over it. We then wrapped up the day with our last questions, headed back to Portland and then back home with our swag. Safeway is an awesome host! This was a very fun and productive day. I learned a whole lot and wouldn't mind visiting the pear orchard and Mr. Rivers and his wife again if they would have me.

You can go to Safeway's Website and see other fresh produce that is in season and in their stores now. You can also read and watch video clips about other farmers that harvest fresh produce for Safeway.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I went to this event because I was invited. I wanted to let you, my readers, know of the awesome farmers behind the scenes of Safeway's produce so I wrote this post. Thanks to Safeway and their representatives, Ron Rivers and family, and Duckwell Fruit for providing me with the information and inviting me to this event. I received free swag for attending. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting.

Funky Monkey Snacks Review and Guest Post: Don’t Let Healthy Living Take a Vacation This Summer

I received these products for free to facilitate this review. This post is sponsored by Funky Monkey Snacks.

Funky Monkey Snacks are healthy all-natural freeze dried real fruit snacks. They are great for summer time! The snacks come in seven different original flavors: Applemon (freeze-dried apple and organic cinnamon), Bananamon (freeze-dried organic banana and organic cinnamon), Carnival Mix (freeze-dried organic banana, pineapple, apple and papaya), JiveALime (freeze-dried pineapple and lime juice), MangOJ (freeze-dried mango and orange juice), Pink Pineapple (freeze-dried pineapple and guava) and Purple Funk (freeze-dried organic banana and organic açaí). They also have teamed up with Marvel to bring new flavors (I did not receive these to try) with Marvel characters on the packaging. They are all free of: GMOs, preservatives, added sugars, coloring, flavoring, wheat, gluten, dairy, peanuts, tree-nuts. They are also a vegan, kosher, and raw food. Some of their snacks are even USDA Certified Organic. The USDA defines 1/4 cup of freeze-dried fruit as 1 serving of fruit and Funky Monkey Snacks have 3 servings of fruit in every bag. The fruit used are sliced into full slices instead of diced and contain more nutrients than regular dried fruits because no heat or cooking was involved in the process of making them.

These snacks were really good and my kids and I enjoyed them. They have an awesome crunch that is very unique. My favorites were the JiveALime and Applemon. My kids loved those and the MangOJ the best. These are great to take on trips and are so convenient and portable! They can be taken anywhere to be eaten.

Below I have included some great tips from the CEO of Funky Money Snacks...

Don’t Let Healthy Living Take a Vacation This Summer
Matt Herzog, CEO of Funky Monkey Snacks

As school lets out and summer begins, family trips, camp and lots of free time can mean a more lax eating schedule and menu for kids. How can parents keep them on track during carefree summer activities? Below, Matt Herzog, father and CEO of healthy snack company, Funky Monkey Snacks, gives some tips on this topic:

1. Don’t forget breakfast! It’s easy to forget about this meal when kids get up during the summer and head outside to play immediately. Have quick options on hand, such as oatmeal, yogurt, non-sugary cereal or whole grain toast with peanut butter. 
2. Try to stay on a schedule. Even though the regimented hours of school are no longer present, try to serve meals at approximately the same time they would have been eaten during the school year. This helps prevent unnecessary snacking and allows the family to plan ahead and spend mealtimes together. This also means that it’s good to still have a set bedtime, even if a bit later, so that everyone is getting plenty of rest. 
3. When traveling with children, make sure to pack plenty of healthy snacks to have on hand in case you get stuck in traffic, at the airport or someplace where healthy eating options are limited. Funky Monkey Snacks are a great option of course, but also pre-cut vegetables, whole grain crackers or homemade trail mix will also do the trick. 
4. Buy personalized water bottles for each child (with their favorite character, sports team, color, etc). This show of personality will help each child want to drink more water – a must for hot summer days. Plus, the individuality will prevent mix-ups about which bottle belongs to which child. 
5. Limit screen time and find fun activities outside. Movies, television, iPads and video games are all fun, but take advantage of the weather! Start a family garden and let your children choose what to plant so they are invested in helping it grow. Take walks, find hiking trails, bike to get frozen yogurt. Go to the beach and bring the Frisbee. The bottom line is that even though summer should be filled with fun activities and some treats, it should not be an excuse to drop all the rules, or back-to-school time will be an even bigger hassle! Maintaining a sense of schedule, while throwing in fun, summer-specific activities and trips is the perfect recipe for a healthy and harmonious summer together.   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Matt Herzog was a brand manager at General Mills, where he responsible for the launch of Yoplait Whips! as well as managing Chex Mix. Now, he is using his healthy snack food knowledge as the CEO of a small startup with an all-natural, freeze dried fruit snack (made in Brazil using fresh tropical fruit). Since becoming CEO, Funky Monkey Snacks has taken off, landing distribution through natural and conventional grocery stores, Amazon.com, as well as Walmart. He is also a father of two.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. The Guest Post was provided to me free to share by Funky Money Snacks. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review or posting this guest post.

Bear Naked Review

ABOUT THE PRODUCTS:
Their 100% Pure & Natural Grain-ola Bars:
* Made with 15-17g whole grains per serving
* All-Natural, Bearly Processed and Utterly Naked Ingredients... that you can actually pronounce!
* NO Artificial Flavors, NO Cholesterol, NO Hydrogenated Oils, NO High Fructose Corn Syrup, NO Preservatives, 0g Trans Fat
* Vegetarian friendly
* Kosher certified

Their 100% Pure & Natural Cereal:
* Made with hearty whole grain flakes
* All-Natural, Bearly Processed and Utterly Naked Ingredients... that you can actually pronounce!
* NO Artificial Flavors, NO Cholesterol, NO Hydrogenated Oils, NO High Fructose Corn Syrup, NO Artificial Preservatives, 0g Trans Fat
* Vegetarian friendly
* Kosher certified

MY THOUGHTS:
I received a free sample from Bear Naked the other day in the mail. It was so scrumptious I had to tell you all about it! I chose the tropical fruit grain-ola bar and I am sure glad I did! It has yummy pieces of mango, papaya, coconut and pineapple mixed in with the delicious granola. I can say this was one of the best granola bars I have ever tasted!

They have their new 100% pure & natural cereals and grain-ola bars and you can also choose one to try free (check back I hear they will have more in stock soon): fruit & nut grain-ola bar, chocolaty cherry grain-ola bar, tropical fruit grain-ola bar, cranberry raisin cereal, and banana nut cereal.

Update...
They unfortunately don't have any free samples in stock right now, but make sure to check back often on their website as they have said they will replenish their supply and then you can try them out on your own. Or alternatively you can go buy some at your local store or online!

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