I thought Labor Day would be a perfect time to introduce a new, once-a -week post on weelicious, snacks. I’m not talking about potato chips and candy bars. Little ones need between-meal, healthy, high energy foods that help them run around and keep their bodies growing.
I want to present snacks that are easy to prepare and can just be tossed in your bag for whenever you need to jet out the door. For me, the most important part is that whatever the snacks are, they don’t turn your car into a bottomless garbage-pit.
Most of the snacks I write about aren’t “messy” or they come in travel safe containers.
Freeze-dried fruits are one of my new favorite finds. Different markets sell variations on the product, but Trader Joe’s recently introduced their own line and I think they’re AMAZING! These freeze-dried snacks contain only fruit — no sugar. The intense flavor comes from the process of freeze-drying the fruit so their natural tastes are concentrated. They come in mango, banana, rambutan and mangosteen. I mean, how often do you eat rambutan (a tropical fruit grown in Hawaii and southeast Asia)?! Ever?
I brought a few bags to a back-to-school party yesterday and the kids went crazy for them. Don’t you just love it when kids are begging for more fruit? And the best part was that I didn’t have to wash, peel or pit anything. Just unzip the bag and everyone gets to enjoy (even the parents were digging them)!

My favorite avocado lady at the farmers market has been selling mangoes lately. They have a gorgeous color and smell like heaven. I let them ripen a day or two until they’re soft, but not mushy. When you cut into them the meat is almost neon yellow.
Mango is rich in the antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C, which boost your little one’s immune defenses. They are perfect for toddlers to eat, cut up into small pieces or to enjoy in this mango creamsicle. For breakfast, dessert or even frozen and served like a sherbet for toddlers.
Last night my husband used it as a dip for cut up fruit. See, even the big kids like it.

1 Mango, peeled and chopped
1/4 Cup Whole Milk Yogurt

1. Place the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Serve.

I actually got the idea for this puree from a friend. She was giving her
grand-daughter this puree out of a jar and I asked her how much it cost.
$1.49 for a tiny jar of food! I was kind of blown away at how the costs
could rack up knowing how much food Kenya eats and how much he loves
variety.
If you are busy and working full time, I get it. Your baby is lucky to
be eating healthy, organic food. If you could make it fresh (the benefit
being it would retain more vitamins since it’s not living in a jar for
weeks — maybe even months) and it would cost a fraction of the price,
wouldn’t it be better to make your own?!
I bought three organic items for this recipes. The mango was $1.69, the
bag of carrots was $1.39 and the apple was 69 cents. That’s a total of
$3.77 and I had 3/4 of the bag of carrots and some mango leftover. There
are 10 servings in this recipe which means it would cost give or take
$14.90 (that’s a savings of $11.13).
This puree has a heavenly flavor. The mango and carrots are packed with
Vitamin C and Beta-Carotene which your baby’s body converts to Vitamin A
which is needed for healthy skin and vision. Trust me, this won’t be a
hard puree to sell to your little one.

*A NOTE ON MANGOES- There are tons of contraptions and different ways to
cut mangoes. I peel the mango with a carrot scraper and the cut around
the pit. Figure out approximately where the pit is placed and cut a big oval off
one side and then the other. Turn it and cut the remaining strips off
the long side. This way it comes right off the pit and you won’t waste
any of the delicious mango.

Mango, Apple and Carrot Puree (10 Baby Servings)

1/2 Cup Baby Carrots, chopped
1 Cup Mango, chopped
1 Cup Apple, peeled and chopped

1. Put carrots in a steamer pot over boiling water for 3 minutes.
2. Add mango and apple for 2 minutes or until everything is fork tender.
3. Put in a food processor until smooth.
4. Cool and serve.