Healthy Snack Options for School from Clif Kid (Giveaway)

Now that the kids are back to school and everyone is trying to get adjusted to the new routine, its time to think about your child’s lunch and how you can make it a bit healthier.

First of all I must say that school lunches (at least in our school district) are THE WORST! I’m sorry but things like nachos smothered in fake cheese and mozzarella sticks are NOT a healthy lunch option. What about rice bowls? Grilled chicken? Salads? Yes, believe it or not some kids do eat salads (my kids do).

I let my kids buy on occasion but I much rather make their lunches. It can frustrating at times when your kids don’t like what you pack for them or if they are bored with the same old stuff. “Not peanut butter and jelly AGAIN!”.

Let’s face it, when it comes to the lunch you pack for your children (or even your spouse) is not so much about the main “entree” (sandwich) as it is about the snacks. I used to work as a lunch room monitor and I saw MANY children who would eat their snacks FIRST, then if there was time they would nibble on their sandwich a bit. My kids know to eat their sandwich first, then their fruits &  veggies, then they can have their snack. They tell me they follow that rule but I have a feeling that is not always the case.

Since most kids will eat the snack portions of their lunches it would make sense to offer them a healthy option.

Clif Kid offers healthy snack options that I know your kids would enjoy. One of their products, Clif Kid Organic ZBaR’s seem more like a like a piece of cake or a cookie then healthy snack bars. They gobbled them up! I got to try a couple of bites of the various flavors. My kids were not happy about that (LOL) but I told them I wanted to see how they tasted for myself.  The chocolate brownie is SO GOOD! The chocolate chip one too.

Unlike other snack bars, ZBaR’s are made with whole grains (8-11 grams) and contain 12 essential vitamins and minerals. What they DON’T contain are hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives or artificial flavors.

I am VERY pleased with the nurtition facts that I read on the ZBaRs. Each bar ranges from 120-140 calories (most are 130, only Peanut Butter is 140 calories). They also contain anywhere from 2 – 5 grams of fat per bar (one serving size). Peanut Butter has the highest at 5 grams.

None of the ZBaRs contain trans fats or cholesterol. Most bars (except Peanut Butter) have between 80-100 mg of sodium. I like that they are low in sodium. Many people forget that children should limit their sodium intake as well as adults.

The Clif Organic ZBaRs also contain 3 grams of Fiber and 3 grams of Protein in each bar.

So now that I have established that the ZBaRs are a healthier option compared to similar snack bars, I suppose you are wondering how they taste? THEY TASTE AMAZING! For snack bars they are really rather “hearty”. They are moist and thick and PACKED with flavor. I would liken the bars to a piece of cake or a cookie. Compared to similar type bars the Clif Kid ZBaRs are hands down much better as far as taste and consistency. They could easily serve as a dessert too.

The bars may seem small compared to other snack bars but paired with a glass of milk these bars keep a child full for a long time.

Clif Kid also makes another great snack option called Organic Twisted Fruit. WOW! These really wake up your taste buds!

Twisted Fruit reminds me of a piece of licorice (its about the same size and shape). Twisted Fruit is made with natural, organic fruit that is gluten free, has no preservative or artificial flavors, contains no processed sugars and is an great source of Vitamin C. They also don’t contain fat or cholesterol and are VERY low in sodium (only 5 grams).

I found the Twisted Fruit to be very tart and sour, but that is just how kids love it. To them its more like a candy treat then a fruit. They are very sweet and flavorful. Personally I think they taste just like the read fruit. Essentially they are kind of like fruit leather but twisted up into a “stick”.

They can be a bit sticky so I would recommend your child leaving part of the fruit in the wrapper to keep their fingers from getting sticky.

My daughter said the Twisted Fruits reminded her of Jolly Rancher candies. I would much rather my children eat the Twisted Fruits then Jolly Ranchers.

Twisted Fruit also holds up well in a lunchbox. It doesn’t get mashed up like other things do. They are also individually wrapped for a quick and easy “on the go” snack too.

Roughly the Clif Kid bars average around .80 cents each and the Twisted Fruit around .90 cents each, so they are comparable in price to similar products. The only downside is that they are not readily available so you might resort to purchasing them online which adds a shipping cost which increases the over all cost per item.

Aside from the availability I don’t have one negative thought about the Clif Kid products.

To learn more about Clif Kid products please visit ClifKid.com.

Clif Kid would like to give TWO lucky readers an assortment of two dozen Clif Kid products(Clif Kid Organic ZBaR & Clif Kid Organic Twisted Fruit). Thanks Clif Kids!

To enterplease visit the Clif Kids website, look around, then come back here and comment on your favorite flavar bar AND your favorite flavor Twisted Fruit.

For extra entries you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each that you have done. Extra entries are optional.

- Subscribe to She Scribes and/or Connect with Google Friend Connect (found on the right side bar). ♥

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- “Like” She Scribes on Facebook (click on the button on the right side bar then click “like” on the following page). ♥

- Follow She Scribes on Twitter (@She_Scribes) and tweet about this giveaway. Please include me in the tweet so I can see it too. This is limited to three tweets per day, spaced apart (not one after the other).

- Use any of the social networking buttons found at the bottom of this post to promote this review/giveaway. Be sure to tell me what you did and if possible provide a name and/or URL so I can see it too.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on September 25, 2010 at 11:59 PM (EST). The winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator from all eligible entries. The winner will be notified via e-mail and will have three days to reply or a new winner will be chosen.

Other great giveaways are found on the right side bar under “Win It”.

Kimberly

*I received a few free sample products in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

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