Fruit Medley Snack

I have the HARDEST time getting my three year old boy to eat anything that is ‘good’ for him. He even balks at all of the normal foods that most kids like. As I’ve been embarking on this Freeze Dried food journey he has seemed a little interested in it all. He’s even loved trying a lot of the foods *gasp*!

I’ve heard a lot of people mention how freeze dried fruits and veggies make great snacks. I’ve done some additional research and actually learned quite a lot that makes me feel even better about them. All of the nutrients are still there. There are NO added things like preservatives. It’s a super smart way to add to your food storage and to incorporate more healthy options into your child’s, and your, diet.

When you eat the food without reconstituting (rehydrating) it has a crisp and sometimes crunchy texture. They aren’t moist or sticky (Hooray for easier clean-up!). It’s an all natural choice.

I decided that I would take most of the freeze dried fruit that I could get and create a snack mix with it. I’ll probably be doing the same with the veggies. I chopped some of them into smaller bites, mixed together, and divided it into little air-tight bags.

Ingredients:
Apple Chunks
Pineapple
Banana
Peach Slices
Mango
Raisins
Strawberries

The apple chunks have a little cinnamon on them. The peaches were freeze dried in syrup. An interesting and unexpected texture comes from the freeze dried raisins. They are crunchy, but taste exactly the same! Everything is delicious! And guess what… My little boy loves them all. They are also the perfect snack for my 1 year old girl. Little bite size pieces that reconstitute in her mouth and mush down easily.

Anyway, it’s a great way to get a little added nutrition in without having to go to extremes. Sometimes the best way to get your kids to eat something is to give it to them in as close to their natural form as possible.

The Freeze Drying process is pretty easy to understand. Here is a quote from the website http://beprepared.com. Feel free to check out the website for more info on freeze dried food.

“During the freeze-drying process, fresh or cooked foods are first flash frozen when the food tastes its best. Moisture is then removed in a vacuum chamber, where a low-level heat is applied to evaporate the ice without returning it to a liquid form. Since the product remains frozen during the process, the product’s cell structures do not change, which helps retain the freshness, vitamins, nutrients, colors, and aromas of the fresh foods while offering you the shelf-stable convenience of long-term storage. This freeze-drying process allows for quick re-hydration of the product, making freeze-dried foods ideal for your food storage. Freeze-dried products are light; they typically weigh up to 90 percent less than the product’s original weight. Just add water and they are ready to use!”