‘Sun made’ goodness that’s close to my heart

I don’t know about you, but one of my favourite childhood memories shared with my brother was when our parents got us raisins. Having our own little packs to snack on, be it at home or on excursions, we’d finish the pack before we knew it and would be begging for another. #nostalgia

I guess our liking for raisins was passed down to the kids, or maybe kids just naturally love raisins; whatever it is, my kids, nieces and nephew all have a thing for these sun-dried raisins. But I think the biggest kid, my brother, is still the greatest fan.

Sun-Maid raisins

These portable, convenient, delicious, and very nutritious snacks are ideal for travel, a great healthy alternative to bring to school in a lunch box or a quick bite during breaks, serves well as during parties and in birthday goodie bags

When I was a child, I only knew one way to eat raisins – from the mini snack box packaging (as shown above). As I grew older, I discovered them in muffins and bread.

Then when I became a mother, I realised that besides getting the kids to get the nutritional benefits of raisins in the convenient snack boxes, they were always thrilled to see raisins at main meals.

Grilled chicken served with a side of fruit salad with raisins and a slice of garlic bread

The kids had their fruit salad served in a separate bowl and the chicken cut into smaller portions.

It’s kinda wonderful to eat snack food at mealtimes (oh who doesn’t love that?) so they will be motivated to eat faster… though my slow eaters would always eat up the raisins first and ask for more, so it doesn’t always work out the way I want, but at least I know they enjoyed their meal and they are getting the benefits of essential nutrients by consuming the raisins.

Pineapple fried rice – another one of my favourite ways to incorporate raisins into our lives

Anyway, whether you are a stay home mom or a working mom, whether you are a culinary noob or an expert, whether you can whip up these dishes or buy them from restaurants, you know you can always spice up the food by adding these raisins into the food to brighten up your child’s day (or yours too!). Failing that, you could just eat them as they are!

Great as a healthy 100% NATURAL (just grapes and sunshine!) snack food, I never need to worry about giving them raisins too often or too much.

Snacking on raisins while doing her work

Since 1912, Sun-Maid has been providing premium quality sun-dried raisins and dried fruits from the farms of California to homes and eating establishments around the world. As a cooperative, Sun-Maid Growers of California is owned by family farmers who grow raisin grapes all located within 100 miles of each other in the Great Central Valley of California, midway between Los Angeles to the south and San Francisco to the north.

California Valley

Sun-Maid has earned its reputation as “America’s favourite” for raisins and dried fruits. The process of making Sun-Maid raisins requires Natural Seedless grapes – plump and flavorful – and the extended period of drying sun found in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

The sweet, sun-ripened grapes are harvested in early autumn and over 90% are sun-dried on paper “trays” in the vineyards. Over a three-week period, the sun dries them into raisins, giving them their dark color and characteristic flavour.

Besides the snack packs, there are other packaging sizes that are available to suit your needs:

Canisters like this one are suitable for cooking, baking or snacking as you like

As shown earlier, raisins can be used as an ingredient in pastas, rice, bread, pastries, salads and cereals (very yummy when used as a topping for overnight oats). It can even be consumed as an energy booster before exercise!

Celebrating more than one hundred years of history, Sunmaid’s ebook is available for download here for FREE! Get inspired with more ways to include this healthier snack alternative which is 100% natural, preservative free and packed with nutrients. Make raisins a part of your family’s everyday life today!

Now if you’d excuse me, I’m off to share my stash with my brother, and this time, he can eat out of the 500g canister instead of the mini packs. #somethingswillneverchange

 

 

Disclosure: This is an advertorial. All opinions are mine.

 

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