Amazingly, Peeled Snacks seem to pick the best quality commodities and let the food speak for itself.  In fact, it was hard not to love their two nut picks, Almond-daze and Cashew later.  These individual serving packages of just nuts and a hint of salt tasted surprisingly fresh and full of flavor.  The cashews were jumbo-sized, really the largest I had ever seen, and they had a light taste that wasn’t overly oily, as cashews can sometimes be.  Both the cashews and almonds were pure in flavor, and had a wonderfully fresh crunch.  Truthfully, I don’t think I have ever tasted a tree nut that tasted quite this “fresh” if you will.

Like the Fruit Picks, I would love to see larger, resealable packages that aren’t quite as wasteful as these small serving plastic packages.  But, for a healthy snack-on-the-go or for stashing in lunch boxes, Peeled Snacks has come up with a wonderfully convenient, delicious, and fun way to present plain old healthy food!

Visit the Peeled Snacks website for a store locator, or to purchase their products direct.

I used to be an avid dried fruit snacker, but with all of the added sugars and sulfur dioxide, I reasoned that fresh fruit was probably the only way to go.  But Peeled Snacks has taken a step back in time, serving up dried fruit without the preservatives and sugar.  That’s right, just fruit.  As I unfortunately discovered in a prior Peeled Snacks taste test, this means a shorter shelf-life.  But as long as you don’t hold onto these babies for several months, they are still pretty shelf-stable.

Go-Mango-man-go ~ I loved (and quickly devoured) these mini mango strips and their true-to-fruit flavor.  The mango was surprisingly sweet on its own and left me wondering why on earth so many manufacturers feel the need to add sugar to dried fruit. A truly addictive little healthy snack!

Pine-4-Pineapple ~ No sulfur, no sugar, just dehyrdrated pineapple.  Sad to say, but this is one food I had never experienced before!  Yes, I fell victim to image … choosing the bright yellow looker coated in copious amounts of sugar over the browned “natural” pineapple. But now that I have seen the light … or should I say tasted the fruit, I may never go back!  Sweet, sour, and tangy all at once, this was an infusion of pineapple that tasted far fresher than it looked.

Banan-a-peel ~ While the name is catchy, I would be tempted to call this Banana Burst instead.  I opened the package and the most intense banana scent practically exploded from this unique snack.  Yes, unique.  I have seen many bags of banana chips, but never before had I seen dried banana.  Like the pineapple, this one wasn’t a looker, but the great chew texture and pure banana taste once again proved that its what’s on the inside that counts.  For one serving, I was impressed with the generous number of banana slices.  Guilt free snacking, my favorite!

Cherry-go-round ~ Who knew dried cherries could be so insanely plump?  Barely dehydrated, I felt almost as if I was indulging in fresh cherries … almost, but not quite.  I was truly surprised at how prune-like they tasted, but they were definitely sweet cherries at heart.  It would be a shame to waste such perfect dried fruit on baking, so I can see why they opted to turn these into a stand-alone snack.

The only thing that would keep me from loading up on these fruit gems is the very thing that many people would find so appealing, the packaging.  Plastic pouches housing single serving snacks seems just a bit too wasteful, especially for this work at home foodie.  I would rather see larger resealable packages that I can enjoy at home or take in the car, rather than worrying about fitting little snacks into a purse or lunch box.  Perhaps they will come out with some larger packages in the future.  In the meantime, if you are looking for a fun, creative, and healthy way to infuse some fruit into your family’s diet, Peeled Fruit Snacks are an excellent option.

Visit the Peeled Snacks website for a store locator, or to purchase their products direct.

“We love all of the products we write about,” enthused Karen Hochman, founder and editorial director of THE NIBBLE. But some are meant for entertaining, some for special occasion indulgences and some for luxurious gifts. Our five best products of 2007 are specialty food items that can be enjoyed everyday, and are affordable by almost everyone.”

The Top Picks of 2007 are made by artisan producers from coast to coast. They were selected from the magazine’s Top Picks Of The Week for the year.

• Cypress Grove Chevre, a northern California cheese maker, creates a broad variety of creative fresh and aged goat cheeses, including the popular Humboldt Fog.
• Peeled Snacks, of New York City, makes nutritious, grab-and-go fruit and nut mixes in innovative packaging that keeps the fruits moist and the nuts crisp. Better than a candy bar, say the editors.
  
• The Ojai Cook reinvents mayonnaise into something flavorful, fabulous and worth every calorie. Made in a variety of flavors from lemony to Latin, any recipe that these mayos touch will be vastly improved.
• Pierre Marcolini Confitures, the only import on the list (from Belgium), are jams unlike any in the marketplace. Using so little sugar that diabetics can enjoy them (20% or less), these velvety, spreadable fruits have the richness of a curd without curd’s calorie- and cholesterol-laden eggs and butter. Truly a jam miracle.
• Starr Ridge Bread Sticks, from Phoenix, are so flavorful that they require no embellishment—although a tapenade or other dip makes a splendid hors d’oeuvre. The five flavors—Asiago Cheese, Olive Oil, Parmesan Cheese With Black Pepper, Roasted Garlic and Seed—can be served at elegant dinners or for casual snacks.

Read more about each product by clicking on the links above; or read summaries of each in next week’s Top Pick Of The Week: Top Picks Of 2007 on TheNibble.com. The Top Pick Of The Week is also available by email or by RSS feed (sign up on the website).

About THE NIBBLE

THE NIBBLE™, “Great Food Finds,” is an online magazine about specialty foods and the gourmet life. It is the only consumer publication and website that focuses on reviewing the best specialty foods and beverages in every category. THE NIBBLE staff tastes more than 3,000 specialty foods every year and chooses a few hundred “best of the best” for review in the online magazine. In addition, the editors’ Top Pick Of The Week is e-mailed to opt-in subscribers. The magazine also covers tableware, gourmet housewares and other topics of interest to people who love fine food. The monthly magazine, featuring dozens of product reviews, articles and reference materials, was developed to meet the demands of readers—and to meet a gap in the consumer marketplace—for more extensive information about specialty foods. Content, which is free of charge, is also available via RSS and is archived on TheNibble.com for permanent reference. There is also a daily news feed at Blog.TheNibble.com.

"very fruity, nutty, delicious" Snack!

      Click Here to Watch Video

Grab-and-Go Fruit and Nuts Packed with Nutritional and with No added Sugar or Oil

By Teresa Tanoos

In 2008, nearly one-third of Americans were expected to make a New Year's resolution to improve their health and increase their fitness level, making it again the top resolution for the New Year. (Source: mygoals.com, Decemeber 4, 2007). To help consumers keep their healthy eating resolutions, we tested a product called, Peeled Snacks, which has an extensive line of dried fruit, nuts and fruit & nut mixes to satisfy hunger cravings while providing nutritious energy to help you get through the day. As the staff behind The Men's Magazine, we are constantly on the run working under the pressure of deadlines, so we particulary liked these tasty and nutrition-packed snack treats, which are available in convenient, grab-and-go packages.

The wholesome purity of Peeled Snacks - just fruit and nuts - distinguishes it from other grab-and-go snacks, such as sugar-filled trail mixes, highly processed energy and candy bars, and salty chips. All Peeled Snacks products are made without added sugar, artificial sweeteners or oils, while being naturally loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber.

"We beleive that real food is naturally good for you, and using the highest quality fruit and nuts means you get naturally delicious treats," said founder Noha Waibsnaider. "We've seen too many supposedly 'good-for-you' products on the shelves that are loaded with unhealthy high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives and processed additives. We created Peeled Snacks to give people vibrantly flavored snack choices, the kind of authentic food that satisfies and nourishes."

For more information of this Healthy Product of the Month, vist www.peeledsnacks.com.  

You Can Take it With You

Whether you're off to a retreat, a spring vacation, or a business trip, these items are easy to carry along. 

Peeled Snacks: 

Wherever you may be running off to, a package of Peeled Snacks dried fruit and nuts keeps you nourished.

-Fit Yoga

April 2008 

1. The iLuv portable multimedia player ($229.95) has an 8.4-inch color LCD screen and built-in dual stereo speakers, and can play DVDs, CDs, and videos from an iPod.

2. The 2008 edition of The Best Travel Writing ($16.95) makes for appropriate onboard reading.

3. A pocket-size Field Notes journal ($10 for three 48-page books) helps travelers keep track of where they’re going and where they’ve been.

4. PB Travel’s 40- by 66-inch cashmere throw ($225) is a luxurious way to stay warm. 

5. The perfect size for carry-on liquids, Todd Oldham’s one-quart patterned bags ($6 for 15 bags) are a fun alternative to plain plastic.

6. This Works’s travel kit ($59) packs eight gender-neutral products—including aromatherapy mist and lip balm—into travel-friendly one-ounce containers.

7. Forgo the flimsy freebies for Just Do Good’s in-flight audio set ($32), with retractable earphones, earbuds in two sizes, a multi-jet adapter, and a storage pouch.

8. Peeled Snacks' Fruit and Nut Picks ($1.99 each) are packaged separately, allowing snackers to create their own custom mix like cashews and dried pineapple.

9. Curious Cookies ($18.95 for a dozen) are individually wrapped and have no trans fats or preservatives. Flavors include chocolate chip and ginger cranberry and also come in gluten- and sugar-free varieties.  —Lisa Cericola

Daily Find: Something Wonderful Every Day

Fast Fruit

If you're feeling post-Halloween gluttony guilt, try Peeled Snacks. The all-natural and organic dried fruits and nuts are packaged in single RDA-approved servings, so you can fulfill that all-important five-a-day requirement. The snacks are also free of added sugar, artificial sweeteners, oils, gluten, and wheat, so you're getting nutrition on-the-go that won't ruin anyone's dinner. And, by the way, they taste pretty great.

From time-saving, headahe-saving gadgets to convenient and healthy snack options, these five items are sure to ease your mind.

These healthy grab-and-go treats are full of fiber, vitamins and protein. Peeled Snacks feature whole pieces of real fruit and nuts. No artifical flavors, colors or trans fats, and they're individually wrapped.  

Peeled Snacks is introducing its newest line, “Fruit Picks” and “Nut Picks,” 100% natural, healthy treats in portion-controlled single servings. Using only premium organic and natural fruit and nuts, “Fruit Picks” and “Nut Picks” single serving snacks help people meet their “Five-a-Day” fruit goal as recommended by the Dept. of Health, without added sugar, oils, preservatives or artificial ingredients

“Fruit Picks” and “Nut Picks,” naturally loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber, are available in six tasty varieties: Cherry-go-round, Banan-a-peel, pine-4-Pineapple, go-Mango-man-go, Almond-daze, and Cashew later.

“We believe that read food is naturally good for you, and using the highest quality fruit and nuts                                       means you get naturally delicious treats,” said founder Noha Waibsnaider. “We’ve seen too many supposedly ‘good-for-you’ products on the shelves that are loaded with unhealthy high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives and processed additives. We created Peeled Snacks to give people vibrantly flavored snack choices, the kind of authentic food that satisfied and nourishes.”

Peeled Snacks innovative, stay-fresh packing created a sensation in 2005 when the Company introduced its first line of dried fruit and nut snack mixes. The lightly salted dry-roasted nuts are pouched separately within each package, so the fruit stays juicy and sweet, and the nuts stay crunchy.

Unlike most energy bars and sugar-filled trail mixes, the wholesome purity of Peeled Snacks – just fruit and nuts-is unheard of in other grab-and-go-foods. Addressing concerns reinforced by the nation’s diabetes and obesity crises, all Peeled Snacks products are made without added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or oils. The straightforward snack foods also contain no gluten or what, focusing on healthy unprocessed food.

New Product Reviews

With over 40,000 products in the average supermarket, people don't have time (or the money) to test every product on the shelves – so we do it for you! Each week we will post the latest reviews and I hope you will log in to see what’s hot…and what’s not!
Each product is judged and taste-tested based on the following seven criteria:
1. (30 points) Taste: The most important attribute of any food
2. (20 points) Value: Is it worth it?
3. (15 points) Health: Based off the nutritional information, is it nutritionally balanced?
4. (15 points) Ingredients: What's in it, how natural is it?
5. (10 points) Preparation: When applicable, how accurate or good are the directions?*
6. (5 points) Appearance: Is it appetizing and does it resemble its photo or description?
7. (5 points) Packaging: Is it appropriate for the product and does it have any benefits such as reseal ability, added freshness, better

Peeled Snacks go-Mango-man-go

Taste 30
Value 5
Health 15
Ingredients 15
Prep n/a
Appearance 5
Packaging 5
Total 85

Here's a new product to really get excited about! This company brings us one of the best dried fruit products we've ever tried. For starters, there's no added sugar, which is common with products like this one. And, you won't believe how much sweeter and better it tastes without the sugar added. Mangos are an excellent source of Vitamin C & Vitamin A, and one serving of this product is equal to one serving of fruit. The package only contains one serving (120 calories), and it's the perfect portion for a snack. This product is a great alternative to fruit roll ups and fruit snacks that are promoted to kids, which aren't really fruit at all. We can't find anything wrong with the actual product except that it's way over-priced!
Retails for $1.99/1.40-oz pouch.

New York City – Peeled Snacks has unveild six single-serving natural snacks. Called Fruit Picks and Nut Picks, they include four fruit selections (cherry-go-round, banan-a-peel, go-mango-man-go, and pine-4-pineapple) and two nut varieties (almond-daze and cashew later). Proportion sizes range from 1 oz to 1.5 oz., and they’re designed for a $2 price point.

Peeled Snacks has gained favorable media attention for its line of bagged fruit-and-nut mixes, marketed through specialty retail outlets across the country and on the Internet. The new Picks line is positioned to benefit from this recognition.

Described as a natural source of vitamins, minerals and fiber, the Peeled Snacks single-serve items are made without artificial colors and flavors. They contain no preservatives, trans fat, cholesterol nor gluten, and are wheat- and dairy free. No sugar nor oils are added.

Peeled Snacks is headquartered at 485 Central Park Wes, Ste. 6D, New York, NY 10001; tel. (212) 706-2001. Information is available at the company’s website, peeledsnacks.com.

Karen Berner / Food Editor

You’ve “greened up” your home, mode of transportation and family meals. What’s next? With school just around the corner for millions of kids, the possibility of greening their lunch box is just another way to introduce safe, sustainable foods and products into their burgeoning environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

School lunches once cooked in cafeterias by nefarious hair-netted lunch ladies are a thing of the past and in their place, more and more schools are offering food from pre-packaged containers that are simply re-heated before serving. The best way to avoid this nebulous type of fare (which you can never be sure is safe, healthy, or grown sustainably) is by one, creating the meals yourself at home, and two, packaging it in containers of reusable and sustainable means.

We’ve got you covered with a bunch of delicious meal choices that you and your children can have fun making and packing into a lunch box — now take your sustainability mission a step further with 4 easy ways to green their school lunch box that may elicit a “thank you” from even the most finicky of kids.

1. Pack A No-Waste Lunch Box:

Don’t forget to pack these must-haves for the shore

By Elaine Paoloni
epaoloni@am-ny.com

While a chaise lounge, a
stocked cooler and a boogie
board would be nice to have
at the beach, if you’re catching
a ride with a friend or
have to walk from the train
to the shoreline, fitting
everything into one bag is
more in order. Here are some
ideas on how to get the most
out of your packing.

Geared to go 

Women’s tote in stem
print by Orla Kiely
$175; available at Flight 001
96 Greenwich Ave., 212-989-
0001; 132 Smith St., Carroll
Gardens, Brooklyn, 718-243-
0001; www.flight001.com
This coated, light green canvas
bag with grosgrain detail features
a snap closure, a key fisher
and an inside zippered pocket
to keep your valuables
secure.

Men’s Freitag
DJ Nightclub bag
$160; available at Flight 001
96 Greenwich Ave.,
212-989-0001; 132
Smith St., Carroll Gardens,
Brooklyn, 718-243-0001;
www.flight001.com
This rough ’n’ tough, blue-andyellow
messenger bag is a ready
for a day at the beach. Made of
recycled truck tarpaulins, seatbelts
and innertubes, it’s water
resistant and has a worn-in look
that laughs in the face of sandkicks
and sunblock smears.

Pack protection 

Aveeno’s Continuous
Protection Sunblock Lotion
$8.99-$10.99 (4 ounces); available
in drugstores Available in SPF 30 or 45, this
sunblock provides broad-spectrum
UVA/UVB protection, is
water resistant, absorbs quickly
into skin and is endorsed by
dermatologists and the Skin
Cancer Foundation.

Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer
Body Mist Sunblock
$9.99 (5 ounces); available
in drugstores
Available in SPF 30
or 45, this sunblock
provides balanced
broad-spectrum
UVA/UVB protection
with Helioplex technology,
is PABA free, comes out in a
continuous spray that absorbs
quickly into skin without any
rubbing. It’s also waterproof and
is dermatologist recommended.

Snacks and quenchers

Peeled Snacks
$2.99 (2.6 ounces); available in
delis, gourmet grocery stores
www.peeledsnacks.com
These all-natural snacks contain
no added sugar. The nuts come
in a separate packet inside, so
the dried fruit doesn’t make
them soggy. They are available
in four varieties.

Fred water
$1.75 (20 ounces); available in
select gourmet markets and delis
www.lovefred.com
This natural spring water from
the Catskill Mountains has
fewer minerals than other bottled
waters, lending to a
smoother taste. And you can
easily slip the flat, flask-like bottle
into your beach bag.

Waterproof worthy

iPod OtterBox
$29.95-$49.95; available at
Apple retail stores
www.otterbox.com
Keep your iPod safe from the
surf. An airtight seal offers protection
from the water, sand,
dirt and accidental drops.

Fun and games

Smashvolley
racquet game
$12; available at Zitomer
969 Madison Ave., 212-737-
5560, www.zitomer.com
You don’t have to forgo a day at
the gym for a day at the beach.
The two lightweight racquets
included in this game won’t take
up much space in your bag.

Uno H2O
$9.50; available at Zitomer
969 Madison Ave., 212-737-5560,
www.zitomer.com
This popular game of matching
numbers, colors and symbols is
now beach-ready. The clear,
plastic, waterproof cards come
in a case that snaps together for
easy storage and transport.

Ultra Sky-o
$16; available at Zitomer
969 Madison Ave., 212-737-5560,
www.zitomer.com
This flexible, 27-inch flying ring
folds up easily and comes with a
nylon bag for storage. The
pouch has a clasp to attach to
the outside of your tote.

Dry idea

Summer beach towels
$19.99-$29.99; available at Bed,
Bath & Beyond
www.bedbathandbeyond.com
Whether you want to play it
straight with solids or stripes, or
have some fun with prints such
as cocktails and limes, an
absorbent, 100-percent cotton
towel will keep you comfy.
Oversized towels — big enough
for two — are also available.

Note: Some prices are only suggested by the
manufacturer and may vary.