Things I Love- Stretch Island Fruit Co.

Oregon Dad came through the door around 5PM this evening. I looked up from the stove where I was preparing our dinner and noticed he was carrying a rather large box with him. My first thought was, “yay, our Soccer stuff came from Swoosh”. On closer inspection I realized the box contained samples of FOOD.

Eager hands opened the box and our eyes were surprised at the bounty within.

This package wasn’t a surprise, I knew it (and others) were on the way. I was very surprised at the amount of product we were sent to try.

Inside, we discovered three boxes of FruitaBu Organic Smoooshed Fruit Twirls in grape, apple and strawberry. Nestled next to those, we find three 30 count boxes of the new flavor varieties of Stretch Island Fruit Leathers, strawberry pomegranate sunshine, country cranberry raspberry and pineapple coconut paradise.

Our eager taste testers gathered around the table for a little sampling. I provided each child with a scrap of paper and a pencil. Then I cut one fruit leather up into pieces for everyone to try without knowing what flavor they were getting.

The Stats-

Original Fruit Leather
45-50 calories (depending on flavor)
1 fruit exchange in the diabetic world
1/2 serving of fruit in each serving
Fat Free

Ingredients include things such as fruit puree, fruit juice and natural flavors. They do not include any added sugars, preservatives, artificial flavors or colors.

Retail price- individually about 2 leathers for $1.00, you can purchase 30 packs of a single flavor at Stretch Islands online store for $11.50/box. There are 10 flavors of the original fruit leather, they all get high ratings in our house.

FruitaBu Smoooshed Fruit Twirls
80 calories
1.5 grams fat
1 fruit exchange in the diabetic world
1 serving of fruit in each twirl

Arrives with 6 same flavor twirls in a box, retail price is about $3.69 per box of 6. At FruitaBu’s online store, you can purchase the twirls in a combo pack of boxes ( all one flavor or mixed- one of each flavor) for $11.50. Also available are the FruitaBu Flats, very similar to the Original Leathers and Fruit Sploooshers.

Ingredients include: Organic fruit puree, Organic fruit juice, Organic Palm Fruit Oil, Natural flavors, Pectin, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Fruit Juice for Color and Soy Lecithin. They do not include any artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. There is no added sugar.

The Reviews:

Pineapple Coconut Paradise

K1- Yuck
K2- Yuck
K3- YUMMY
K4- YUMMY and gobbled a second sample
TeenGirl- LOVE THIS
Polka Dot Mommy- Reminds me of a Pina Colada. Not sure I can chew on a Pina Colada for the length of time it takes to consume this. Then, I’m more of a Cosmopolitan kind of girl.

Strawberry Pomegranate Sunshine

K1- YUMMY (and chose this flavor again for a before bed snack)
K2- YUMMY
K3- YUMMY
K4- YUMMY
TeenGirl- YUMMY
Polka Dot Mommy- YUMMY

Country Cranberry Raspberry

K1- YUMMY
K2- YUMMY
K3- YUMMY
K4- YUMMY
TeenGirl- YUMMY
Polka Dot Mommy- YUMMY
Oregon Dad (who has refused to eat fruit leathers, because they are STICKY)-feels like leather

Overall, each of the New Flavor additions to the Original Fruit Leather are pretty darn great. If you enjoy a Pina Colada go for the Pineapple Coconut Paradise, personally I don’t know if I can get past the thought that they smell like tanning lotion. This is TeenGirls favorite of the bunch.

Yes, they are sticky. It’s a fruit leather, DUH. I love fruit leathers, maybe its because my Mom used to make them in the food dehydrator. We just peel the wrapper back and use it to hold the fruit as its enjoyed.

Now, moving on to the FruitaBu Fruit Twirls.

Strawberry

K1- Yuck (texture)
K2- YUM
K3- YUM
K4- YUMMY (she has indiscriminate tastes!)
TeenGirl- YUM
Polka Dot Mommy- Good flavor, slightly oily texture

Grape

K1- Yuck (texture)
K2- YUM
K3- YUM
K4- YUMMY
TeenGirl- YUM
Polka Dot Mommy- Good flavor, slightly oily texture

Apple

K1- Yuck (flavor and texture)
K2- Yuck
K3- YUM
K4- YUM
TeenGirl- Yuck
Polka Dot Mommy- First bite is okay, then there is a not so good after taste, once that mellows its good again. Texture is still a little oily.

The Winners in our house:

Country Cranberry Raspberry followed closely by Strawberry Pomegranate Sunshine

We will definitely be adding these two flavors to our normal mix. TeenGirl will also vie for Pineapple Coconut Paradise to be tossed in every now and then.

The FruitaBu Twirls are unlikely to find their way into our shopping cart any time soon. If my kids were the Fruit Roll Up kind of kids, I would definitely buy the FruitaBu Twirls over Fruit Roll Ups or Fruit By The Foot, they taste better and are far more nutritious. In addition they also are more environmentally friendly because they are organic. The kids like the Twirls enough to finish the boxes, but I don’t expect to hear pleas for them in the store. My kids know what we bring into the house and what we don’t, so they are not accustomed to Fruit Roll Ups or fun shaped fruit snacks. If your child is a Fruit Snack fiend, try FruitaBu Twirls instead.

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Tags: StrechIsland Fruit Leathers, Strech Island Fruit Co., FruitaBu Twirls, Organic Smooshed Fruit, Fruit Roll Ups, Things to pack in lunch box, Gluten Free Snacks, Snacks for kids, How to get my kid to eat more fruit, GFCF Kid Snacks, GFCF Snack Drawer, Diabetic Fruit Snack, Diabetic Snack, Kosher Snack, Organic Snack, Natural Snacks, Best Snacks for kids