Review: Gluten Free Muffin-in-a-Cup Mixes from Wheat Free Market
Love fruit as a snack? Who doesn’t. The only problem is that the amount of sugar that you end up consuming oftentimes outweighs all the nutrients that you’re getting. Plus, most of the year you’ll be eating fruit that not even in season. So how could you indulge in your favorite fruit without the sugar and tastelessness often associated with off-season produce? Crunchies Food offers us all legitimately tasty options which are freeze dried.
Yes, I said freeze dried. Though it might sound somewhat like space food, it’s actually a highly effective way to deliver peak-season nutrient density to you with a bit of crunch. At first both myself and my husband were pretty skeptical about how these freeze dried options would pass for a snack considering that some of the samples they sent to me are favorites like strawberries and apples.
Two clear winners emerged from the choices we sampled: strawberries and apples & cinnamon (my husband’s absolute favorite of them all). Both offer a crunchy, tart flavor that also are certified gluten-free* and low in calories and sugar. They’re also sodium-free, making these snacks a great option for you to try out in the new year. (*Note that these are packaged in a facility that packs milk, eggs, wheat, and soy products.)
One big reason that I can get behind Crunchies is that they’re MADE IN THE USA. You might recall that I got up on my soapbox not long ago about food grown and packaged in China. Part of the reason was because of certain companies offering freeze dried fruit options, but thankfully I finally stumbled upon Crunchies who pride themselves in producing wholesome products here in the US.
These snacks travel extremely well and I’ve thrown the re-sealable bags into my backpack and handbag for a quick snap while on the go or before a yoga class. My husband, an avid road-cyclist, is still day-dreaming for more of the Cinnamon Apple so that he can keep them in his bag for post-rides and post-cycling classes this winter. Plus you don’t have to worry about them going bad or getting funky – they’ve got a decent shelf-life (one perk to preserving fruit in this fashion).
Whether you eat them on their own or throw some into oatmeal (or whatever else you can creatively think to put them in), Crunchies are on my list of healthy, gluten-free snack options for this year.
RE: Freeze dried crunchies – Isn’t the sugar content the same though?
Not necessarily. I’m not entirely sure why, but it’s less, sometimes by a little and other times by a lot. 1/4 cup of their mixed fruit only has 4 grams which equals 1 tsp. I’m not going to say that it’s perfect, but for the winter time, you can add this to oatmeal or other things you want something fruity with and enjoy. It’s a much better option than eating fruit out of a can, crappy tasting out-of-season fruit or tropical fruits which are super high in sugar.