Veggie and Fruit Fireworks

My kids are on summer break, and like most other kids, they no longer need to carry a daily, packed lunch. Therefore, I decided to create an unpacked snack, getting creative with fruit and veggies. Since the 4th of July is quickly approaching, I crafted the produce into fireworks! (By the way, if you wanted to turn this into a full-size, unpacked lunch, add in cheese cubes, cooked penne, chunks of meat, etc.)

Here's what I began with - broccoli and cauliflower florets, baby carrots, celery, mushrooms, kiwi, Cherub tomatoes (SO delicious), blueberries and purple grapes. (Not pictured: orange and yellow pepper strips. I forgot I had them until halfway through!)
You can use whatever you have on hand!

Toothpicks are the essential tool for this project. And they are so cheap too!

Here's where you get to be creative. There is no right or wrong way to put together veggie and fruit fireworks! You can make fireworks starbursts.

Or the kind that shoot up from the ground.

Seriously, get creative! Let your kids in on the crafting the fun!

Starburst and ground fireworks work well with fruit too!

For the veggie fireworks, add some Hidden Valley Ranch dressing on the side, and you have the perfect summer snack!

At least, my kiddos think so!

They ate almost all of the veggie fireworks. I'm saving the fruit fireworks for tomorrow.

On another note, I'm taking a break over the 4th of July holiday, so there will be no post from me on Thursday, July 3rd. I hope that you have a wonderful holiday weekend with your family. I'll have a super special post on Monday, July 7th! You'll just have to wait and see!

Buying snacks in bulk (part 2)

On Monday, I discussed where or not it was worth it to purchase snacks in bulk. I displayed numerous snack food items and the respective cost-per-serving from both a bulk food warehouse (Costco) and a regular store (Target). I also gave some pointers in regards to membership fees and use of coupons. In the end, I feel that if you can afford an annual membership to a bulk food warehouse, then it will be a benefit to you.

Since Monday's post was so long, I chose to separate the fruit-type snacks into today's post.

At Costco, a box of Del Monte fruit cups contains 12 diced peaches and 8 mixed fruit. Cost per serving: $0.42/fruit cup. I compared the prices at Target, discovering that a box of 12 uniform fruit cups had a cost per serving of $0.57. That's a steep price difference!

Costco carries their own brand of mandarin orange fruit cups, with a cost/serving of $0.37 each. At Target, Del Monte mandarin orange fruit cups come in a 4-pack ($0.60/serving) and a 12-pack ($0.57/serving). Costco wins this comparison.

GoGo Squeez is one of the perfect ways to eat fruit on-the-go. At Costco, the price per pouch is $0.62, whereas Target's cost is $0.69. A plus for Target and other grocery stores ... oftentimes, there are coupons for this product, lowering the cost per serving.

 A comparison of Costco's bag of Mariani Tropical Fruit mix and Target's Market Pantry's Tropical fruit mix gives these results: Costco - $0.45/serving. Target - $0.29/serving. Huge win for Target!

Costco sells a GIANT bag of Craisins for $7.79. I use these in everything from granola and muffins to portable snacks. Costco's cost per serving is $0.23. Target's tiny bag of Craisins will cost you $0.71/serving. Ouch. Costco is the way to go on this one.

SunMaid raisins have a cost/serving of $0.19 at Costco, whereas the SunMaid brand at Target will cost$0.25/serving. However, Target or another grocery store might have a store brand of raisins that will cost less.

Those are all of the comparisons that I have to present today. However, I'd like to share a few other fruit-type snacks from Costco that I believe to be a great deal.

Costco produces their store brand of dried blueberries. $7.99 for 14 servings - $0.57 each serving. A delicious and nutritious treat.

Dried cherries ... yum! Same price as dried blueberries - $0.57 per serving.

Costco now sells packets of freeze-dried fruit - apple slices, strawberries & bananas, and cinnamon apple slices. $0.75/serving for a quick, easy, non-perishable, on-the-go snack.

Costco's Fruit & Nut Medley consists of peanuts, almonds and walnuts, plus of cornucopia of dried fruit - apple, kiwi, mangoes, papaya, pineapple, strawberry, banana, cherries and golden raisins. $0.47 per serving.

Dried apricots are my husband's favorite dried fruit. At $0.23 per serving, Costco provides an amazing deal.

Dried mangoes, lightly coated in sugar, are also a sweet treat in our household. $0.72 per serving.

Costco sells a large box of Stretch Island fruit leather, in a varieties of flavors.

Orchard Cherry, Autumn Apple, Summer Strawberry, Harvest Grape, Ripened Raspberry and Abundant Apricot. Only $0.22 per serving.

Costco sells TreeTop applesauce in 2 different ways. The first way is in 4-ounce cups at $0.32 per cup.

The second type of TreeTop applesauce is pouches, much like GoGo Squeez. Except at $0.37 per pouch, which is MUCH cheaper than GoGo Squeez!

Wild Roots created a blend of yogurt chips, fruit bits and nuts. In the winter, we use this delightful blend in our homemade instant oatmeal. $0.38 per delicious serving of almonds, cashews, yogurt chips, cranberries and blueberries.

Also by Wild Roots is another enticing blend of Greek yogurt chips, almonds, cranberries, apricots, pomegranate arils and cherries. We have not yet tasted this one, but it sounds amazing. $0.46 for each serving.

I hope that you've enjoyed this journey through the fruit-type snacks of Costco. Let me know if you have any thoughts. I'd love to hear them.

Buying snacks in bulk ... worth it or not? (part 1)

In my efforts to keep my family's food cost down, I chose to explore a near bulk food warehouse. Here in WA state, we have Costco and Sam's Club; my research is based on Costco. In the past, we've had a Costco membership, but I can honestly say, that I didn't pay THAT close attention to how much snacks cost per serving. Now that I am considering a membership once again, the cost-per-serving factor plays a major role in my decision. I compared a bulk food warehouse (Costco) to a local store (Target).
But perhaps you don't live by a Costco, perhaps you live by a different bulk food warehouse? Well, my research should give you some indication of the answer to the question ... is buying snacks in bulk cost-effective, or is it a hyped-up, waste of money? Let's take a look.
Please note: Since there were so many snacks, I divided them into two posts - one on munchie-type snacks (crackers, goldfish, etc) and one on fruit-related snacks (dried fruit, applesauce, etc). I will post the fruit-related one on Thursday.

Let's start with the Costco size variety pack of Annie's snacks - pre-packaged Bunny Grahams, Cheddar Bunnies, etc. At Costco, you pay $0.33/serving. At Target, you pay $0.46/serving.

Costco sells a 45-count package of Austin cookies and crackers; the cost/serving is $0.18.

I love the variety, while my kids just love eating any of them, since I rarely buy them. At Target, Keebler crackers (a comparable brand) offers packages of 8 (no variety) for $0.31.

At Costco, you can buy a GIANT box of Cheez-It's for $0.18/serving. At Target, you have the option to buy a box and divide it into snack baggies ($0.24/serving), or purchase the pre-packaged baggies ($0.41). Note that the price difference reflects the convenience factor of pre-packaging. Not necessarily a bad thing, but a good thing to know in order to be an informed buyer.

A massive bag of Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Chips is $5.99 at Costco, working out to $0.25/serving. I don't recall what a normal-sized bag costs at a grocery store, but I'm betting that Costco wins on this one.

A package of 60 string cheese is $0.20/serving at Costco. In the grocery store, string cheese usually costs around $4 for 12 sticks, which is about $0.33/serving. Perhaps not a huge savings, but you won't have to remember to buy string cheese for a while! Plus, you can freeze them!

This is a new-to-me product. I've purchased regular GoGurt for my kids, but I'm glad that there is a natural-flavored, less-sugary option. Costco sells GoGurt Simple for $0.25/serving. I believe that a grocery store sells these for $2.48/8 GoGurt, making the cost $0.31/serving.

Goldfish - A staple in little-kid-households! Costco sells a HUGE box of Goldfish for $8.99, making the cost-per-serving $0.17. At Target, there are a few options - small bag ($0.33/serving), medium box ($0.40/serving), and the large box ($0.24/serving). Even with all of the options offered, Costco still wins.

Costco also sells a pre-packaged, individual-sized bags of Goldfish, at $0.33/serving. At Target, the pre-packaged bags are $0.55 each. Yikes!

These Handi-Snacks are a throwback to my childhood. I will agree with you that there are not very healthy; however, they are PERFECT as a traveling snack. For instance, we are going on a very long plane ride cross-country soon; a Handi-Snack provides a munchie snack, as well as the activity of spreading the "cheese" onto the cracker. Trust me; it's worth it!

Anyways ... at Costco, these are $0.28/serving.

Honey-Maid Graham crackers - another staple in the summer. Graham crackers, left-over from a s'mores evening, make a perfect snack! At Costco, you can purchase a GIANT box for $0.15/serving. At a grocery store, HM graham crackers are around $3, with 13 servings in a box, making it $0.23/serving.

Costco sells a box of Quaker granola bars (chocolate chip and peanut butter chocolate chip) for $0.17/serving. Target sells two sizes of Quaker granola bars (neither of which are variety packs); the small box is $0.27/granola bar, while the larger box is $0.24/granola bar.

Costco sells their own box of Quaker-like granola bars for $0.15/granola bar. (Oops! just noticed my own typo on my picture. Sorry friends!) Target also sells a knock-off version of Quaker granola bars - a small box is $0.22/serving, and the larger box is $0.17/serving.

Animal crackers - another classic. This giant tub of Costco-brand animal crackers contains 65 servings at $0.14/serving. Target's version of animal crackers is $0.13/serving. Target wins this one!

Mixed nuts - a delicious, healthy snack in moderation. This large jar of mixed nuts is $0.43/serving at Costco. (Pardon the blurry picture!)

This Costco-sized box of nuts is $0.66/package. Package, NOT serving size. These are great for a pre-packaged, on-the-go snack, but each package is at least 2+ servings.

Trail mix is a staple for summertime hiking. Costco's version of trail mix costs $0.22/serving. Target's version costs $0.19/serving. Another win for Target!

Similar to the nuts-to-go, Costco has small packages of trail mix at $0.65/package. Good for on-the-go, but not pre-portioned serving size.

Sometimes, it's nice to have a small snack to curb the sweet tooth. Costco sells the perfect thing - a whole variety pack of snacks, including Nilla wafers, mini Oreos, Chips Ahoy cookies, and Nutter Butters. Yum! Only $0.28/serving. At Target, a smaller bag of pre-packaged is $0.35/serving.

My family LOVES granola bars. Oftentimes, I make my own, but it's nice to keep these on hand as well. Costco sells these crunchy granola bars at $0.26/serving. In contrast, Target sells a small box for $0.53/serving, or a larger box for $0.45/serving. Ouch! Stick with Costco on this one.

One of our favorites - Nature Valley Trail Mix granola bar. Only $0.27/granola bar at Costco; $0.53 each at Target and other stores.

Nature Valley Peanut granola bars are $0.27 each at Costco. At Target, they sell for $0.53 each in a small box, or $0.42 each in a larger box.

If you've never tried these, you're missing out. Perfect combo of peanut butter and chocolate, with added protein! Costco sells 26 of these delicious granola bars for $0.46 each. However, Target's prices are $0.80/granola bar (small box) and $0.62/granola bar (larger box). Yikes! Stick with Costco for these granola bars.

Costco offers three different flavors of NutriGrain bars for only $0.27 each. Target offers one flavor per box, costing between $0.31-0.34 per bar.

My kids and my husband love Pirate's Booty once in a while. At Costco, a huge bag of the white cheddar-y goodness costs $0.27/serving. At Target, the pre-packaged portions cost $0.92 for the convenience.

Ritz crackers are only $0.08 per serving at Costco. WOW! And only $0.11 per serving at Target. That price difference is negligible.

Another go-to snack - mini pretzels. At Costco, they are only $0.06/serving. Now, THAT's a great deal!

Pirate's Booty might be a family's favorite, but Stacy's Pita Chips is one of mine! Costco sells a giant bag for $5.79 for 28 servings, making the cost/serving only $0.21. Normally, in a grocery store, an 8-ounce bag sells for least $4, making the cost/serving $0.50. Target now sells a box of pre-packaged, portion-sized bags of Stacy's for $0.75 each. Better stick with opening a bag and making your own portion-sized baggies.

At Costco, a box of pre-portioned Sun Chips cost $0.21/bag. At Target, each portion-sized bag of Sun Chips is $0.75. Yikes!

Wheat Thins come in a big box at Costco for $0.20/serving. Target sells Wheat Thins in a small box for $0.34/serving, and in a bigger box for $0.30/serving.

Two things to remember in making a decision about a bulk food warehouse:

(1) A bulk food warehouse does have an annual membership fee; stores don't.

(2) Most bulk food warehouses don't take coupons; stores do.

Personally, I think that a Costco membership might be worth it. How about you? What are your thoughts? I hope my research helps you to decide what option might be best for your family.