Back to School Chiquita Bites Snack Recipes Plus GIVEAWAY 8/15

***Disclosure: I received this product for free from the manufacturer.  I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog.  My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the manufacturer of the product.
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Back to school season is officially in full swing. In fact, I know a few parents in different parts of the country whose children are already back in class! (Poor kids!) School doesn't start here for another couple of weeks, but I am already starting to plan for lunches, snacks, etc.

Now, the only child I have that's actually in school is my oldest son, Kyle. He is going to be a Freshman in high school this year. Wait... I need to let that sink in for a moment. I have a child in high school. How the heck did that even happen?! Man, that makes me feel really, really old. At the ripe old age of 33. Yikes. 

Anyway, I prefer to pack my kids' lunches rather than make them suffer through cafeteria food. (Remember the nasty pizza that tasted more like ketchup on some stale white bread? Yuck!) By packing their meals myself, I am in complete control of what my kids are eating, and I can avoid overly-processed junk. I am known in my home for being a "junk food Nazi". No Twinkies or Ho-Ho's here. No way. 

My kids tend to prefer fresh fruit over all the junk food anyway, so I was really excited when I got the chance to check out Chiquita Bites. These snacks are so convenient, since the apples are already sliced and prepackaged into individual servings. Yes, that's right. The folks at Chiquita do more than just bananas! 

I received a nice assortment of Chiquita Bites to try out with my family. Included were Family Size bags of both green and red apples, as well as smaller, single serving packages of Apples and Grapes and Apples with Caramel Dip. And nothing is better than apples paired with creamy caramel, in my humble opinion. 

While Chiquita Bites are wonderful to nibble on all by themselves, I like to shake things up a bit, especially when I'm feeding my preschoolers. My soon-to-be 15 year old doesn't appreciate the cuteness of little apple cars the way my 3 and 4 year olds do! 

Seriously, though...How cute are these little Apple Cars? And they're SO easy to make! Just grab a bag of Chiquita Bites Juicy Red Apples & Grapes. Cut a small slit into each grape, and slide them onto the already sliced apples. Voila! You have yourself a shiny, new red car. These are so simple that young kids can even help to construct them! (Make sure to slice the grapes beforehand, of course.)

Another favorite in our home is Apple Peanut Butter Toast. This is really simple as well. Just toast your bread, slather it with a layer of creamy peanut butter, add your apple slices and drizzle them with honey, caramel, or both! (We like ours with both.) 

These are just a couple of easy, fun snacks that kids are sure to gobble up. These snacks are perfect for lunch-boxes as well as after-school snacks. All you need are some Chiquita Bites snacks and a little imagination. 

Enter the Moms Rule Back to School Contest :

Share a Back To School tip or trick with Chiquita on Facebook you'll be entered in the Chiquita Moms Rule Back to School Contest for a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree and a years worth of Chiquita Bites. For official rules:  http://www.chiquita.com/Chiquita/documents/MomsRules.pdf

Hurry and enter! I know I'd love to win $1,000 and some Chiquita Bites, wouldn't you? 

Enter to win a Thirty-One Thermal Tote : 

I am thrilled to announce that one lucky reader will receive their very own Thirty-One Thermal Tote, just in time for back to school! (Please note: Actual pattern may vary. )

How cool is that?! 

This giveaway is open to US residents only ages 18+. The giveaway will end at 11:59PM on August 15, 2014. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter, verified and then contacted via email. The winner has 48 hours to claim their prize. This promotion is not associated with Facebook, Pinterest or twitter in any way. 

Please enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway