Bella Viva Dried Fruit and Nut Assortment Review / Giveaway

As a mom of three girls, the question I'm asked more than any other is, "Mom, can I have a snack?"

So I love to have lots of healthy snack options on hand.  Many I make myself, but it's always fun to try out new healthy products!

So when I was asked to review the Bella Viva Eco Fruit Tote, with over 9 pounds (yes, 9 pounds!) of dried fruits and nuts, I jumped at the opportunity.

Soon thereafter, a huge box appeared at my door, filled with sweet fruit and savory nuts, all stored in a reusable canvas bag.  Each fruit or nut was in its own separate bag - a total of 11 bags. My kids (and I) dove in and gave everything a try.

I think my favorite was the dried yellow peaches.  I had never tried dried peaches before and I found them to be sweet as peaches, without the peach fuzz or the dripping juice.  (Of course, the dripping juice is the best part of the peach...)  I also really liked the dried pears.  I am not much of a fresh pear fan, due to their odd texture.  But dried, you get the flavor and sweetness without that texture.

The kids really liked the dried blueberries, which will definitely find their way into pancakes and muffins.  And none of us had ever tasted a persimmon before, much less a dried one.  The first couple of bites tasted like... well, not much taste.  But then the taste set in - kind of like eating a flower.  It was definitely an unusual experience!

The Eco Fruit Tote also has pitted prunes as well as BettyAnne plums.  I though prunes were dried plums?   But the two products are definitely different-tasting.  The BettyAnne plums are sweet without that pruny taste.

Many people try to avoid dried fruits containing sodium dioxide, and this set has three bags which are SO₂-free, and this collection has three: the blueberries, the persimmons, and another bag of thin-sliced peaches.

What have I missed?  Oh yes, there are red flame seedless raisins, as well as apricots.  And there are cashews and raw almonds.

I can think of so many uses for these wonderful dried fruits and nuts:

• eating out of hand for a snack
• mixed into trail mix
• mixed in oatmeal or cereal
• baked in cookies, muffins, and cakes
• stewed in a traditional beef stew
• baked into a noodle pudding

And that's just a few of the uses I thought of - I'm sure you can come up with many more!

The Eco Fruit Tote would be a wonderful gift for just about anybody! For the holidays, for a birthday or anniversary, or for a housewarming! Believe me, everyone will just love this amazing gift. And when (if?) you finish the fruit and nuts, you can reuse the tote bag when going grocery shopping.

I really loved the Eco Fruit Tote, and I know you will, too!

Would you like to buy the Eco Fruit Tote, either for yourself or for a gift? Head on over to Bella Viva. As of this writing, shipping for the Eco Fruit Tote is free!

Want to save on your Eco Fruit Tote?  Just use the code blogdiscount2x720 when you check out.  You'll automatically get 15% off your order.  (Woohoo, a discount!)  This discount is good until July 20th.

Or would you like to get an Eco Fruit Tote completely for free?

Frugal Follies is sponsoring a giveaway for one Bella Viva Eco Fruit Tote!

Your fruit and nut assortment will include dried peaches, seedless raisins, cashews, BettyAnne plums, almonds, apricots, prunes, pears, blueberries, and persimmons.  Total weight is 9.5 lb.  You'll also get a reusable tote bag.

To enter, use the Rafflecopter below!  The giveaway is open to US residents aged 18 and older. This giveaway will end on Thursday, June 7th, at 12:01 am Eastern time.  If you are the winner, I  will contact you shortly thereafter, and you will have 72 hours to respond.  If you do not respond within that time, your entry will be  declared invalid and a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.