Raisins. Villan or Super Hero?

[Cat Herder]

I love to give kids raisins and craisins. I add them to many recipes and homemade trail mixes.

Raisins help with fiber intake, have B-6, calcium and a wee bit of vitamin C. Craisins offer fiber, antibacterial effects on the bladder and have antioxidants.

The AAP removed them from the choking hazards list over a year ago, but it seems so many people are unaware of that. :confused:

Do you serve them? If so do you find yourself having to defend yourself constantly?

[Heidi]

I serve raisins quite often, but craisins less so because they have added sugar (at least any I've found).

I like craisins on a salad, or in coleslaw made with poppy seed dressing, plain greek yogurt, granny smith apples, and cabbage.

[NeedaVaca]

I serve both of them and have never had a complaint! Good source of Iron too! I do the same as you and bake them in things, trail mix, plain, I even add them to my coleslaw-yummy!

[Cat Herder]

I serve raisins quite often, but craisins less so because they have added sugar (at least any I've found).

I like craisins on a salad, or in coleslaw made with poppy seed dressing, plain greek yogurt, granny smith apples, and cabbage.

Very true on the sugar. I should have mentioned that.

I use them where I would have used M&M's or choc chips in the past. Cookies/trail mix...

They kick things up a notch. happyface I recently found the blueberry ones, but they are pricey compared to the others.

[SignMeUp]

Never found a need to defend myself, but I use dried cranberries in a salad of romaine, cucumber, sweet onion and chicken, with raspberry vinaigrette. I usually "reconstitute" the cranberries a bit by letting them soak in a little water. When our raspberries are in, we use those instead though.

They're also good added to a chicken salad sandwich.

[SSWonders]

My food program won't allow us to serve them.

[Blackcat31]

Raisins are a FAVORITE around here!!

My kiddos react to them as if I am offering them gummy bears verses dried grapes.

We make our own in the winter time. The kids get a kick out of it.

[Heidi]

My food program won't allow us to serve them.

raisins????

[sharlan]

Raisins are listed on my food program, but you have to serve them with another fruit or veggie.

Not one of my grandkids would eat raisins so I stopped buying them years ago. I probably haven't served a raisin in 5 years when I last tried feeding them to the grandsons.

[Meyou]

We eat them almost daily. Craisins too. I get slightly sweetened ones from a farmers market....very low in added sugar. I never have had to defend them but I do have all whole food eating kids who cheer for them. On days they get to pick....well...I'm the superhero.

[TwinKristi]

We so raisins once sometimes twice a week. Kids love em but like someone else said they have to be served with something else so lunch is really the only meal I can serve with.
Craisins are a bit too tart for my crew but my kids and I love them!

[Controlled Chaos]

We love them for "ants on a log". Or I will mix them into a trail mix or just serve them with crackers and juice for snack.

I don't give them to the babies but the 2-4s love them.

[CraftyMom]

My food program won't allow us to serve them.

Yup! No dried fruit of any kind to any child under the age of 3, so for me that rules them out all together

Although I can serve raisin bread toast, the reasoning is that the bread moistens them :confused:

[AmyKidsCo]

I don't do raisins because I tend to forget about them so they dry up to little hard rabbit turds in the pantry. I don't have anything against them (except when parents feed their toddlers tons of raisins on a Sunday) I just forget to serve them.

[SilverSabre25]

My favorite use of raisins (aside from in oatmeal cookies!) is to toss a bunch in the pan of water when I'm making oatmeal. Put them in firs thing and as the water heats they soften and it sweetens the oatmeal naturally and perfectly. Add some cinnamon...delicious.

my kids love it when i put raisins on the plate as part of snack. I don't do it often though, to keep them sort of special.