California Table Grape Commission - Get Snacking on Grapes

Right now, fresh and delicious California grapes are just coming into season. In fact, California-grown grapes account for 98% of all the grapes sold in the US!  I recently got asked to come up with a healthy snack that incorporates California grapes and at least two additional ingredients.  We love grapes and I was excited to get started on recipes! Want to to know a secret?   I have grapes in my lunch every day!   Growing up I got hooked on eating grapes with Cheez-it crackers.  So it is a must to have grapes and Cheez-its in my lunch!

Having kids, I wanted to come up with some kid friendly recipes!  So below are a couple of recipes, that I came up with!

Fruit and Cheese Kabobs
You will need the following:

• colby- jack cheese cubes
• cheddar cheese cubes
• baby swiss cheese
• fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 2 inch chunks
• green and red seedless grapes
• strawberries
• wooden skewers

You can buy a couple of bricks of cheese rather than buying the pre-made cubes and cube the cheese yourself.   This will save you a little bit of money! This is a pretty easy recipe! Alternate fruit and cheese on the wooden skewers and  chill until ready to serve!   If you are looking for ideas for the 4th of July you can make fruit sparklers!

Fruit Sparklers

You will need the following:

• marshmallows (mini-marshmallows and a bag of the red/white/blue star Jet Puffed ones)
• blueberries
•  red seedless grapes
• wooden skewers

Take and place one of the star marshmallows at the end of a skewer, then alternate between the red grape, the mini-marshmallow and the blue berry to get your red/white/blue theme!  A safe, fun and yummy sparkler that is sure to please any age!

 Growing up my mom and grandma used to make this "salad".  Not a "snack", but coming up with grape recipes made me recall this "salad" and I could not help but share!  Perfect for a summer BBQ! I do not have exact measurements as we would just dump and mix to our liking!

You will need the following:

• marshmallows (mini-fruit colored marshmallows)
• cool whip container
• strawberries cut into chunks
• bananas peeled and sliced into chungs
•  red seedless grapes
• apples skin removed and cut into chunks (soak in lemon juice to avoid browning)
• pineapple chunks (can use a can, just remove juice and rinse)

Mix all ingredients into a bowl, chill and serve.  A fun side dish or a cool dessert!  You decide!

 In order to get me prepared for this post, I was given a copy of  Green Black Red: Recipes for Cooking and Enjoying California Grapes (California Table Grape Commiss)!   Tons of fun and unique recipe ideas in there!  I would of never thought to use grapes in so many ways!

You can also come up with you own idea! Head on over to the Grapes From California  Facebook page and enter the contest with your original recipe!  They will award the best snack idea with $5,000!

I received a cookbook and $10 to use to purchase ingredients facilitate this review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.  Full Disclosure Policy