Let’s all do the Funky Monkey

According to the USDA, our daily diet should include a certain amount of meat, dairy products, fruits and vegetables.  Fruits and vegetables are best when eaten fresh, but fruits are especially difficult to keep on hand.  You can go to the farmer’s market or your local grocery store; but unless you live right next door to either of these establishments, it’s hard to keep fresh fruit in the house.  By that statement, I mean that it spoils so quickly.  I learned a long time ago that you can’t put bananas on top of the refrigerator, because immaculately overnight, the fruit will develop spots on the peel and begin to ripen to the point where it is no longer edible.  I hate wasting money, time and my efforts, but since I love fresh fruit, I cope and usually purchase my fruit in smaller amounts more frequently.

Recently, I found a company that will allow me to have access to fruit any time I want or need it.  The company’s name, you ask?  It’s Funky Monkey.  Funky Monkey sent me 5 different flavors to try.

These Funky Monkey Snacks are all-natural and made using a unique freeze-drying process.  Freeze-dried fruit is more nutritious than regular dried fruit since it retains nearly all of the nutrients and less water.  Thus, freeze dried fruits equal a better flavor and value.

The snacks themselves have a crunchy texture just like that of the more traditional snack foods.  Slices of fruits are used instead of small dices so you can enjoy the full flavor and convenience of the fruit, anywhere, any time.  As everyone loves to snack, you can indulge in eating the Funky Monkey Snacks without feeling any guilt.

These Funky Monkey Snacks are produced in Brazil not far from where the fruit is grown and freeze-dried at the peak of the fruit’s freshness to ensure the taste, smell and nutrients of freshly picked fruit.

Like fresh fruit, Funky Monkey snacks are free of the top 8 allergens, including gluten and tree nuts, meaning that these snacks are an excellent treat for those people who have food allergies.  These snacks are 100% real fruit, 100% natural, 100% delicious, vegan and kosher, with no sugar or sweeteners added.  Every ounce of these snacks contains three of the four daily servings of real fruit as recommended by the USDA.

Funky Monkey has a variety of flavors from which to choose:  Bananamon, Applemon, Carnaval Mix, Jivealime, Purple Funk, Mango OJ, and Pink Pineapple.  The company is also introducing some Marvel flavors, which include: Bananas, Cinnamon Apples, Pineapple, Strawberries, and Strawberry Bananas.  Of the various flavors that Funky Monkey offers, I tested the following flavors.

Bananamon – These are banana flavored with cinnamon added.  Each snack piece is approximately one inch in diameter.  The crunchy snack burst with a banana flavor when you pop it into your mouth with a slight taste of cinnamon.  If you like bananas, you will love this flavor.  This flavor was definitely my favorite.

Jivealime – These snack pieces are pineapple with a hint of lime.  The combination of the two flavors is truly unique, not too sweet, nor too tart, but a pleasant surprise to the taste buds.

Purple Funk – This snack is made from bananas and acai.  These snack pieces are also approximately one inch in diameter and definitely have a unique flavor.  I’m not quite sure if I have ever eaten acai before.  It dominates the banana taste just a bit, but is quite delicious.

Applemon – This flavor is made with apples and cinnamon.  Ummm good!  The cinnamon taste is more predominate in this flavor, although you can still taste the apple.  This is my husband’s favorite.

Carnaval Mix – This is a mixture of bananas, pineapple, apple and papaya.  When eating each individual piece alone, you can definitely tell the taste specific to each fruit; however, when combining several of the pieces together, the flavor is quite scrumptious.

Each of these particular flavors that I tested were super low in sodium, and since my husband is on a low sodium diet, this is a perfect treat for him.  The Applemon, Carnaval Mix and the Bananamon had either 100 or 110 calories, with 0g total fat and 0mg cholesterol.  The Jivealime flavored snack had 45 calories per serving, 0g total fat and 0mg cholesterol.  The Purple Funk snack contained 50 calories per serving, 0g total fat and 0mg cholesterol.

With a company name like Funky Monkey, you know they are all about fun.  Are you looking for some fun things to do?  Visit the company’s Looney Lab on their web site to add your suggestion for new flavors.  It’s interesting to go into their site and look at all the variety of flavors that have been submitted for consideration.  They also have an Activities page where you or your child can go and participate in different activities like Dot to Dot, or expand your vocabulary by playing the traditional Word Search.

Where can you get Funky Monkey snacks?  That’s an easy question.  Retailers like Walmart, Wegmans, Winn-Dixie, Rally’s, Ralphs, Whole Foods, and Albertson’s are just a few places where you can purchase these snacks.  You can even purchase these snacks online through Amazon.com.

Like the company on Facebook and follow on Twitter, and Pinterest.

I love the company’s name.  It reminds me of a dance that we used to do, but that is dating myself to the point that I would rather not think about it.  I would rather think about the idea of having access to a fresh fruit snack when I want it without fearing that it will spoil within a matter of hours.  And, better than that, it is a healthy snack instead of the traditional ones we usually buy.  The best part of purchasing the Funky Monkey Snacks is the fact that they are packaged in individual portions, so you can put these snacks in your child’s lunchbox and don’t have to worry about whether he/she is getting their daily amount of fruit as urged by the USDA.  I doubt that you will forget the name, but if you do, just look for Funky Monkey on the package.  I know I am going to look for these snacks the next time I am at my local Walmart, and I urge you to do the same.