My First Giveaway: Snikiddy Snacks! CLOSED

If any of you have followed my personal blog, you'll know that my son is a picky eater. Picky is probably an understatement. It's a struggle to get him to eat anything other than Cheerios or Ritz crackers, even though I offer him every color, texture or flavor I can whip up. He's in what I refer to as his "physicist phase". You know, where he's discovered gravity and everything that is placed on his highchair tray becomes a projectile or winds up on the splat mat below. I was at a loss on where to find healthy yet tasty treats that would meet his approval. Or if that even existed.

Then I quite serendipitously found Snikiddy. It all started with a tweet, actually. Someone posted a link that peaked my interest and I had to find what all the fuss was about.

I visited the website to learn more about them. First on the agenda, how did Snikiddy get its unusual name?

Snikiddy® is a shortened (and let’s face it, easier to say) form of the word persnickety, which means choosy or picky. Growing up, Janet (Mary’s mom) and her siblings were known around school as the Snikiddy kids (a badge they wore proudly because they always ate healthy lunches. Their mom (Grandma), ahead of her time with her passion for good health, would pack their lunch boxes full of locally grown organic produce and very simple foods. A teacher once referred to them as being persnickety and the kids’ version of the word (snikiddy) stuck.

I peeked at their product offerings. My mouth watered at the sight of scrumptious cookies and cheese puffs in delightful flavors. But my tummy was cynical. "Sure they look good. But they can't possibly be that nutritious. And if, in fact, they are a health food (*gasp* the horror!) they surely taste like styrofoam."

But here's the kicker: unlike most conventional snacks, Snikiddy is completely, 100% free of trans fats, hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, colors and preservatives. Take that, tummy. And you too, thighs!

The baked cheese puffs are all-natural and are made with real cheese. They are low in saturated fat and cholesterol, containing 30% less fat and 20% less calories than the competition. And bonus - they are gluten and wheat free for those with allergies! The cookies are also all-natural and are made with whole wheat flour, real butter and unrefined cane sugar. They are also good sources of whole grains and fiber.

Did you know Snikiddy snacks are famous?! They've been featured on The View and Rachael Ray. How did I not hear about them sooner?

Upon further inspection, I discovered their headquarters were right here in Maryland! How could I not support a local company being a Maryland girl myself? I contacted the co-founder, Mary, and requested some free samples, to which she happily obliged.

I received a box (within 48 hours I might add! How awesome is that customer service?! And I wasn't even a paying customer!) including 3 bags of cheese puffs in the Mac 'n Cheese, Grilled Cheese and Nacho Cheese flavors, as well as a box of Chocolate Chocolate Bites. Since one of Nate's favorite meals is Macaroni and Cheese, we chose that bag for the first taste test.

Would you believe that my little man - my very own persnickety eater - gobbled them up? When he took his first bite, he made a funny face and I thought we were doomed. But no - he kept diving in for them like they were going out of style! Get this - he even chose the puffs over the almighty O-shaped cereal! I squealed with delight. And I do not make a habit of squealing like the porcine variety. Just FYI.

Oh, and I couldn't help but snag a few (ok, a handful) for myself. Quite yummy and satisfying. You can tell that there are high-quality ingredients in there. The only complaint I have is that they are so light and crunchy that it's hard not to eat the entire bag all at once.

Two cheesy thumbs up from us.

I should add that Nate is also a huge fan of the Grilled Cheese puffs. We haven't yet opened the Nacho Cheese bag but trust me, it won't be long until we do. Mommy and Daddy have busted open the box of Chocolate Chocolate Bites and they're so rich and tasty that we may keep them all to ourselves. You can say it - bad mommy! It's hard to believe something can taste so good and actually be good for you.

I'm just thrilled to have found a new snack that Nate loves. And the fact that its good for him? Well, that is just icing on the cake. Err, chocolate chip in the cookie.

In short, I would highly recommend Snikiddy snacks to anyone - young or young at heart.

BUY IT: Snikiddy snacks can be found at Babies 'R Us, Toys 'R Us, Whole Foods and other specialty health food markets, as well as Amazon.com. Use their handy dandy store locator to find the vendor nearest you. But wait...before you go, fill out their contact form and get a coupon for $1 off!

WIN IT: Mary has graciously offered one lucky reader an assortment of Snikiddy snacks!

MAIN COURSE: Visit the Snikiddy website and leave a comment telling me which product you want to try most. It's that simple! Be sure to include your email address or have it visible on your profile so I have a way to contact you!

SUGAR ON TOP: To maximize your chances of winning, you may do any or all of the following (but make sure you complete the above mandatory entry first or no bonus entries will count!):

1.) Become a follower of Goodie Goodie Gumdrops (see sidebar) and leave a comment telling me you follow. If you're already a follower, that counts too!

2.) Subscribe to Goodie Goodie Gumdrops via reader or email (see sidebar) and get 2 extra entries! Leave 2 comments telling me which subscription method you used. Don't forget to activate your subscription or these entries will not count!

3.) Follow me @kris10chumley (see sidebar) and @Snikiddy on Twitter AND tweet this giveaway. Leave a comment with your tweet link. You can do this once daily!

4.) Blog about this giveaway and link to Goodie Goodie Gumdrops AND Snikiddy for 3 extra entries! Just leave 3 separate comments with a link to your blog post.

5.) Add my button to your site (see sidebar) and comment with the link where I can find it.

6.) Subscribe to the Snikiddy newsletter (top right corner of homepage) and leave me a comment with the email address you used.

Giveaway will end on August 20, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. Sorry, open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to congratulatory email or prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: As mentioned above, I received a box of Snikiddy Snacks from Mary at Snikiddy to facilitate my candid review. I was not compensated in any other way for this post.