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Prior to moving to Chico, CA, 15 years ago, I had never tried a fresh mandarin orange. Mom tried to get us to eat canned mandarins, but for some reason, something about a canned orange seemed wrong. Maybe it was my childhood spent in Southern California, where we’d eat our fill of fresh fruit or maybe it was that the canned oranges came without a peel – something about them bothered me.
After I moved my family to Chico, I’d see people parked by the side of the road selling fresh boxes of mandarins out of their cars. I didn’t approach them because selling fruit out of the car sort of seemed as odd as eating it out of a can, but it wasn’t long before my son, Max, received some mandarins from his teacher. I tried one and I was hooked. Sweet and juicy with no seeds, they are the perfect snack. Since that time, I’ve purchased a box of Cuties mandarins about every 1-2 weeks throughout the season. My kids love them because of the sweet taste and they are so easy to peel. You pop your finger through the top, pull down, and the whole loose peel basically comes off in just a couple of pieces.
One of my New Year’s resolutions was to eat and serve my family less processed foods and having a good supply of fresh mandarins really helps in the healthy snack department.
Cuties are a relatively new variety of citrus – a cross between a sweet orange and a Chinese mandarin also known as a Clementine.
Cuties are a healthy snack kids love and moms can feel good about. They are
exceptionally sweet and provide important vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C
and potassium. They are the perfect size for small hands, easy to peel and seedless which means even the smallest children can “do it themselves.”According to a Produce for Kids study released by the Perishables Group earlier this
year, only 18 percent of kids are eating the recommended three or more servings of fruits
and vegetables each day, and, surprisingly, 43 percent of parents say their children eat
one or fewer servings. “At a time when approximately 25 million kids ages 2-19 in the
U.S — or nearly one in three children — are overweight, healthy snacking is more
important than ever,” says Connie Evers, nutritionist and author of How to Teach
Nutrition to Kids. “Eating more fruits and vegetables can contribute to a healthy weight
and improve overall health. Offering kids a sweet alternative they love, like Cuties,
instead of unhealthy, sugary snacks, is a great way to get more fresh produce into their
diets.”With only 80 calories per serving (two mandarins), Cuties are an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C. Each serving contains four grams of fiber – nearly 16 percent of the daily recommended amount — and 300 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin C.
The people at Cuties are going to be sponsoring a giveaway through Veggie Chic. I’m going to be giving away 10- five pound boxes of mandarins to residents of the US. All you need to do is to leave a comment on this post sometime between today and Thursday 5pm, Pacific Time.
Good luck!
Image credit: Michelle
love them – WANT A TREE !!!!!!!!!!!!
YUMMY! LOVE THESE!
I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE Cuties!!! They are THE best!!!! They are a good treat for my grandchildren too!! (and for their Nana!!)
Fort Collins is my home. We eat anywhere from 2 to 3 bags of Cuties, distributed at Wal-Mart. What a treat, especially for the children. They have all but eliminated the need for junk food.
I LOVE clementine cuties and so do my boys. One of my favorite winter treats!!
I love Cuties! Last year I had to spend a month in Illiniois..I knew the Cutie season would be over by the time I got back to California. I bought 2 5# boxes, stored them in my refrigerator in ‘green’ bags and when I got back at the end of March they were still good! Umm…I enjoyed those little jewels well into the end of April.
I just ate 4 cuties and feel wonderful.
I love mandarin oranges. Hopefully I’ll win some.
I agree that Cuties are delicious, easy for kids to peel, and just plain wonderful.
I buy them as soon as the stores in TX start stocking good ones.
Cuties are the greatest!!! All of our kids are hooked on them and can’t wait till this time of year, Christmas helps too!! Greatest thing is it is a healthy snack and it is easy for them to grab, peel and eat. Winning a box, would be great since the box I bought tonight is nearly 1/4 gone already.. Thanks for the opportunity.
Howdy from Oklahoma. I have two little boys who absoluetly LOVE cuties!! We do not get them here year round, but when Christmas time comes that is when we hit the store. When we buy them, that is the only fruit my boys will eat until they are no longer here. It would be wonderful if they won the CUTIES!! Well, because they are cuties themselves. LOL
Please enter me!
The best and smallest mandarin type oranges that I’ve ever had were in China. They call them “sugar” oranges or ShaTang Jie. They are about the size of golfballs. Season is short, around now through January… Wish they were available in the USA !
why do my cutie mandarin have different stickers on them
I love the little stickers on the Cuties. I have them stuck to my laptop at work. Keep them going. I love them. Billie
I love these I am eating them right now… and i googled them just to see what it pops…
I love the cuties
They are so sweet.
Easy to peel and
so good to eat.
My grandchildren love them
grandpa too,
They are so good for you
and easy to chew.
I love the cuties all bundle
in their bag…
Next trip to the store pick up some
You,ll be glad you had….
sweet
easy to peel
We love Cutie mandarins but for some reason the stores we’ve bought Cuties from for the last few years haven’t had any this year! We sure miss having our little bites of sunshine up here in chilly Spokane, Washington! Please pick us and bring some cutie sunshine back into our lives.
Hi
I love cuties. I have an orange tree and a clementine tree. They are great, but would love to get a cutie tree. Do you know where I could get one?
Thanks
Donna
I have lost 55 lbs. and these are my daily snack. I have about 30 more lbs. to lose and Cuties will be with me all the way. They are delicious.