What I love about writing reviews is getting the chance to try out new products- well new to me- and getting to tell you about them. I’ve seen various freeze dried fruits available, but they weren’t organic. Of course most of the fruits were part of the 12 dirty dozen, so we’ve passed on getting them- even though they seem so convenient for on the go snacks. But luckily I found Just Tomatoes, Etc. and they are appearing in stores near you!

Just Tomatoes, Etc. makes dehydrated fruits and veggies, picked fresh from the vines or trees. They are washed, cut and then placed on a specially designed dehydrator that dries at low temps to preserve color, flavor and nutrients. There is nothing added to the fruits or veggies- no salt, sulfur, fat, sweeteners, or preservatives! Just pure fruit and veggies. They sell conventional fruits and veggies or certified organic. You can purchase the fruits and veggies in .75 oz snack bags, 3 oz. ziplock bag, 3 oz. small tub, .5 lb. bag, or a 4 lb. bulk bag. Just Tomatoes, Etc. has been around for over 15 years! They began by making dehydrated tomatoes and it grew from there.

What I love the most is that they make fruit powders that are AMAZING!! You can find powdered bananas, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, mangoes, peaches, pomegranates, and raspberries. When I first got my package, I asked myself, “what am I supposed to do with these?” Just Tomatoes, Etc. sent me a recipe guide for the powders– which can also be found on their website- and my ideas became endless. The first thing I did was add the strawberry powder to plain yogurt. OMG!! It was better than any yogurt I’ve ever had. The flavor was powerful and you didn’t have wait to get a bite of fruit for the full effect. Ella begs for the “new yogurt” every day. So we are both hooked.

The next thing I did was bake muffins with the blueberry powder… and then pancakes… and then waffles. 😉 First I have to say, with my texture issues I have problems eating cooked berries in breads. I love the flavor, but once I get a bite of warm berry, it makes me gag. With the powder, I get the flavor and nutrients without the texture! I can’t wait to try the banana so I can make banana muffins!!! I also can’t wait to try the frosting recipe! I have always made from scratch cupcakes and make a cream cheese frosting. For Ella’s birthday this year I tried to get creative and add a raspberry sauce to the cream cheese. It didn’t turn out so well, but I know the powder will be perfect. You can also add to drinks such as champagne, milkshakes, cocktails or even as a drink rim.

We have loved the dried fruit and veggies as well. I was curious to see if Ella would like the dried veggies since she has boycotted them lately. Amazingly, she loved them. The Just Veggies comes with dried carrots, corn, peas, bell peppers and tomatoes. Ella favored the corn and then ate the rest. I even tried them and had no problems with the texture. They also have a Hot Just Veggies for all of you spice lovers. You can add the veggies to soup, salsa, meatloaf, rice, sauces, stuffing, pizza and more!

We also got to try the Just Strawberries ‘N and Bananas, Just Fruit Salad, Just Raisins and Just Fruit Munchies. Ella is a raisin freak and those were gone in 5 minutes. The Just Fruit Munchies is sweet and tart. I gave Ella some when she had her cold and the sour was too much for her. But I gave them to her again, when she was better, and she loved them. The Just Fruit Munchies comes with apples, raisins, sour cherries, blueberries, mango, pineapple and raspberries. The Just Fruit Salad is all sweetness with pear, apple, peach, banana, strawberry and red grapes. I love the crispness of the fruits. They are great to pack for a quick snack or you can add them to breads, cereal, ice cream, yogurt, whip cream, cookies, oatmeal and more!

Right now, Just Tomatoes, Etc. has all of their powdered fruit on sale from 25-50% off! This has been my favorite food find of the year!The Giveaway: Just Tomatoes, Etc. would like to give 1 lucky reader 2 small tubs and 1 4 oz. fruit powder of their choice!!

Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST November 4, 2009 to enter. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced after they respond to the winning email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning email, or a new winner will be chosen. You must leave your email address! This contest is only open to the US

2. Become a fan of Mkokopelli on FB, Mkokopelli on Twitter, or Follow my blog
3. Subscribe to my blog by email (on the right sidebar) You must verify and be active at the time of the giveaway- those who are unverified will become disqualified4. Blog, Tweet or send a message on FB and leave a link here (3 extra entries)
@Mkokopelli enter to win 2 small tubs of dehydrated fruit or veggies and 1 4 oz powder fruit from Just Tomatoes, Etc. http://ow.ly/vPks
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post (1 extra entry total)
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