Review: Zippy's Salad Bites

As anyone trying to eat well can attest to, snacking is among the most difficult habits to curb. Instead of torturing myself by cutting them out, I'd much rather find foods that fit into the goals I've set for myself.

Zippy’s Salad Bites seem to really step up to the plate in terms of nutrition. Their website quips “Honey, I shrunk the salad!” to convey the abundance of fruits and vegetables packed into these green treats.

I was asked to review one of each of their flavors - Zippy’s Spinach & Cranberry, and Zippy's Lemon & Kale. Their Facebook page as well as the flyer that arrived with the package, also mentions a third, California Cobb. I was disappointed to not have the opportunity to try that, however it doesn’t seem to be currently mentioned on their website. I’m not sure If it is a flavor to come, or one in the past.
 
I decided it made more sense to try the one I figured I'd like the least, first. That would be the Lemon and Kale. I’ve never been a huge fan of kale as it is. I find it to be bitter in almost every form. Furthermore I don’t like sour, so lemon is a challenging flavor for me. 

The initial scent from opening up the resealable bag was quite strong. Tasting it confirmed my initial guess. Unfortunately, I really didn’t like these. They were equally bitter and sour. I really could only stomach a nibble the first time. 

I had my husband and 5 year old daughter try them to ensure that it was my own taste preference issues and that they weren’t just completely awful. My daughter had surprisingly liked the KALEnola in a Healthy Surprise subscription box I previously reviewed.  Zippy's Salad Bites are a similar product, and luckily she also enjoyed the Lemon Kale Zippy’s. 

To her, they tasted sweet, so she was definitely picking up notes I wasn’t. I came back to try it a few times, and later was able to appreciate it a bit more than my initial reaction. I was able to pick our the almond flavors and crunch the second time around.
 
The second variety, Spinach Cranberry, I enjoyed a little more. It was certainly sweeter. The cranberries add a pleasant natural flavor. 

While I still didn’t find it to be a snack I would eat with any regularity, I could enjoy it on occasion. My husband really enjoyed this one, however.


I do wish they had more of a crispy granola like feel, as that’s what they LOOK like you could expect. They were both pretty chewy. The tackiness of the texture stuck to my teeth. 

I also wanted them to have a bit more salt to counteract the bitterness. 

I was surprised to see that although they taste quite different from each other, the ingredient lists were very similar. Both included spinach and kale, however one or the other was respectively written first on the list.. Also the Spinach & Cranberry had, well.. cranberries, as opposed to raisins like the other, and was also missing the almonds.

These non-GMO, zero trans, gluten free, dairy free, vegan snacks are great for the health conscious consumer that enjoys such flavors! 

Sadly, there is virtually zero info on their website on where to buy them. Although their Facebook has been active since 2013, they don’t seem to have many retailers, and I can’t find any information about purchasing online. They have a few scattered posts about demos at various small chain health food stores, but no concrete information is listed for where you can purchase. Furthermore, I have no information on how much a bag of Zippy’s Salad Bites costs, so I think they are still primarily a product looking for a market beyond their local area.

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