How to stop eating candy? Try Raisels! {Review & Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, susanlanai!}

Are there people who don't have a sweet tooth? If so, do they crave something else? Because I'm not really understanding how you could not just really want something sweet and yummy during the day to give your taste buds a little treat.

However, even though my kids would gladly eat cookies, candy or chocolate all day every day, that's clearly not an option that I'm okay with for them... or me (seeing as I would take part in it myself). On the other hand, I'm not going to eliminate sweets completely from our lives, so that means finding snacks that are a healthier alternative.

And the new favorite around here? Without a doubt, it has to be Raisels.

Created by the National Raisin Company, Raisels are fruity flavored raisins that are the first 100% real fruit snack that actually tastes like candy. Not only are they rich in antioxidants, fat free and cholesterol free, but Raisels contain the 100% recommended daily allowance for Vitamin C.

Currently available in four different flavors (Lemon, Apple, Orange and Peach), when a variety of boxes arrived, my kids were immediately curious about the brightly colored packaging and humorous illustrated characters adorning it.

Right away I liked that these come in six packs of 1.25 ounce boxes, both for the portion control and the portability. If these came in a large bag, I would have to continuously tell my kids that they would have to wait until next time for another serving... and would end up guessing at the size of a serving anyway.

Instead, these convenient little boxes are great for packing in a lunch, taking on a picnic, having a quick snack in the car or just tossing into the diaper bag or a purse to have handy for any situation on the go.

As for the taste?

I had warned Big Sister E and Little Sister B that the Raisels were going to be a little sour, but clearly there was no need as they LOVED them! They're reminiscent of sour candies that have that initial "pucker up" when you put them in your mouth but then turn sweet a second or two later... and the combination is extremely yummy!

Although really, what fun are sour treats if you can't show off your "sour face" to go with them?

As Raisels don't contain any sodium, high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners, there is a light dusting of sugar on them to give them their distinct (and tasty) flavor. And although that is more than is on traditional raisins, it is still much, much less than the number of grams that are in actual candy.

With the main ingredient being real fruit and the fact that Raisels include vitamins and nutrients that sugary candy does not, I would much rather give these to my kids as a treat than something out of a vending machine. Considering the fact that they love them just as much, there's no reason not to!

Found in your grocer's dried fruit section or online on Amazon, Raisels are just the combination of sweet flavor and healthy snack to make parents and kids happy. Now I just need to talk mine into sharing a little bit more, because the Sour Peach is calling out to me!

Thanks to the generosity of Raisels, one person will get to try this delicious new alternative to candy as well, because...

One lucky person will win a Raisels variety prize pack! ARV $46!

Want a second chance to win? Visit KiddiesCorner Deals!

To enter to win: Visit Raisels and tell me which flavor you would most like to try.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow Raisels on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook.
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

They're a hit! WIN a Raisels prize pack and try this tasty alternative to candy! #thxmailcarrier http://bit.ly/dNsERq #giveaway #win

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me publicly with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email or become a fan on Facebook.
3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on March 25th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

A big thank you to Raisels and Team Mom for providing a selection of Raisels for me to review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.