Teatime with Brandy: Part 1, Savory Snacks

Greetings, dearies!  We are premiering a new segment here at Bunny and Brandy's Brunchtime Blog.  As Brandy's expertise in tasting and judging has been called on for review of a few exciting products, we've decided to title these posts Tea Time with Brandy, and it is here that she will share her thoughts on her favorite new snacks.

First up we have some new healthy treats from Bolthouse Farms, one of Brandy's favorite producers of wholesome and organic juices, dressings, and other all natural deliciousness.  Among their newest products are some handy little snacks called Shakedowns, which are 25 calorie packs of baby carrots and a special seasoning that puts them on par flavor wise with less healthy alternatives like potato chips.  Shakedowns come in two zingy flavors: Chili Lime and Ranch.

The packaging on the Shakedown packets is quite clever, with the seasonings stored in one corner of the bag until the snacker should pull the bag apart, thus releasing the seasoning into the carrots.  This is where the name comes into play because after the seasonings have been released, one is to shake the bag vigorously, thus distributing the seasoning onto the carrots, which are then ready for snacking.

Brandy found the seasonings to be a bit intense for her liking, so instead of releasing the entire packets (which were also rather heavy in sodium at 200mg in a serving), she prefered to cut the packets off for a more controlled dipping method.  The Chili Lime had a very strong citrus flavor, which was matched well by a soft heat that only fleetingly lingered on Brandy's tongue.   Brandy found the Ranch flavor to be a little more traditional, with a creamy buttermilk flavor that would please most finicky palates.

All in all, Brandy really loved Shakedowns for the delivery method of the seasonings, even if she didn't take full advantage of it, and she thought that the two vibrant flavors should be enough to please any serial snackers out there.  "I can't wait to see what other flavors they come up with," Brandy mused while munching away, "Perhaps a Brie and Pickle flavor?  That should do well.  Americans like cheese on everything, in my experience."

Ok, maybe we exaggerated Brandy's taste maker expertise...

The writers of this blog were sent samples by Bolthouse Farms for the purposes of product review.