I was compensated by PARTNERS, A Tasteful Choice Company, for my time in creating this post. All opinions are my own.
It’s funny. There are days when my kids magically know how to be on their best behavior, without me telling them or any ice cream bribes. It was a Wednesday and I was visiting my aesthetician (yes, I have a skin care person. As I’ve gotten older, I need more help! If you’re in Madison and need one, let me know. Katie is fabulous) and had to bring the girls with me. Whenever I have errands like this and they have to come with me, I bring the bag.
Some of you parents might be familiar with this. The bag is my huge tote bag with snacks, bandaids, coloring books, crayons, bubbles, books and more snacks. Oh, and water and maybe some toys for Madeline. Yes, I’m always prepared. Or I try to be.
On this day, of course, nothing in the bag kept them busy and they were getting up every 5 minutes, knocking on the door and happily going in and out of the room I was in. Fortunately, Katie is the sweetest and wasn’t bothered by the every 5 minute interruptions and the gal in the lobby behind the front desk was also trying to keep them busy. As we were leaving, I was apologizing but they kept saying, “No worries at all! We loved your girls! At least they are happy kids!”
There was no whining. No, “I’m bored, when are we going home?” They weren’t exactly on their best behavior but they did pretty good for the time that we were there and they were polite. And again, there was no whining. Which, for me, is huge! At times like this, when we get compliments from other people regarding our children, as a parent, it kinda makes you smile and laugh at the same time. Because we know what they can really be like at home.
We are officially a little more than a week away from the first day of school. I’m excited to get back into our routine and to get the girls back in school and learning! We’ve had a great summer and I have loved the outings and moments we’ve spent with each other.
Every year I look forward to catching up with the girls when they get home from school and hearing about their days. I always have snacks ready to go at 3pm and we sit down together, and catch up on things before homework time. There are, of course, some days where I still have some work to do and I’ve learned that as long as I have the good snacks out, they will sit and munch away happily and will let me finish up some last minute emails in peace.
Lately, we’ve been munching on these PARTNERS Free For All Kitchen crackers. We love to dip these crackers in hummus, salsa, almond butter and this Texas Caviar!
These crackers are gluten-free and corn, soy and rice-free! They are made with cassava root flour and a blend of five ancient grains: amaranth, quinoa, millet, sorghum and teff. Honestly, my kids loved these. I was actually kind of surprised because these are crackers I would normally like and buy for myself, but they honestly loved these crackers!
Distribution of Free for All Kitchen products is expanding across the country, with products appearing in many new stores across the East and West Coasts. For a full list of stores carrying PARTNERS products, visit their website.
Have y’all tried Texas Caviar?
I was born and raised in Texas and didn’t have this until my adult years. My sister first made this for me and it’s quite addicting. Texas caviar is a salad of black-eyed peas lightly pickled in a vinaigrette-style dressing. It’s so easy to make and tastes better after it’s been in the fridge for a few hours, so make some in the morning and enjoy this with your kids for an afternoon snack!
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 (15-ounce) can golden sweet whole kernel corn, no salt added, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup green bell pepper, diced
- 1 small red onion, peeled and diced
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
- Serve with crackers or chips
- Combine the vinegar, garlic, salt and cumin in a small bowl. While whisking constantly, slowly pour in the olive oil until completely incorporated. Set aside.
- Using a large mixing bowl, add in the corn, black-eyed peas, tomato, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onion and cilantro or parsley. Mix together and pour dressing over the top. Gently mix together again and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.
My kids also love the gluten free Brownie Thins. The Brownie Thins are the newest addition to the Free for All Kitchen product line. You get all the same goodness in a sweet brownie thin cracker! These are great to satisfy those sweet taste buds!
To learn more about PARTNERS crackers, visit their Facebook page! I hope you enjoy!
Disclosure: I was compensated by PARTNERS, A Tasteful Choice Company, for my time in creating this post. All opinions are my own.
Ahhhh! I love Texas caviar! The first time I ever had it was at a tailgate party for my son’s lacrosse team just two years ago – and then, we had it every week thereafter! It is so fresh tasting and delicious! I love your afternoon ritual with the girls! Can you believe we’re getting ready for back-to-school?!
I should probably get an aesthetician. I ain’t getting any younger and all. And I’m quite familiar with the bag, but yeah, you never can tell those days when anything you do just won’t cut it. Yesterday I took my crew to a cool “beach” exhibit (GIANT ball pit for ocean) and then the Lincoln Memorial, and we got ice cream and did everything fun. Then we got home, and mass meltdown at 3 PM. Just can’t predict when they’ll lose it!
I love that this is called Texas caviar. And I want to find these crackers for Kenny because he’s GF and quite a snacker!
What a great afternoon ritual 🙂
I have never heard of Texas caviar before, but it sounds great. I love all the colours in it.
I for real need to meet your girls one of these days. ADORABLE is what they sound like. I need to bring a bowl of this Texas caviar to work with me for midday snacking!
My kids are always getting into things while at appointments too! I’m so glad I’m so glad you posted these gluten free crackers, my son is allergic to wheat. This would be a great back to school snack.
(ps Good Luck on your half marathon this weekend!!)
Ah, Texas Caviar…a classic! I’m pretty sure I could just eat this as a meal by itself. And those crackers look amazing. I totally need to stalk our stores around here to see if I can find them! Maybe now you can just promise your girls some Texas Caviar if they behave…hey, that would work on me! 🙂
I love Texas Caviar – so good! The crackers look delish too! 🙂
My hubby is a MAJOR snacker, and he recently went gluten free, so these crackers sound PERFECT! I totally need to try them, and dip them into this caviar all day long! Pinned!
OMG the Bag!! I know I will need one of those when the time comes girl. And I just adore the beautiful colors of this. So lovely!
I have never had Texas caviar! But it sounds fantastic especially with these crackers! I have a case of them right now 😉 Also I know just what you mean about smiling and laughing at the same time. I can never believe when my kids’ teachers tell me what angels they are, lol! Oh well I’d rather them behave in public at least 😛
I love Texas Caviar and you are right- it is SUPER addicting – like watch the whole bowl disappear in .05 seconds type of YUM! Yours looks absolutely PERFECT! Beautiful colors and FULL of delicious flavor! I’m totally going to make this for lunch today, because this wayyyy to much scrumptiousness for just a snack (unless 7 cups counts as a snack?)! I have never heard of Free for All Kitchen crackers, but I will have to look for them next time I’m at the store! Pinned! Cheers, girlfriend!
Those crackers have the best packaging. It just makes me want to dive into them! And Texas Caviar? I had no idea that was a thing, but I love it.
Ha ha – the “good” snacks. Yes, those would definitely keep me entertained as well. Never heard of Texas Caviar before. I have to say, this wasn’t what I was expecting when I clicked on the post. But I dig it (more so than I would traditional caviar)! Sound delicious and can’t wait to pick up some of these crackers as well! Intrigued by the brownie thins!
Sounds like I would love your bag, Alice! And this caviar sounds incredible. I absolutely love the ingredients in here. I think I could make a meal out of this!
You know that I love my Texas Caviar dip especially around New Year’s so I get my black eyed peas in.
Alice, nope, I’ve never had Texas caviar, but I do love all beans and the psychic in me is saying that Texas Caviar is gonna be a major addiction – heck, I might not even need the crackers, I might just use my God given utensils (aka my hands)! 🙂
Thanks for the review of Free for All Kitchen crackers – being GF, they would fit in perfectly with us – now to get my hands out of the Texas Caviar and do some browsing to figure out where I can find these crackers at
Your kids sound adorable, Alice! And I love this Texas caviar. So much freshness going on. Now I just need to get my hands on those crackers!
Ahhh the bag…yes, I will need that one of these days. And your kids, they are so adorable and I always love hearing stories of them or seeing their pictures. I’ve never tried texas caviar but this sounds like a fun, fresh after school snacks.
OMG gluten free brownie bites!! so good!! and that texas caviar absolutely yumm.. Love that it can be made ahead!! Definitely making it this weekend.. 🙂
Aaaw your girls are so adorable 🙂 I’m always so nervous every time I have to take both of my kiddos alone to an appointment. Yes to the THE bag – such a necessity! I’ve never had Texas Caviar before but I love the sound of it especially with those crackers! Looks so fresh and delicious!
Mmmm, this Texas caviar looks amazing Alice! I’ve never tried this dish before, and I really want to now!!! The crackers sound so great too. I can’t believe the Summer holidays are almost over already, wishing your girls the best of luck when they start back at school 🙂 I love that you always make them snacks to come home to too. Thats such a lovely thing to do!
I like the Texas Caviar and the crackers look delicious too.
I can’t believe I’ve never made Texas caviar because I love everything about it! It’s so hearty I could make a meal out of it! Pinned.
I have never had Texas Caviar but looks so good with these crackers! I need to buy these crackers, sound healthy and delicious!
Gosh, I don’t know why I’ve never made Texas caviar! So many yummy ingredients, it’s got to taste amazing. And these crackers? I wish I knew about them before my latest purchase—I’m serving an appetizer to a gluten free friend tomorrow and I had no idea what to buy. Thanks for the recommendation!
Love Texas caviar and I need to try these crackers! I knew your girls did fine, before I even read the end of the story 🙂
What a nice summer snack!
I love how colorful, full of texture and flavor this is, such a perfect bowl to snack on. Pinning!
I’ve been seeing Texas caviar around lately, but I’ve never tried it myself. It looks like something that would be right in my wheel house though. Oh, the tote bag….seriously, Alice, you’re waaaay more organized than my oldest sister ever was. There may have been a few snacks around the car, but certainly no coloring books, toys, or bubbles!!
I read, ‘Texas Caviar’ and I knew I had to keep reading. I’ve never heard it being called this, but I love it! It reminds me of when we first moved to Atlanta and I heard the phrase, ‘Dixie Champagne’. I was like, what on earth is that? Turns out it’s Coke-a-Cola 😉
In any event, I love the confetti of colors in this dish! It’s perfect as a side to those summer bbq’s or even as a healthy snack with those lovely crackers. Very nice, Alice! Hope you and your family have a great weekend!
It used to be “the bag” … not it’s just electronics. #parentingfail But you know, anything to keep them still and quiet! We LOVE Texas Caviar. The first time I ever had it was 10 years ago, and actually in Minnesota!
I could eat all of this, seriously looks perfect for a summers evening!
Ooo definitely have to check out those double chocolate! This Texas Caviar looks like the perfect after school snack Alice! I totally have my bag stuffed full of all sorts of things when we’re out — it’s actually kind of handy to have to lug around the diaper bag again because it’s always full of snacks and toys!
These would also be great for a dinner party or potluck coming up! I love the colour and the fact you can prepare ahead of time! Pinned 😀
I could eat my weight in this caviar, what a great snack idea!
I am so familiar with “THE BAG” lol mine is full of gummy snacks and a bunch of other sugary foods to barter with for good behavior. HA!
And I love Texas caviar…though I have never been a fan of REAL caviar, guess I don’t have rich blood flowing through my veins 😉