Sun-Maid Review...

"Sun-Maid has served consumers and customers since 1912 by providing premium quality raisins and dried fruits from the raisin and fruit farms of California to homes and eating establishments around the world. As a cooperative, Sun-Maid Growers of California is owned by family farmers who grow raisin grapes all located within 100 miles of each other in the Great Central Valley of California, midway between Los Angeles to the south and San Francisco to the north.
This fertile agricultural valley produces some of the best fruits and vegetables in the world, including a wide assortment of grapes, peaches, plums, apples, figs, apricots, blueberries, strawberries, and melons. When appropriate, Sun-Maid reaches beyond this geographical area to source a complete array of dried fruits."

Sun-Maid offers a variety of recipes on their website from old favorites like oatmeal raisin cookies to more savory dishes like the one below:

Lemon Garlic Chicken with Raisins

Carrots provide the vitamin A and lean chicken breast supplies the protein, while raisins, lemon and garlic add an intriguing twist to this entrée. There’s plenty of niacin (vitamin B3) … 147% DV to be exact. Niacin has been shown to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 cups hot, cooked brown rice
• 1/2 cup Sun-Maid Natural Raisins
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro


Directions:
HEAT olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat; add garlic and cumin and sauté until aromatic, about 2 minutes.
ADD chicken breasts and sauté about 2 minutes, turning chicken over to brown on all sides. Add lemon juice and bring mixture to a simmer.
COVER and simmer 20 to 30 minutes until chicken is fully cooked, adding lemon zest and carrots after 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
COMBINE cooked rice, raisins and parsley.
SERVE chicken over brown rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrients per Serving: Calories 583; Protein 60g; Fat 11g (Sat. Fat 2g); Carbohydrate 57g; Dietary Fiber 6g; Cholesterol 137mg; Sodium 212mg
Daily Values: Vitamin C 29% Vitamin A 151% Protein 119%   

What we thought:  We have always loved Sun-Maid raisins.  Whether we are making cookies, granola bars or adding them to our main dishes, we are never disappointed with their quality!  Raisins make great healthy snacks and are super convenient too.  I would definitely recommend taking a look at the recipe collection on the Sun-Maid website to get a little "raisinspiration" for some yummy ways to incorporate raisins into your family's diet:)  ABCD Diaries gives Sun-Maid an A+!

Disclosure: ABCD Diaries was given samples for review purposes only. We were in no other way compensated. The opinions expressed in this post are ours and ours alone.