There comes a time in every snacker’s life – for me, once or twice a week – when she contemplates the desirability of healthier eating habits. And then decides, nah, the hell with it.

During the brief interval between those two states of mind, I tried this fancy brand of fruit leather. When I was a kid growing up in New York, I used to love the apricot fruit leather that was sold in big sheets rolled into a cone-shape. It was a vaguely Middle Eastern ethnic delicacy at the time. Now, of course, this idea has gone mainstream and morphed into all those fruit leather and Fruit Roll-Up sorts of thing that is sold in all kinds of flavors and advertised to moms who, tragically, think that their kids should eat healthy snacks.

Read the rest of this snack article

When a label reads “certified organic” I know I’m in for an expensive snack, but one that’s bound to taste fresh and satisfying. These low-fat, low-calorie chips lived up the the guiltless moniker, and the only guilt I felt was in spending close to the price of a gallon of gas for a 7 oz. bag. The generous serving size of 18 chips is twice that of regular tortilla chips, while fat content is half of other chips, and there are no saturated or trans fats. Guiltless indeed, but watch out - these chips contain nearly double the sodium of standard ‘guilt-full’ chips. Oh well, everything’s a trade-off. Moderation, my friends, right?

I admit they are delicious, but the oven-baked crunch is a bit overwhelming. Apparently, some of the stone-ground corn had not been completely ground and I found myself crunching hard grains of corn between my front teeth long after finishing the chips. For those of you with dental work or “iffy” crowns, I would advise cautious chewing.

The natural lime flavoring was subtle with just enough of a citrus essence to be noticeable and not overbearing or artificial-tasting (hence the “natural” label). The chili pepper was a touch heavy-handed and too salty, but spicy enough to tweak the tongue while dissipating within two minutes.

I wouldn’t recommend these for your everyday tortilla chip needs, but if you’re looking for something different or want to impress your friends at your next South-of-the-Border-themed party (even though these chips are manufactured in Secaucus, New Jersey), the Guiltless Gourmet Chili Lime tortilla chips are a delightful alternative. Ole!

Guiltless Gourmet

Buy Guiltless Gourmet Chili Lime Tortilla Chips Online:

• at Amazon.com