Ella's Kitchen Review

Lea is well on her way into eating finger foods. Peas, carrots, banana, Cheerios, watermelon. This weekend we're going to try pasta and maybe even chicken. She still likes some things pureed, though. Sweet potatos with cinnamon, green beans with mint, prunes, applesauce. I have been making all of her food (with our Babycook) since she started eating solids. I enjoy making her food. I feel like it's something small and easy that I can do to help her grow into a healthy person. That being said, there are times when I either a) run out of frozen portions, b) don't have time to make something, c) are eating out/traveling or d) all of the above. That's where Ella's Kitchen steps in. Ella's Kitchen makes pureed organic fruits and vegetables in handy pouches for baby. We were sent some samples to try out.

• Strawberries and Apples
• Apples and Bananas
• Broccoli, Peas and Pears
• Carrots, Apples and Parsnips
• Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Apples and Bluberries
• The Yellow One
• The Red One

Paul Lindley, Ella's dad, started Ella's Kitchen because he believed that food should be healty and fun for children. There is absolutley nothing artificial in these baby foods. No preservatives, either. They use organic lemon juice instead. How cool is that? On their web site, they state, "We've found a really safe and effective way to lock in all freshness of the fruit and vegetables, without compromising the goodness. Our pureed fruits and vegetables are blended together then gently and quickly pasteurized (like milk) at 200ºF for just 10 seconds, then popped into individual pouches while still hot and held at 185ºF for another 2 and a half minutes - so that the fruits stay safe and tasty in a natural way without the use of artificial preservatives."

I bet you're wondering if it's any good, right? First, let me tell you that I try everything before I feed it to my daughter. I just don't like the idea of giving her something that I haven't or wouldn't try myself. So, of course I tried these, too. Three words: yum, Yum, YUM! The Strawberries and Apples is amazing. Can they make larger pouches so I can take it to work as an afternoon snack?! Lea loved it, too. Her favorites were the Carrot blend and the Sweet Potato blend. She just kept wanting more and more. They are pureed into such a silky smooth consistency. It's almost like a soupy smoothie.

I am going to be getting more of these to have on hand for those times when I don't have any homemade food but also for our upcoming trip out of state. These will be perfect to travel with.

Here's a video of Lea enjoying one of her favorites, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Apples and Bluberries, at Grandma's house. Notice how she grabs for more!



Visit the Ella's Kitchen web site for more information and to find a retailer. You can also follow them on twitter.