Prepared Meals & Side Dishes for Babies
Baby-friendly prepared meals are not a complicated task, but they require some extra care from the family cook. Suitable options are softened, well-cooked, and made of soft, mushy ingredients. Some of these include ripe bananas, chicken pieces, and pasta. Some dry cereals and crackers also melt in the mouth. Using the following tips, you can easily prepare these nutritious meals for your little one.
Fresh Bellies
The Fresh Bellies in Prepared Meals slants their meals toward wholesome, savory flavors, and the company is seeking investment to grow the brand. Its founder, Saskia Sorrosa, is a transplant from Ecuador and believes that bland pureed baby food leads to picky eaters and poor childhood nutrition. One in three children in America are obese, and the company is committed to improving infant nutrition through wholesome food.
Saskia Sorrosa, a former NBA vice president, developed Fresh Bellies recipes in her kitchen and eventually enlisted the help of a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef and nutritionist. The company has since appeared on the hit show Shark Tank and garnered positive reviews from consumers and the press. Fresh Bellies also offers freeze-dried fruit and vegetable snacks that are a great option for on-the-go eating.
The company offers six varieties of snacks and purees. All of them have been tested for contaminants, germs, and nutrients. Fresh Bellies snacks and infant foods are non-GMO, kosher, and USDA certified organic. They are also gluten-free, nut-free, and dairy-free. Saskia Sorrosa has made her products accessible to parents and other professionals who are looking for wholesome baby food.
A new meal subscription service is also a great option for families. Lil' Gourmets offers delicious and healthy meals delivered straight to your door every 14 days, and you can choose from seven to 56 items for only $2 per day. This service offers a vegan option and emphasizes fresh ingredients with international flavors. Your baby will love the variety and will develop an adventurous palate. If your baby is a picky eater, you can start introducing new foods and spices to his or her diet early.
Raised Real
You don't need to worry about preparing healthy food for your child when you can order Raised Real's baby meals. The meals are made with whole, organic ingredients and are free of preservatives, additives, and food dyes. Each portion is about the same size and is suited for most age groups. You can choose to serve your child mashed, pureed, or as a solid meal. You can also choose to make your baby's meals based on the ingredients you'd prefer to use.
There are a few cons to choosing Raised Real, but overall, the company provides top-quality meals that are made without additives or dyes. It also uses only certified organic substances in its products. It will never contain allergens in its products. If you're concerned about the food you choose for your baby, you can take the Raised Real quiz to find out what your child prefers.
When choosing a plan, Raised Real offers two frequency plans, which include two or four weekly deliveries. You can get a discount for new members, and you can save up to 60% off four boxes of 24 meals. You can also get a $20 discount for three boxes of twelve meals or two dozen for $66. Those who want to avoid preservatives and additives can order the aforementioned breakfast cereals in bulk, including dairy-free ones.
The Raised Real team is comprised of industry thought-leaders. The founders, Santiago Merea and Steven Kontz, were the CEO and CFO of Orange Chef, respectively. Both men have two daughters. Advisory board members include the co-founder of Birchbox and Vitaminwater and a former executive of Glossier. Raised Real is a startup based in San Francisco. Its goal is to provide healthy options to the popular baby food brands.
Little Spoon
A great alternative to baby food is organic, and Little Spoon's blends of fresh organic ingredients deliver a wide range of purported health benefits. The meals are packaged in proprietary containers with a spoon included in the box. Little Spoon uses cold pressure to preserve nutrients and vitamins, as well as to kill harmful bacteria. Unlike heat pasteurization, cold pressure does not alter the nutritional value of foods.
Baby food is one of the most important parts of a child's diet, and Little Spoon has carefully crafted its menu with these considerations in mind. Little Spoon's vegan and vegetarian options are free of all allergens and contain full servings of vitamins and minerals. Additionally, the company's menu includes many picky eater favorites and can be frozen up to three months or stored for 48 hours.
In addition to providing organic meals, Little Spoon's menu also offers non-GMO options. All meals are prepared by trained, caring chefs and are made with fresh ingredients. The company sources its ingredients domestically, which makes them as safe as possible for your child. Although the menu is limited to a small selection of foods, it is a good option for parents who are concerned about exposing their children to chemicals. Parents of picky eaters might also want to consider Little Spoon's organic options as they are more likely to be able to identify and eat foods with these ingredients.
All of Little Spoon's organic, plant-based baby food is made by an in-house nutrition team. Little Spoon also uses cold pressure to kill any bacteria present in the food. Moreover, each product is free of eight common food allergens and certified Kosher by the Orthodox Union. Their baby food is formulated with more than 100 ingredients to offer a wide range of flavor combinations. They rotate meals weekly to maintain a variety of options. They offer 29 unique Babyblends as well as single food purees for babies' first bites.
Yumble
Yumble has launched a subscription service that ships meals right to your door. Each meal is packaged in an environmentally friendly shipping box and comes with stickers and other goodies. Parents can also add a deck of "table topics" to teach their children new words and phrases. While meals come fully prepared, parents can customize the menu to their own preferences. In addition, the company offers a variety of healthy meal ideas for children.
As a mom of three boys, Johanna Parker spent hours planning, prepping, and cleaning up after her children. She soon realized that other parents experienced the same frustration and created Yumble to help parents make life a bit easier. Yumble became wildly popular after it appeared on Shark Tank, where it is now one of the best-selling meal kits for babies and kids. Parents can rest assured that their children's meals are prepared with only the freshest ingredients.
Yumble also has a set of dietary standards for each of its meals. As such, parents can choose from dairy and egg-free options. All the meals are allergen-free, but you can't guarantee that none of them contain nuts. Because they're made with all-natural ingredients, Yumble cannot guarantee that cross-contamination won't occur. There are also vegetarian meals and options for gluten-free, lactose-free, and nut-free diets.
Yumble has many appealing features. The meals are wholesome and delicious, and include a variety of options for picky eaters. They ship fully prepared and are ready in 90 seconds. Some of the dishes can be heated up, but the main meal is usually just enough to satisfy a child. While they are a great option for busy parents, some aspects of Yumble could be improved.
Mohamed Saleh
Mohamed Saleh holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) with a specialization in Emerging Markets from the University of Liverpool; along with a BBA (honours) degree in marketing from the innovative and groundbreaking University of Guelph-Humber, Masters Certificate in project management from Schulich school of business. Mohamed Saleh's unique skills and think-outside-the-box approach play an important role in Amel Group as the Marketing & Organization Development Manger for the successful completion of various projects world-wide. He is currently in charge of all public relations for the organization and has created a portfolio of remarkable millstones since taking on this role at the Amel Group.
He is the CEO and founder of Amel Foundation, an organization providing hope to those in need. Mohamed has a vision that the people of Egypt and around the world receive necessities of life to no longer suffer nor go without. In late 2012, Mohamed Saleh making his visualization a reality founded Amel Foundation. His mandate is to provide humanitarian relief to the people of Egypt, support local non-profit organizations, and maximize the quality of social services, philanthropy and volunteerism within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Mohamed stands as a respected member of his community that has captivated working relationships with various renowned charities and members of the Egyptian community. There have been many events hosted by Amel Foundation to honour these members and discussions lead by Mohamed about future initiatives for Amel Foundation to accomplish. Mohamed sets no restrictions or boundaries to what can be done for the Egyptian community both in Egypt and here in the GTA as well as the people in need all around the world.
