Thursday, December 15, 2011

Happy Baby or Happy Human?


Read without prejudice for a moment - or as Lit types like to say - "suspend disbelief." 
Focus on the contents of the package...not the intended end user. 

My son and I were grocery shopping last weekend. We were in the organic/natural section of a large grocery store when he picked up a small package and brought it over to me. 
Him: "Look at this weird baby food, Mom. In a little pouch. How does the baby eat it?
Me: "You twist off the cap and the baby sucks it out of the pouch. Like a juice bag for toddlers. Or you can squirt it into a bowl for littler babies to eat with a spoon."
Him: "Hey, look. It's organic. Apricots and sweet potatoes. Too bad you aren't a baby, Mom. Clean Eating in a bag."

I just stared at him as he walked back down the aisle to put the little bag of food back.

What about it? 

1. It's a small portion controlled serving of all natural, organic, Clean Eating fruit and vegetable combinations. No artificial colors or preservatives. 
2. It is a portable package - easily thrown into a purse, a tote bag, the car, for eating on the fly. Easily accessed during travel or when you find yourself without a sit down meal while on the run. No spoon needed. 
3. It is shelf stable; it can be stored in an office desk, a pantry, or emergency stores for years. If you are  a believer in the "WTSHTF" movement,  these little bags could potentially provide you and your family with "fresh" fruits and vegetables.

But most importantly:

4. The quality of the fruits and vegetable puree in there is actually very good. This is NOT the odd colored goo you remember feeding to your baby from a glass jar. Baby food has come a long way since then, and the focus for many companies is to provide incredibly wholesome, good tasting food.

I ended up buying the pouch my son had in his hands - just for giggles. I wanted to try it. It intrigued me. I liked the idea of how portable it is. I liked the whole, "un-messed around with" ingredients: Apricots and sweet potato - no salt, no sugar. no stabilizers. 

The brand I tried is Happy Baby Organic Food pictured above. But there are a few other "pouch" brands out there: Ella's Kitchen,    and Plum Organics are the most notable brands.
Sprout Baby Food is by celeb chef Tyler Florence. No little top sipping spigot; you'll need a spoon with this one - but same idea.

Is it every day adult food? No - and I don't mean to imply that at all. Eat the real thing - crunch it, slice it, bake it, dice it. Whole fruits and vegetables are meant to be our foods. However, for a convenience, on the run Clean food - you just can't beat it. 

I was impressed with the taste and the texture. And as someone who has a pretty impressive WTSHTF stockpile of foods - you can be sure I'm adding some pouch foods to my emergency stores.