Infantino Fresh Squeezed Review

I was graciously sent some pieces from the Infantino Fresh Squeezed Feeding Line to sample and review.  My thoughts and opinions are my own.   I was really giddy when I opened the package and saw all of the pieces that I got to try out: The Squeeze Station with Food Press, 50-pack Squeeze Pouches, Couple a Spoons, Fridge & Freezer Sleeve and the Keeper Squeeze Pouch.  If you’ve never heard of The Fresh Squeezed Feeding Line, it is a system that allows you to easily press your homemade baby foods into pouches that are easy-to-store or ready-to-serve.I am a busy mom of 3.  When it comes to meal time or snacks, I have been through my fair share of squeeze pouches.  They are convenient, easy to grab and take on the go and great for little hands, but they can be really expensive!  Most pouches range from $1-$3 each.  One of the things I loved most about this system is that you can cut down what you spend (per pouch) by over half when you make and fill them yourself.  Plus you know exactly what you are putting into them and therefore, exactly what your kids are eating.

The Feeding Station was very easy to use.  Once your baby food is made, simply slide the pouches in, screw on the tube, fill the tubes and push down with the food press, then unscrew pouch and apply cap.  TA DA!!!  Now you can serve immediately or place pouches in fridge or freezer for a later time.  Clean up was really easy too.  I was also super excited to hear that Infantino will be launching a reusable pouch option sometime in the near future, so keep watching for those!  But until then, the Keeper Squeeze Pouch can be filled using the station, washed and reused.  My only criticism about the system is that you loose a little puree in the tubes that ends up being wasted and I hate waste.

 

Now I get to share a yummy recipe with you.  One of my biggest struggles with feeding my kids (especially when they were babies), was feeling like they were getting enough protein.  They loved fruit and I could hide the veggies enough behind the fruit that they would eat those too, but baby food jarred meats are pretty disgusting.  Can I get an amen?  There are some veggies that are high in protein, like broccoli, spinach and corn, but broccoli is hard to hide, even mixed with the sweetest fruits and you can only eat so much spinach and potatoes.  So I decided to mix a few of my favorites together for a nice fall treat (think sweet potato pie).  I chose to use chick peas for their high protein content, sweet potatoes for their vitamin C, apples for their sweetness and fiber and cinnamon for a little spice.

 

Chick Pea, Sweet Potato, Apple Puree

1 Medium Sweet Potato

2 Apples

1/2 Cup Chick Peas (cooked)

Cinnamon (to taste)

1.  Peel and cut sweet potato & apples into cubes.  Add the sweet potato into sauce pan with approximately 1 inch boiling water.  Let boil for about 5 min. and then add your apple cubes.  Let boil another 5-7 min. until both are soft.  Let cool.

2.  Add chick peas, sweet potato, apples and 1/2 of the water (used to cook them) into a food mixer or food processor.  Add a few dashes of cinnamon.  Blend together until smooth.  If mixture is too thick, continue to add water and blend until desired consistency is reached.  If mixture is still too thick, you may add more water, juice or (fresh) breast milk and blend again.

3.  It is now ready to be pressed into pouches.  You can serve immediately, place in fridge for 48 hours or freeze for up to 2 months.  The Infantino Sleeve shown below holds the pouches perfectly for storage in fridge or freezer.Another option, if you don’t make your own puree’s very often, is to fill the pouches with baby cereal or store bought applesauce or yogurt.  That will still make them cheaper than if you were to buy the pre-filled pouches.  I love the option of being able to fill a pouch quickly (even if I don’t have anything homemade ready) for the kids to eat in the car or to throw in my snack bag or their lunch!  And if you’re feeding an infant, the Couple A Spoons screw right on to the spout of the pouch so you can squeeze the food onto the spoon.  They are so much easier and cleaner to use than a bowl and spoon.  I would definitely recommend checking out this system for your growing family.

To find out more about these products or to order one for yourself, check out Infantino.