Squooshi Food Pouches and Tropical Green Monster Puree Recipe!

When my boys were babies I loved making baby food purees for them.  I controlled what their first foods were and I whipped up amazing little  meals and froze them and I was kinda awesome.  AND THEN I discovered food pouches when Smashie was about 9 months old and the convenience was amazing!  They were so portable and after a few tries he was totally able to figure them out.  They were literally a God-send, my first son was still having a hard time adjusting to being a big brother so I was stretched pretty thin.  But every time I threw one in the garbage I felt so guilty.  There had to be a less wasteful way.  (hint-there is so read on, plus a recipe to get you started)

So here I am a few years later and my son is 3 years old and we just recently have rediscovered all the pouches geared towards older kids.  Smashie of course thinks they are great but I knew I was not going to give them to him unless we could find a better option with no waste and more control over the food inside.  Cue the ray of light an epiphany is upon us, Squooshi makes a reusable, refillable and totally awesome pouch!  I can just feel all the mommy guilt rolling off me!

Shannon Wren Waldis and her father Noel Wren were struggling with the same issues I was, why serve processed food, in a throw away packaging at a higher cost than homemade?  But of course they actually did something about it, whereas all I did was try to just carry around a boatload of guilt.  They created a design which they tested and tested some more until they came up with a resealable bottom with a sturdy zipper closure.  It is really totally a genius idea that I wish I had come up with!

So here is some awesome stuff to know about Squooshi:

• Squooshi reusable food pouches are BPA-free, Phthalate-free, PVC-free, and Lead-free.
• Squooshi reusable food pouches provide more flexible and healthy nutrition options: fill with your favourite grain, veggie, legume, dairy, and fruit combos!
• Squooshi reusable food pouches reduce waste: no more throw away food pouches piling up in landfills and contributing to air pollution!
• Squooshi reusable food pouches save you money on your food bills: pre-filled pouches cost between 1.50-2.25 each!
• Squooshi reusable food pouches save energy: empty pouches require a lot less fuel for shipping and most pre-packaged food travels over 1,200 miles before it reaches your table!
• Squooshi reusable food pouches are easy: in the car, at the park, in your kiddos’s hands, less mess from broken jars, spoons, and trash!

I love how inexpensive they are to fill!  What you fill them with is up to you from organic hand made baby food to store bought large quantity applesauce divided up, you are saving money!  To use the applesauce example I can buy just under a litre of unsweetened applesauce for $2.00 and it will will about 7 pouches.  I’ll save you the math – 29 CENTS a pouch!  At the store that would cost me over $1.00 a pouch for just an applesauce pouch, nothing fancy.  Yeah, I am pretty jazzed about saving almost a $1.00 a pouch.

Then there is the cute factor-no argument the animals are cute and come in 2 sizes for babies and toddlers.  The Starter Kit is a great way to try a little of everything including 2 small pouches, 4 large pouches, four extra caps, 2 soft spouts and 50 labels.  From there you can add on as needed.  I also received the G.O & Sip’n Combo Pack which is 2 large ‘big kid and even mommy on the go’ pouches and 2 soft spouts.

I would recommend using a few of their suggested recipes first to get a feel for a good consistency, you need the food to be able to easily sucked out but it can’t be so runny that it comes out too fast and baby dribbles it everywhere.  And the recipes are really yummy!  We tried a few which my boys both loved!

I have adapted their Little Green Monster just slightly to come up with one we call the Tropical Green Monster at our house.  Also check out My ‘Shamrock Applesauce’ recipe, which has pears and spinach, over on my blog.

Tropical Green Monster Puree Recipe

Yield: 7-8 pouches plus some to taste test

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

This recipe works for babies up to older kids. My preschooler loves it in his lunch. Even this mama thinks it is pretty delish.

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Ingredients

• 2 banana
• 1 avocado
• 2 handful chopped fresh spinach
• 3-4 heaping tablespoons of yogurt (I used tropical flavoured yogurt but plain Greek or Vanilla would also work)
• 1 1/2 cup frozen pineapple and/or mango

Instructions

Puree all ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Pour into your favorite Squooshi. Enjoy now or freeze for later.

The blender is a bit too loud! 🙂

Disclosure: I received a sample of a product to facilitate my review. All views and opinions stated on this post are 100% my own. Special thanks to Rachel Florio-Urso,  Celebrity Baby Trend Expert for providing the product sample!