Pack of Six 8 Oz Food Pouches #Review #SportsPouch

     I miss my van.  My van was awesome.  We've had so many adventures in that van... now the motor is gone and I don't know if I'll be getting it back.  Broofy wants me to have his van, but I've told him that I would only have it for a month tops before we all die in some horrific accident.  He'd be all alone, regretting the decision to make me drive it.  I can't drive it... it's like driving on ice, it terrifies me.  I don't think he believes me when I tell him that van will kill us.  I want MY van back.  My van that handles like a dream, has built-in car seats and a DVD player.  My family van...  the one with a working glove box, factory stereo, and stickers on the windows that scare me half to death every time to look over my shoulder to change lanes.  The van with a cigarette outlet, dashboard that tells me which door the kids left ajar, and grey interior with custom denim flooring.  We did everything in it, we lived in it.  I miss my van.

     I miss being able to go places whenever the mood struck.  We went soooo many places last summer.  We went to playground, beaches, parks, tracks, trails, events, and stores.  We went wherever the roads took us.  We had so much fun.  We ate new foods, explored new places, and tried new things.  One of our favorite things was also one that was pretty practical for our on-the-go lifestyle.

     They're these pretty nifty food pouches that really help with taking food with you.  They were pretty essential if we didn't want to pay out the nose for fast food or have sandwiches every day.  There's no worry about who got more than the other, containers tipping over in the car, or the kids not quite shutting the container properly.  We used it to eat mashed potatoes in the van, dress our salads at the beach... we could even fill it with hot soup, provided the soup didn't have large chunks.  They were perfect for yogurt, baked beans, syrup drink mix, you name it.

     These ones by Basics Best are 8 oz. each, which is on the bigger end of things.  It holds enough food to fill babies and toddlers up and to hold over big kids and adults.  It's perfect for my family.  For Boogie and Baby Bee, I can fill a pouch with mashed potatoes, baked beans, oatmeal, or cheesy alphabet noodles.  They can feed themselves, even traditionally messy foods, without making a mess in my van.  It's a great way to know exactly what's in your baby's food and make sure they are eating well or avoiding allergens.

     For the big kids and myself, I can bring along bread, a can of ham patties, and fill a pouch with mayo.  Or maybe bring chips and fill one with nacho cheese and one with chili... whatever will go with what we're having that day.  Or I could just hold us over with whatever the little kids are having, maybe add some bread sticks and chopped veggies to it to make it more filling for all of us.  No knives or other dishes needed, nothing to clean up until you get home!

      To fill the pouches, you open the bottom zip lock area when the cap is on securely.  Then use a funnel, spoon, or pour spout to fill it (leaving enough room to compensate for when it's closed), then zip very carefully and very firmly.  Turn upright over a sink or bowl to be sure it's locked well, then wipe clean and that's it!  You can bring them in a plastic food storage container, in a lunch bag, small cooler or such.

     There's a few cool features worth mentioning.  One is that it has an area on the pouch for you to write what food is in it and when it was made.  Or if you know you're only going to use it that one day, you could write who's it is.

     Another pretty cool feature is that the box comes with a nice recipe on the side.  It's the little things, you know?  This recipe is for Pumpkin Puree.  Yum!  It also has a link to other awesome recipes for you to try and where you can also find ideas for adult food to put in it.  Yes, please!

     These pouches come in several designs, are BPA and PVC free, Phthalate and Lead free, Dishwasher and Freezer safe, and reusable!  Do you have a really busy week coming up?  Maybe a week that you're dreading because you have lots of appointments or a trip to take and you don't know how you'll manage it all?  Make ahead and freeze!  Cold breakfasts like smoothies, chai pudding, applesauce, etc.  Or even warm breakfasts... the night before, thaw them out.  The morning of, just place them in a bowl of very hot water to warm them up while you get dressed.  Breakfast can be had in the car with no need of rushing the kids or cleaning up the table!

     I can honestly see a neverending list of uses for these and they are all helpful to a busy mom like me.  To learn more, check out Basics Best on Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, or on their website at BasicsBest.com.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Baby Food Pouches #Review #BabyGoGreenPouch

     Between soccer practices and games, extracurriculars like outside classes, community events, and playgrounds, and things like errands and household duties... meals can be really difficult some nights.  Just a couple nights ago, we were rushing off to a soccer game and dinner was running late, we had to take it into the van.  It was rice and veggies with a terriyaki style sauce.  Not exactly van friendly.  Sometimes I wish I had an endless take-out budget to save me time and frustration.

     But there are things that help.  I'll be using these food pouches from Baby, Go Green.  They aren't the go-to solution for all foods, but anything from mashed potatoes to mac and cheese... you betcha!

     Thank goodness the soccer season is wrapping up.  But for the next week or two, we still have practices and then we start basketball, so the plan is to bring supper on the go in the form of soup, pasta or some other mushy food for those night.  And to make sure it would work, we tried it out ahead of time.  Boog and I made some of our super delicious mashed potatoes with Harvest Blend Seasonings and had it for breakfast.  We packed our cool new food pouches and sucked away while enjoying our morning.

     What's cool about these pouches is that they are a whole ounce bigger than most others.  These bags are 5 fl. oz. and would hold enough to definitely hold a kid over between meals, if not fill them.  And if you have enough pouches, you could put mashed potatoes in one, creamed style corn in another, and pack it with a drumstick in a zippered baggie.  BAM!  Dinner to-go!

     And for an added bonus to me, there were five pouches in the pack that I got, perfect for my family.  I never see packages of five anything, it's usually 4 or 8.  I need five, so I was happy.  Super happy!  I know for a lot of people that will seem like either a trivial thing.  But having to buy two packs just to have enough is always a pain.
     The pouches worked great for us.  It tended to be a bit messy filling, but that's to be expected.  Things like soup would be way easier.  I definitely recommend these pouches if you're thinking about food pouches for your family.  Have you tried food pouches before?
     To learn more, check out Baby Go-Green on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Cutieland Reusable Food Pouches #Review #Cutielunch

     We are in the van so much that I don't really feel at home if we haven't gone somewhere in the last day or so... I get antsy and anxious.  I don't care much for just sitting at home.  We drive everywhere, from the beach to the local sandwich shop, from the untried playground to the newest family day event, just everywhere really.  Usually we grab the free lunch at the beach, but for dinner, it's always up in the air.  Sometimes we grab hotdogs and fountain drinks, sometimes we grab Dollar Menu items, and sometimes it's something we bring.

     Recently we were able to try a little something different.  It's called the Cutieland Reusable Food Pouch.  Now, maybe I'm just a little slow, but this is what I thought of food pouches before actually trying them:

1. That must be seriously frustrating to try to funnel food into that stupid straw thing at the top.
2. I don't even want to think about having to use a bottle brush to get in there and clean.  That CAN'T be sanitary.
3. How many liquidy foods does one person need to carry around? 

     When I got it, I quickly realized that the bottom opens up like a zip lock to allow for easy filling and cleaning.  How did I not pick up on this?  I feel oblivious because really, it's quite obvious.  I guess I just figured that the ones at the store don't open that way, so it didn't occur to me as an option.

     After I figured that out, my only real issue was what could I use it for.  Of course the first thought was applesauce.  And yes, that's what we used it for first.  It was a touch messy because I overestimated how much the pouch would hold.  It holds 4 oz, which is half a cup... I suppose I could have just measured with a measuring cup first.

      So the applesauce didn't last long because the kiddlets were really excited about using the pouches.  But as I sat there on he beach watching them enjoy their applesauce and eating my salad, the thought occurred to me... I really wanted more ranch dressing.  But the container I brought of it wasn't super big and it also didn;t seal shut very well.  Then I realized, the food pouch would be perfect for bringing ranch.  Or ketchup.  Or any kind of condiment or sauce.  Why not?  It's small, portable, it seals super well, and you can write on it so you won't mix up the mayo and the sour cream.  It's perfect!

     So this food pouch ended up being a big hit with the kids and more useful than I anticipated.  I'm getting more in the future, for sure.

     What do you think?  Have you ever tried food pouches?  What do you put in them?

     To learn more, visit Cutieland on Facebook, Amazon, and their website.


Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

iplaybabywear Food Storage Cubes Review

   With everything that is being added to food now a days, I love being able to make my own baby food for my daughter. I love making things from scratch and there is a sense of security and pride in knowing that you are putting good things in the bellies of the ones you love. That is why I am giving two thumbs up to iplaybabywear food storage cubes by Green Sprouts. They come in sets of four in each tray and the ones I got were polypropylene, but they come in glass too with the lids being interchangeable. They snap down securely which is nice for travel and no spilling. They are bpa free and as far as I can tell they are dishwasher safe. I have seen no damage from washing them that way. They easily stack and come with stickers to write the type of food and date you made it. Organization was definitely in mind with these!
   My daughter started eating foods at 5 months and she was sooo fussy, so when I found foods she liked I just pureed them in my bullet and used the food cubes. Now that I have them, I can't imagine not using them! I don't have anything negative to say about them, they are a must for any parent that makes their own baby food or would like to get into it. 
   i play and Green Sprouts are both a registered trademark of i play inc. and they specialize in bringing us products that are safe for the environment and for our little ones. They know that babies love to put things in their mouths and children learn by their senses so they make sure all their products are safe when they do so! 
   They have a great selection of outer wear and toys and teethers. All of their products are super cute and again safe. Look at this adorable hat... you can just tell its really soft and it looks great. If you want a safe place to go and to feel good about buying things for your baby, please support i play and shop with good reason :)
   








Disclaimer: I received these products to review and was not paid for this review. My review is 100% my honest opinion.