Oh baby! (food)

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hikingmaineac

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I was feeding our new baby some store-bought organic fruit and veggie purees that come in ~4 oz plastic/foil pouches (similar to those found in MRE's or Tasty Bites) and thought that they might make tasty trail food for backpacking or day trips. I could see eating them straight or mixing them in with pasta, rice, or other dehydrated meals for an extra kick of flavor and nutrients.

They require no refrigeration prior to opening, take up next to no space once used besides the soda-bottle sized colorful round cap, and have only ascorbic and or citric acid as preservatives.

Here are a few of the brands: Plum Organics, Happy Tot, and Earth's Best. Price per packet is ~$1.50ish at Target, Whole Foods, Amazon etc - about the same price as a power bar.

They differ in nutrient value, but one - "Happy Tot" spinach, mango and pear fruit and veggie mix 0003068493205_500X500.jpg has 55g of sodium, 530 mg of potassium, 18g of carbs (5g fiber/13 sugar) and based on baby needs has 10% of daily protein, 100% of Vitamins C and A, 10% of Calcium, 20% of Iron, and 180% of Folate.

So yeah, call me crazy but these seem like a delicious change of pace for someone on the trail for an extended period of time that wants "fresh" fruits and veggies in a quick and easy, long-term-storable, mail-able, chug-able, squeeze-able packet.
 

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They differ in nutrient value, but one - "Happy Tot" spinach, mango and pear fruit and veggie mix View attachment 3776 has 55g of sodium, 530 mg of potassium, 18g of carbs (5g fiber/13 sugar) and based on baby needs has 10% of daily protein, 100% of Vitamins C and A, 10% of Calcium, 20% of Iron, and 180% of Folate.
I hope 55g of sodium is a typo... 55mg?

Doug
 
I had the same thought about 3 months ago. Bought 3 fruit baby food plastic packets and brought it home. But it just did not taste good for my liking :) and I abandoned the pursuit of baby food. :) Hope it works out for you.
 
According to the label in the picture, the weight of what's in one packet is 120 g. According to your numbers above,

55g of sodium, ... 18g of carbs (5g fiber/13 sugar)

That's not even possible... EDIT: oops, I missed the discussion above. It's a typo.

Anyway, HYOH, but I try to avoid paying for single-serving packaging unless the convenience is especially useful and time-saving. I can rationalize individually wrapped granola bars (eat without stopping) and freeze-dried dinners (I'm usually too busy/lazy to make my own), but single-serving fruit?? Apples and oranges already come in such neat little containers!
 
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Seems like a cool idea, but now you're going to have to carry a bib and make airplane noises. Other hikers are gonna laugh at you.
 
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Have used baby food frequently during ultrarunning/hiking events, both organized and un/dis-organized. It goes down easily and quickly (no chewing!), tastes good, and there usually isn't any of the crap that is put in so much processed "adult" food - no added sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fillers, dyes, etc.

Along with the brands mentioned in the first post, I recently discovered Sprouts brand which is all organic and comes in a foil pouch. The company is out of Boulder, CO (where else?). It's a little pricier than Gerber and Beech Nut, but I have found it cheaper at Wally World. Too bad there isn't a dehydrated version for backpacking.
 
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