Meals are sometimes a struggle around here. (When aren’t they with three-year-olds?) In the past, I’ve tried Gerber Graduates meals, but for the most part, my son will only eat things like chicken nuggets when it comes to frozen foods. That why I was excited to try Plum Organics.
“I really love these meals,” I told my mom, showing her the empty cardboard Plum Organics tray—the sign that my three-year-old had eaten all of his lunch. “But they’re $5.00 each.”
Plum Organics allowed me to test two of their Kids meals for free, and I wasn’t sure I’d spend my own five bucks on a preschooler’s meal.
“That’s the same price you’d spend at McDonald’s,” she pointed out.
Holy crap. She was right.
It’s crazy to think what we’ll spend on completely awful food. No matter how healthy a fast food kid’s meal claims to be, it’s just not the best option for your child. And most chains are not serving organic meals.
Plum Organics frozen meals are perfect portions for small kids. I tested two flavors on my three-year-old and he loved both. He also liked the whole process of opening the box and helping me start the microwave. (We’re a couple of real gourmets.)
Fragments buy I wouldn’t suggest or expect parents to feed their children frozen meals every night, but for the days when you’re just too busy or you want some easy, single-serving variety, Plum Organics Kids are a guilt-free option. Each meal contains an entrée and a veggie side. (No brownies here, folks.) With options like Bowtie Pasta with Creamy Sweet Potato sauce, you’re pretty much guaranteed to feel less like a slacker for pulling something out of the freezer. I personally love feeling like I’m increasing my son’s exposure to new foods instead of throwing some fish sticks on a plate.
The sides aren’t boring either. Edamame, corn and red bell peppers? I’ll talk some!
But let’s talk taste. These meals are healthy. And healthy doesn’t always mean super taste. If your kids are used to high-sodium fried foods, you may meet some resistance. I wasn’t ultra keen on what I felt was a somewhat bland flavor, but my son surprised me by eating every single bite of his. He was also enthralled by his tiny tray. I guess I haven’t ruined his diet preferences yet!
Variets of Plum Organics Kids include:
bowtie pasta
cheese-filled spinach tortellini
italian sausage marinara
rainbow pasta shells
Pros:
- Nice portion sizes
- Great variety and lots of vegetables
- Fresh-frozen and organic
- A source of DHA omega-3s
- Really cute packaging (okay, that part is just for me)
Cons:
- Availability—most regular grocery chains don’t carry them. But if you’re lucky enough to have a Whole Foods, Super Target, or Babies R Us nearby you’re good to go.
- The tray is cardboard—great for the environment, but a little flimsy. Try transferring the food to small bowls once you’ve heated it.
Free Stuff Alert
One lucky reader will win vouchers for FOUR free Plum Organics Kids meals. Try all four varieties!
To enter you MUST:
- Visit Plum Organics and comment with something interesting you learned on the site or a food product you’re interested in.
For up to three extra entries you can:
- Follow Plum Organics on Twitter. Comment letting us know that you did!
- Blog about this giveaway. Comment with a link to your post.
- Tweet about this giveaway. Comment with your username or a link to your tweet
COMMENTS THAT DO NOT FOLLOW THE ENTRY RULES WILL BE DELETED. The winner will be chosen using a random-number generator. Contest runs through May 12 at noon EST. Please make sure you leave a valid email address.
About the author: Maria is surrounded by boys. She gets all aflutter when she finds good deals, new episodes of Gossip Girl, and big bold bottles of red wine. Read more from this author.
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I’d be interested in trying (or rather, in my son trying) the rainbow pasta shells.
And I’m following on twitter.
our belief is that by exposing our babies to real food at an early age, their palates are conditioned to accept and appreciate real foods with flavor, variety and healthful benefits. We believe this will encourage your growing child to experiment with new and exotic tastes for years to come
I learned that their products are all BPA free. Yeah!
I learned that they even exist! Reasonably priced, quick and easy, organic kids meals?! Sounds fantastic! Plus, I love that all of their serving cups are BPA free and reusable. Yay being sustainable!
Thanks!
I am following them now on twitter!
http://twitter.com/plumorganics
I tweeted too. http://twitter.com/JDanger
I learned why Frozen Food is better:
Our baby foods are minimally processed and retain more of their natural nutrients, vibrant colors, rich flavors, and tasty textures – a difference you can see and taste.
To lock in all this goodness, we flash freeze our baby foods to ensure that it tastes just as fresh as when we made it. Freezing allows us to lock-in the nutrients and also ensures greatly consistency of the nutritients. Depending on how long it has been traveling through the food chain, the nutritional integrity of fresh fruits and vegetables can vary greatly. Combined with the way we cook our food, this means our baby foods provide higher levels of nutrients for you baby’s development.
I follow Plum Organics on Twitter (cdziuba)
Tweeted: http://twitter.com/cdziuba/status/1708224700
All their products are PBA Free- I always check for that now!
Zero trans fats! Awesome. We would like to try the Italian Sausage Marinara.. sounds yummy!
I like that they have no trans fats – and I can get them at my local Whole Foods
Following on twitter – phxbne
I like that they use plastic containers that are BPA and phthalate free. The containers they use are the safest food grade plastic, suitable for microwaving and are certified for use in infant and baby food products.
Thanks!
Adreisinger@aol.com
I’m following Plum Organics on Twitter.
twitter.com/afabozzi
Adreisinger@aol.com
Tweeted!
http://twitter.com/afabozzi/statuses/1710583141
Adreisinger@aol.com
I’d love for both of my daughters to try these. My 4 year old would love all the pasta (but not the veggies, she says ) and I love the variety in the baby food for my 10 month old. They offer some fruits and veggies that a lot of other baby food companies don’t.
I’m following on Twitter, too (hmkinnaman)
I’d love to try the bowtie pasta with creamy sweet potato sauce! I mean…my kid would like to try that. Yeah. Right.
Thanks for the chance! Great product!
annasmama0702@gmail.com
I’m following plumorganics on twitter!
annasmama0702@gmail.com
I tweeted this giveaway
http://twitter.com/annasmama0702/status/1710826771
annasmama0702@gmail.com
Plum Organics foods are flash frozen to make sure that they taste just as fresh as when they made it.
I’m sure my kids would love the Bowtie Pasta cheese-filled spinach tortellini.
I like that they are available nation-wide
i’d love to try some of their stuff for my 9 month old…mango meusli sounds yum to me!
I think my kids would most like to try the Italian Sausage Marinara. Thanks so much for the giveaway. Lucky for me a Whole Foods opened near us recently so I could look for these there!
I learned: DHA accounts for up to 20 percent of the total brain mass and researchers believe that a lack of DHA may be linked to behavioral and mood disorders in children and adults
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
I follow Plum Organics on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/Janetfaye
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
I want my daughter to try the pasta w/ sweeet potato sauce!
thx!
follow plum organics on twitter!
thx
I learned that they fortify with DHA that is free of any unwanted ocean-born contaminants and is produced using a patented process.
Mmm, the Bowtie pasta w/ sweet potato sauce looks so good. Do I have to feed them to my kids?
bebemiqui82(at)yahoo(dot)com
All of their products are BPA free and have no trans fats!
The organic baby food looks really good for my daughter…esp. the super greens multigrain.
Im following them on twitter!
I love that their products are BPA free! I would love to try to bow tie pasta for my daughter or some of the baby food for my son! The food looks so good I would even try it lol.
My daughter would like all 4 flavors and how great is it she is getting DHA too, that is a concern for us. Go brain power!
I am following
http://twitter.com/Stuff_To_Win
I tweeted
http://twitter.com/Stuff_To_Win
@PlumOrganics RT1 Month Free Supply of PLUM ORGANICS baby food! Check out CONTEST details: http://tinyurl.com/dyn8v9
everything looks so good – I’d try the bow-tie pasta with spinach first
I learned that I could buy it at Target! Yay!
Following on Twitter!
I learned that Using baby-approved recipes and the finest organic ingredients, our products are cooked to perfection and then flash frozen to lock in freshness and nutrients. That’s why our foods retain more of their rich flavors, vibrant colors and textures
I follow on twitter. 1amypugmire.
I tweeted. http://twitter.com/1amypugmire/status/1723336118
I learned that 3 of the choices are excellent source of DHA omega-3s (all are great sources for nutrients and vitamins).
we’d like to try the cheese-filled spinach tortellini
Wow! They actually have baby food in different flavors than the norm you get from Gerber and Beachnut! I found I (and son #1) really liked the EarthsBest flavors. Now I have another alternative to try with son #2. Having stuff like mango, black beans, spinach, etc is much more in like with my eating habits, when I’m not chowing on ff burgers, of course!
I learned that their products are all BPA free! Awesome!
my girls would bow tie pasta.thanks
JeansandTs@hotmail.com
I learned that they believe that introducing babies to real food with interesting, flavorful tastes and textures as early as possible create a foundation for a life time of healthy eating.
black bean tomato ragout sounds good
The black bean and tomato ragout baby food looks interesting.
I am a subscriber.
BPA free
I love that they talk about using real foods with lots of flavor and variety of textures- I learned this lesson when we switched from “baby food” to simply pureeing “real food” – my son was so much happier!
My daughter would love the bowtie pasta and the cheese-filled spinach tortellini.
I would love to get to try Bowtie Pasta!
BPA free and sounds tasty!
The Italian sausage marinara looked good.
These are great! My son is allergic to red dye and after checking ingredients there isn’t any dye!!!! He may even eat these.
mercsmercado at yahoo dot com
Sounds good and anything easy that the kids will actually eat that is healthy too is huge when parents are feeling lazy!!
twitter! http://twitter.com/JDanger/status/1764049104
bow tie pasta
I’d be interested in the Bowtie Pasta with Creamy Sweet Potato Sauce
That bow tie pasta looks like something my kiddos would love!
My son would like the cheese-filled spinach tortellini
I was surprised to hear they also had baby food such as Black Bean Tomato Ragout.
Their cups are BPA free, I like that a lot!
sburkavage@gmail.com
I think my son would love the rainbow pasta shells with creamy parmesan sauce because he loves a lot of color in his meals
I think that we would like to try the Rainbow Pasta Shells out!
looks like somthing my kids would eat
I love the the cheese-filled spinach tortellini :)
The bowtie pasta with the creamy sweet potato sauce sounds interesting. I wouldn’t even know how to begin that sauce!
I would like to try the bow tie pasta.
I am following Plum Organics on twitter.
Bowtie pasta with sweet potato sauce is somehint I may even try. Thank you for the opportunity to win.
My kids would like cheese-filled spinach tortellini.
The bowtie pasta with the creamy sweet potato sauce sounds interesting.
The bowtie pasta sounds very tasty!
i would love to get the pumpkin bananna for my 6 month old
I would love bow tie pasta.
the bowtie pasta looks like something my kids would enjoy, would love to try this line
BPA free!
BPA Free
electricisland(at)gmail.com
Following you on Twitter (id- electricisland)
tweet! http://twitter.com/electricisland/status/1777864168
blogged- http://electriccislandd.blogspot.com/2009/05/win-kids-meals-bpa-free.html
electricisland(at)gmail.com
Cheese-filled spinach tortellini looks good!
I’m following them on Twitter. (My Twitter name is @ThriftyJinxy)
Their spinach tortellini is vegetarian! Yay!
Find all brands of healthy foods online.