Freeze dried fruits (and possibly veggies)

[JenfromWI]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this! I love to keep dried fruits/vegetables in my diaper bag for nutritious snacks and always love to save money.

[BarbieSmith]

You are welcome.

If you can only get two, I would recommend starting with the apples and strawberries. The apples are diced, and so the *perfect* size. And the stawberries are just plain delicious. And the cans they come in are very large.

After that, try the peaches and the rapsberries. Both of these are slightly more pricey, too - they are the same price as the above two, but their volume is slightly less. I will still order them again (definitely), but they are not as great a value as the strawberries and apples.

Lastly, I do not think the blueberries are that great, they are so tiny and have little flavor. And the banana chips are fantastic and super cheap (an ENORMOUS can is $5) but they are so very loaded in fat.

Hope this helps,
Barbie

[nfowife]

I'm going to try the apples and peas! Thanks for the rec!

[CiderLogan]

Glad you found something you like! As a tip for others, try the smaller amounts in the justtomatoes line (as a PP mentioned) and see what you like - and then you could consider the larger bins. I love the justtomatoes stuff, but I find we don't go through it fast enough as it is in those small containers - so I know we couldn't do those huge packages. But yum, I love the strawberries especially!

Jenny
Mom to Julia, 8/03
...and another GIRL due 5/29/06!

[Hippoharbor]

I guess I am thinking of the dried fruits, but I guess the freeze-dried ones are okay since Avi is only 11 months old and eating these.
Someone posted about the "Just Peas" or "just corn", etc at Whole Foods. I thought of giving these to DS (12 months old), but sampled in the store and thought they were too hard/crunchy for him. Are these freeze-dried also?

Michelle

[BarbieSmith]

I just got some carrots and peas and yes, it seems that they are not easy to eat. I will hydrate them with hot water to make good finger foods. The fruits turn out very soft and dry - they dissolve in the mouth!
Barbie

[nfowife]

I just got my order today, apples and peas. I took pics(I'm a dork) to show the enormous size of the cans! It is SUCH a good deal. The peas are definitely too hard for my DD to eat at this point (10 months and no teeth) but the apples will be great. I think the peas are yummy so it's a good option for me since she can't have them, or I can hydrate them and serve them that way easily.
Here's the pics:

next to a cereal box so you can see how big they are:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...6109AauXDVi0Zq

Very full (and we had already had a few handfuls of each!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...6109AauXDVi0Zq

Thanks so much! I will definitely be ordering more, and the shipping charge was great too, not too $$!

[BarbieSmith]

Oh, I am SO glad you are as happy with them as I am. Next, you just *have* to try the strawberries (although I am not sure if 10 month olds are ready for these?). They are a bit larger than the apples, but easily breakable. And utterly delicious.

With the peas and the carrots I just pour a little hot water over them, and let them soak. Then they become great finger foods. I also ordered (from another site) diced chicken and diced beef, and so I have food for travel, grandma's house, diaper bag (with a bottle of water), and for when I don't have any good finger foods on hand.

Take care,
Barbie

[emilys_mom]

Thanks for sharing. We've been buying the Gerber apples for DD, but DH keeps eating them and they are soooo expensive. I'll order some now and can't wait until DD can have the strawberries.

[nfowife]

Yeah, my DD can't have strawberries yet but maybe I'll get some in my next order. The apples are not quite as sweet as the gerber ones, but still sweet and delish! More real apple tasting, less super-sweet, I'd say. I couldn't stop eating the gerber ones either! And those are $$$!