Gerber Graduates Lil' Entrees Review Featuring My Xander

It's official: My little Xander is basically a toddler. I still feed him jarred foods, but he has become increasingly interested in "people food" and often tries to steal some morsels off of the plates of any unsuspecting victim he can distract with his cuteness. He actually was able to charm some chips and French Onion Dip out of his Great Grandma Janet! So naturally, I am starting to make the transition to regular food. One concern I have as a mother is that a lot of grown up foods may not provide the proper nutrition for a toddler. Let's face it: Many "adult" prepared foods are laden with tons of sodium, preservatives, and other junk that we may not want our babies eating. Even traditional, seemingly innocent foods like mashed potatoes may not be the best choice for baby. Okay, maybe that's just if I am making them. I add sinful goodies like a ton of real butter, heavy cream, and tons of gooey cheese. I suppose that's not really good for anyone, let alone the babies! (But trust me...They are SO darn good!)

So one of the many food choices I am happy to let my budding toddler experiment with are the Gerber Graduates Lil' Entrees. These convenient, toddler sized meals offer a perfect transition to table food as toddlers begin to self-feed.  Made with a combination of tasty, wholesome ingredients, Lil’ Entreés selections are as delicious as they are nutritious, and are carefully cooked for the right taste and texture. Lil’ Entreés selections are nutritious mealtime combinations in a convenient, ready-to-serve tray for toddlers. And the best part? Each Lil’ Entreés selection contains ¼ cup of vegetables toward the recommended ¾ cup per day for toddlers, without preservatives or artificial flavors.

I received a generous sampling of Lil' Entrees from the nice folks over at Gerber. Craig, their marketing rep, is an absolute pleasure to work with, too! (Had to throw that in there, since I greatly appreciate PR reps who are friendly and helpful!) Some of the wonderful varieties I received include: Pasta Stars in Meat Sauce with Green Beans, Chicken and Pasta Wheel Pick-Ups in Sauce with Peas, and Mashed Potatoes & Gravy with Roasted Chicken and Carrots. (Among others!) For the purpose of reviewing accurately, I tasted these myself as well as tested them on my toddlers. I was very surprised by the flavor of the Lil' Entrees varieties! They were actually quite good! They are not heavily seasoned, but the natural flavors of the ingredients really shine through. I actually appreciate the fact that the Lil' Entrees aren't overly salty. They don't taste artificial. For a mom who usually, but not exclusively, buys organic foods, I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that my babies were still getting good nutrition without all of the added gunk.

Take a look at Xander enjoying his lunch. He was eating (and wearing) Gerber Graduates Lil' Entrees Rice & Turkey in Gravy with Green Beans and Carrots. For a self-feeding novice, he did a great job using his fork and keeping (most) of his food in the tray!

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Yummy! You mean this is for ME?

I don't have to steal it off of Mommy's plate?!

And here's where it started getting messy...The hands came out instead of the fork!

Big sister, Sophie, swooping in to claim some veggies!

Overall, I am quite pleasantly surprised by the Gerber Graduates Lil' Entrees. I was under the misconception that they were full of preservatives, and am delighted to find that this is not the case. These meals are the perfect size and texture for toddlers, taste great, and are very portable. I also love the fact that they come in ready to serve trays. (Less dishes for me to have to wash, since the dish-washing fairy seems to be on strike here!) With farm fresh veggies, tender pasta, and high-quality meats like beef, chicken and turkey, these meals offer my babies good nutrition. Now maybe they'll stay off of my plate for a change! I will definitely be including Gerber Graduates foods in my babies' diets. While I still prefer organic foods, you don't find many complete organic toddler meals. Since Gerber Graduates are made with babies' nutritional needs in mind, they are still a great choice for babies transitioning to "real" foods. I can't wait to try more of the varieties from Gerber!

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***Disclosure: I received complimentary products to facilitate my review. No compensation was provided, and as always, all opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***