I love making my kids homemade meals and snacks but I also live in the real world where parents just don’t always have the time to do this. One of the main aims of my site is to help parents make their children nutritious food that is quick and simple to make. However I also am a huge fan of healthy ready made snacks and meals that you can buy at the supermarkets. I have a few personal favourite brands and Ella’s Kitchen is one of them. I was lucky enough to be sent a HUGE box of goodies from the lovely people there to review and Little Lady, The Boy and Mummy have been having a great time sampling all the fabulous things.

Firstly look how colourful the packaging is! What a fantastic parcel to open! I could hardly wait for the kids to get home so we could try them.

Ella’s have just launched a fab new Superhero range of snacks which are suitable for Kids 3+ (although the Smooshy Snacks below are suitable for 1+ but don’t tell The Boy!) so we were really excited to try them in addition to the snacks suitable for 1y+.

First up were the new Ella’s Smooshy Snacks.

Now as you all know The Boy isn’t a huge fan of fruit or veg but he does like “squeezey fruit” but thinks most of the ones on the market are babyish. However he loved the packaging of these Smooshy snacks as they are all superhero themed and he said they looked grown up.

He actually tried them all and I also let Little Lady try them too (they say on the back that they are ok for 1+). His favourite was the apple and cucumber one as they are actually his two favourite fruit and veg. My favourite  was the Mango and Pumpkin one which was so delicious I actually went out and bought some more just for me to eat!!! As you can see Little Lady inhaled the orange and carrot one and got very excited by the pictures on the front. It’s great seeing fruit and veg together in one pouch that actually tastes nice!

Next we tried the Hello-Copter Oat and Spelt Cookies which aren’t part of the superhero range but I did persuade The Boy to try them with us.

Little Lady loved the fact that they were shaped like clouds and the sun and apparently preferred the sun ones better (although she clearly didn’t realise they are exactly the same!!). I loved the fact that they came in a big resealable bag so I could happily open it and know that we wouldn’t be wasting the rest of the biscuits. Also there were so many in the bag that 3 weeks later we still have a few left and Little Lady has pretty much had some every day. They do have honey in them so aren’t suitable for under 1’s but they are a really delicious oaty biscuit that are a great size for little hands and a great idea for a bedtime snack as they contain no sugar or salt but are still lovely and sweet.

Next onto the product that had The Boy jumping with excitement and begging me to open them which, bearing in mind these are fruit bars, is incredible. The reason for his excitement? The superhero mask inside the box of these Fruity Bars. With words like “Pow Poww’ and “Rocketing” on the packaging and the temptation of a mask inside these were a HUGE hit in my house.

They tasted really yummy and were slightly crunchy but also soft. Our favourite were the Pineapple and Coconut ones and The Boy said “they taste like fruit loveliness”. I personally thought they tasted like I was on a tropical beach somewhere fantastic. We also loved the packaging as they were brightly coloured and, with superhero cartoon characters on them, were exactly what any 6y old boy loves. The Boy spent most of the day with his mask on and told all his friends about his “yummy fruity bars that aren’t at all babyish”. As they are for over 3’s Little Lady missed out on them this time but The Boy was very happy to not have to share his snacks for once!

We then tried lots of Ella’s Toddler snacks. Hands down Little Lady’s overall favourite were the Raspberries and Peaches Crunchy Rings which shall forever be known in our house as “Pink Pink Pink Crisps” due to their pink colour! I also tried them and they actually really tasted of raspberries and peaches and melted in the mouth so are great for little ones without many teeth. I can’t say they were my favourite but I’m not 2 and also I wasn’t overly keen on the fact they turned her hands pink!

We also tried the Parsnip and Poppyseed Savoury Biccies which were a nice alternative to a fruity or sweet snack. The parsnip gives them an interesting flavour and they are far less messy than the Raspberry and Peaches Crunchy Rings so were a good snack to eat in the car. Little Lady loved the packaging as purple is one of the only colours she knows so she was excited to hold the bag. She also inhaled a whole bag in about 10 minutes so I think they were a success!

Finally we tried the Carrots and Lentils Crunchy Sticks which again were a success as Little Lady adores carrots and I love anything with lentils in it for her as it’s a little hit of protein in a snack. Again the packaging was really fun and she loved the melt in the mouth texture although again I wasn’t as keen when she dropped them on the floor and then walked in them!

Overall the Mini MMM’ers loved all of the snacks. The packaging was fun and appealed to both of the kids and the snacks didn’t disappoint. Most of all I was surprised that The Boy, being as fussy as he is, even dared try them but the lure of a superhero mask proved too much.

I have always loved Ella’s Kitchen as they have the same views on sugar and salt as me – ie. you can make delicious and nutritious snacks without adding any extra in and they stick to it.

Thanks Ella’s Kitchen for making such yummy food and thanks for sending us such treats!!