Life just became easier for North Texas moms with the desire to make baby food from scratch. The recently launched Lilly & Bella delivers fresh, organic produce and easy-to-follow recipes weekly to subscribers.
It’s similar to companies like Blue Apron, but this one, founded by local moms, provides healthful meal options for babies and toddlers.
“I was a new mom struggling with finding the time to cook or even grocery shop for my infant daughter while working a demanding full-time job as the director of charter schools in south Dallas,” says Lilly & Bella CEO Karen Salerno in a release. “After speaking with several mothers in similar situations, I decided I wanted to alleviate the stress of meal planning and grocery shopping as well as the guilt working parents have when they don’t have time to shop or prepare nutritious meals for their children.”
Subscribers choose from four stages depending on their child’s age:
- Stage one (4-6 months) introduces babies to solid foods for the first time. Cost is $24.99/week for ingredients and two recipes.
- Stage two (6-8 months) blends fruits and veggies together to introduce new flavors. Cost is $29/week for ingredients and two recipes.
- Stage three (8+ months) moves away from pureed foods to chunkier foods and textures. Cost is $29/week for ingredients and three recipes.
- Stage four is for young families who have graduated from baby food but still want weekly deliveries of fresh, organic produce. Cost is $34.99/week for ingredients and three recipes.
The company claims that by the time they reach the last stage, children will have tasted more than 30 different fruits and vegetables in more than 64 recipes. Those range from something simple like a puree of butternut squash (stage one) to chunks of eggplant, carrots, and pears (stage three).
As for delivery, they truly mean North Texas, as in all of the counties: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise.
Lilly & Bella enlisted a couple of key ambassadors. Sarah Penrod, Dallas celebrity chef, cookbook author, Food Network star, and mother of two, is assisting with the menu development. Dr. Melissa Waters serves as pediatric advisor.
The company also has a commitment to community. It hopes to create a network of mothers who share stories, ideas, inspiration, fears, and accomplishments. Lilly & Bella also donates boxes of produce to underserved communities in Dallas and recently partnered with Mosaic Family Services, which supports, educates, and empowers the multicultural individuals and families of North Texas.
Recipes are included with the produce.
