This Hollywood mom is bringing healthy kids' meals to Walmart

A child’s years as a toddler are some of the most formative where nutrition is concerned. One Hollywood mom, Camila Alves McConaughey, is making nutritious kids’ meals more accessible and affordable through her partnership with Yummy Spoonfuls, an organic food brand she co-owns that is geared specifically toward toddlers, and is now available in the frozen food section of Walmart (WMT). McConaughey, wife of actor Matthew McConaughey, recently sat down with Yahoo Finance to talk about getting into the baby food industry, and the lifestyle space for moms.

McConaughey describes the challenges she faced feeding her children while living away from home, on location. She found herself pureeing and freezing bowls of food in the middle of the night, with dishes piled up in the sink, her newborn waking up for a feed, and a mere few hours left before her older children would be waking up. This resulted in her often being awake for a full 24 hours, wondering if there wasn’t an easier solution in the local grocery store.

“I was like, why is this so hard, to go to a store, open up the freezer door and get the most pure form of food for your kids,” she says.

Soon after that experience, McConaughey says that a friend introduced her to Agatha Achindu, founder of Yummy Spoonfuls. “We had a mom date and we immediately connected on not willing to jeopardize what’s important in terms of nutrition,” she says.

McConaughey notes that parents can often resort to shortcuts during the time when children are transitioning into eating solid foods. “Mom is back at work, dad is at work, and then all of a sudden we’re stuck in this life of chicken nuggets, french fries, hot dogs and mac and cheese.” She explains that the Yummy Spoonfuls mission is to provide families a better option.

The price point for Yummy Spoonfuls is about under $4 per meal, which McConaughey feels is worth it during this important developmental stage. One meal could consist of a protein and vegetable bowl, or a bag of organic protein and vegetable patties sized specifically for little hands. All meals are cooked then immediately frozen to preserve freshness and natural quality of the ingredients.

“It’s a price point that’s not out of reach at all, and it’s well worth it when you’re thinking about what your child is having during that stage where brain development, muscle development, all of those things are happening,” she says.

McConaughey also makes family and lifestyle advice accessible to moms through her website, womenoftoday.com, which she describes as a community where women can share and test out each others’ ideas, recipes, and family lifestyle hacks. While it may seem like the lifestyle space is full of helpful information, McConaughey stresses that consumers should ask themselves if a brand or website they follow is actually beneficial for themselves and their family.

“At the end of the day if it is, then bravo, and there should be room for everybody and more people come on over, because we need more of these things in the marketplace.”

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This story was originally published on November 13, 2018.