Back 2 School Lunch Packing and Reviews
So, it's July. I'm seeing a fall set-up in 90+ degree weather in most Florida chain stores. I can't even fathom the idea of a sweater or boot right now. I still have a sunburn from watering my thirsty lawn. However, this is far from what excites me about this time of year. It's the geekery involved in school supply shopping, and the excitement of having the boys back in school.
Since as far back as I can recall, I have always LOVED the prep work of back to school. Not the actual going to school and mingling with mortals of a different kind than I, but just the good stuff, the pens and pencils, and the backpacks and the gadgets. Ah. Browsing the halls of an Office Depot still bring back that childish excitement.
Now that both of my boys are going to school (James in Pre-k, and Aiden in Kindergarten) I get to do twice the school shopping (double whammy). FUN.
So, I've browsed. I've done my homework and have searched for all the deals. I've read the reviews. And for the most part, all of the back to school shopping is done. And now I've got to organize and dish about my finds.
At the center of my favorite hauls, are my lunch packing tools. I have pinterested (is that a verb? because it ought to be) all my favorite bento school lunch ideas. All those show off mommies sure do have a lot of time on their hands, but their methods work. I've been trying some of their meal ideas out, and sure enough, those cute star shaped cookie cutters do make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches disappear a lot faster than the old square bread ever did. So here are some really cool food storage boxes that I have found:
1. Sistema
I bought a Sistema lunch cube to go, and a snack attack duo box from Office Depot (on sale!). I have not been able to find a lot of mommies that have documented their lunches in these, so I chose to share my thoughts on these. Here is the snack attack box:
The PROS: this box fits in all my kids lunchboxes. It is not too deep and it's perfect for a sandwich or entrée and two small snacks. It also stacks nicely in my Tupperware drawer, so I already love this. There are two tiny "doors" that keep the food contained, and they come off in case you have to clean them, or choose to not use them. I have to document my boys' lunch in these, but I have a feeling they will be my favorite food storage container. Also, they are very sturdy and BPA-free.
The CONS: while they are portable and usable, they are a bit on the small side. I tend to worry that my kids get enough food throughout their day, so I can only pack about 2/3 of the food I can fit into the other containers I have picked up. My smallest is in Pre-K, so his day is much shorter. But I'm wondering about how this box will satisfy the needs of my Kindergartener. Also, James cannot open this box by himself. Aiden has no issues.
Here is the lunch cube max:
The PROS: this box is huge. I am sure that I can fit a ton of food comfortably. It has a separate sandwich sized container that makes up the top third of the box. It also has deep compartments for whatever else you are packing. And I love that it comes with a 4 oz. yogurt container, so that you can send a liquid safely. Also, there is only one snap type lock in the front.
The CONS: if you have small lunchboxes, this may be too big. It is a bit of a contraption, and it is best suited for elementary age and older. (I would even say adult sized). Smaller children may have trouble putting the box back together. Also, if you are trying to pack a cute bento lunch, this may be too deep for all the contents to stay cute throughout the day. So you may want a shallower container.
I also purchased the smaller lunch cube from Sistema, but it is so similar to the max that the only real difference is the size. It seems to be a little deeper in the sandwich compartment, but other than that it is the same idea just much smaller. If you are worried that the max is too big, the lunch cube might be a better option.
Ok, so I have wanted this container since I first saw some of the reviews on Pinterest. When I saw this particular model on sale at Target, I knew it was meant to be. Ok so here is the Boys Flat version of the lunchblox in James' square spongebob lunchbox:
The PROS: This set is an OCD person's dream. It rests neatly on itself and everything has a place. Everything stays cold because the ice block touches all parts. There is a 4 oz. container, a 2 cup container and a 4 cup container that has dividers inside. All in all, it is a perfectly packed lunch.
The CONS: it can be too big or awkward for some lunchboxes.
I hope that this small review of some of my food containers is useful to you guys. I know that I was searching for food containers and reviews of some of these and there weren't too many that answered my questions.
Also, feel free to throw in anything I've missed.
Thanks!
Since as far back as I can recall, I have always LOVED the prep work of back to school. Not the actual going to school and mingling with mortals of a different kind than I, but just the good stuff, the pens and pencils, and the backpacks and the gadgets. Ah. Browsing the halls of an Office Depot still bring back that childish excitement.
Now that both of my boys are going to school (James in Pre-k, and Aiden in Kindergarten) I get to do twice the school shopping (double whammy). FUN.
So, I've browsed. I've done my homework and have searched for all the deals. I've read the reviews. And for the most part, all of the back to school shopping is done. And now I've got to organize and dish about my finds.
At the center of my favorite hauls, are my lunch packing tools. I have pinterested (is that a verb? because it ought to be) all my favorite bento school lunch ideas. All those show off mommies sure do have a lot of time on their hands, but their methods work. I've been trying some of their meal ideas out, and sure enough, those cute star shaped cookie cutters do make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches disappear a lot faster than the old square bread ever did. So here are some really cool food storage boxes that I have found:
1. Sistema
I bought a Sistema lunch cube to go, and a snack attack duo box from Office Depot (on sale!). I have not been able to find a lot of mommies that have documented their lunches in these, so I chose to share my thoughts on these. Here is the snack attack box:
The PROS: this box fits in all my kids lunchboxes. It is not too deep and it's perfect for a sandwich or entrée and two small snacks. It also stacks nicely in my Tupperware drawer, so I already love this. There are two tiny "doors" that keep the food contained, and they come off in case you have to clean them, or choose to not use them. I have to document my boys' lunch in these, but I have a feeling they will be my favorite food storage container. Also, they are very sturdy and BPA-free.
The CONS: while they are portable and usable, they are a bit on the small side. I tend to worry that my kids get enough food throughout their day, so I can only pack about 2/3 of the food I can fit into the other containers I have picked up. My smallest is in Pre-K, so his day is much shorter. But I'm wondering about how this box will satisfy the needs of my Kindergartener. Also, James cannot open this box by himself. Aiden has no issues.
Here is the lunch cube max:
The PROS: this box is huge. I am sure that I can fit a ton of food comfortably. It has a separate sandwich sized container that makes up the top third of the box. It also has deep compartments for whatever else you are packing. And I love that it comes with a 4 oz. yogurt container, so that you can send a liquid safely. Also, there is only one snap type lock in the front.
The CONS: if you have small lunchboxes, this may be too big. It is a bit of a contraption, and it is best suited for elementary age and older. (I would even say adult sized). Smaller children may have trouble putting the box back together. Also, if you are trying to pack a cute bento lunch, this may be too deep for all the contents to stay cute throughout the day. So you may want a shallower container.
I also purchased the smaller lunch cube from Sistema, but it is so similar to the max that the only real difference is the size. It seems to be a little deeper in the sandwich compartment, but other than that it is the same idea just much smaller. If you are worried that the max is too big, the lunch cube might be a better option.
2. Rubbermaid LunchBlox for Kids. (Boys Flat)
Ok, so I have wanted this container since I first saw some of the reviews on Pinterest. When I saw this particular model on sale at Target, I knew it was meant to be. Ok so here is the Boys Flat version of the lunchblox in James' square spongebob lunchbox:
 |
| Here it is with a juice box The set is sitting on the large ice block it came with. |
 |
| The lunch box zipped close. |
 |
| Here is how the set looks unpacked. |
The PROS: This set is an OCD person's dream. It rests neatly on itself and everything has a place. Everything stays cold because the ice block touches all parts. There is a 4 oz. container, a 2 cup container and a 4 cup container that has dividers inside. All in all, it is a perfectly packed lunch.
The CONS: it can be too big or awkward for some lunchboxes.
I hope that this small review of some of my food containers is useful to you guys. I know that I was searching for food containers and reviews of some of these and there weren't too many that answered my questions.
Also, feel free to throw in anything I've missed.
Thanks!
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