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2011-2012 School Year Lunchbox Thread... - Page 4

post #61 of 85


Thank you, Milly! They did actually have these http://www.jbox.com/product/ZK003 and other kinds on Amazon. I ordered the 12mL ones and they should be there when I get back home!

 


 

 

post #62 of 85

Most days, my 3 daughters bring bento boxes to school-they love them! The bento boxes are vegetarian and my DSD is the only meat-eating one of the three, and since she doesn't eat meat too often anyway she's fine with vegetarian food most of the time. Every once in a while, they bring half a Subway sandwich each to school as a treat. None of them eat the school lunches-none of them like the school lunches! orngtongue.gif

post #63 of 85
Quote:
Originally Posted by ekbreaux View Post

After looking at Laptop lunchbox's I decided it was just too much to spend on my three kids lunch box...so I pulled out all the nice glass and bpa-free tupperware we had here at home, and decided to make my own bento-style lunch kit.  The boys have pretty big insulated lunch bags, because they eat a lot at lunch.  We also have their Siggs water bottles from last year.  All in all, I think i was caught up in the beautiful pictures I saw of Laptop lunches.  I saved a lot of money using what we have, and I can still make beautiful healthy lunches without spending more and buying more.  


I know I was eyeing the planet boxes, but holy cow! I can just imagine my 1st grader loosing it and me loosing my mind. lol. no thanks! We will be sticking with reasonably priced items only lol.  My kids did need new lunch boxes and I needed more containers, so instead I bought 4 of the easy lunch box containers and 2 lunch boxes from them. It came to under 30 for everything. :) I also bought them old school thermoses(4$ each) and walmart (said PBA free on them) for milk/juice. I am loving the thermoses they remind me of my school days. :) The easy lunch boxes are great too! The cooler bags hold a ton and still fit fine in their backpacks. I am able to fit the easy lunch container, thermos,  snack, + a small water bottle in them . :) 

 

post #64 of 85

My second grader constantly loses his lunch containers (along with gloves, hats, backpacks). These look great, but it is hard for me to cough up the money and then see it mysteriously disappear. I bought a few reusable and very cute containers and they are already gone after a week of school. :(

post #65 of 85
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamajessco View Post

My second grader constantly loses his lunch containers (along with gloves, hats, backpacks). These look great, but it is hard for me to cough up the money and then see it mysteriously disappear. I bought a few reusable and very cute containers and they are already gone after a week of school. :(


Do you label them with a Sharpie?  I label everything my dd has on at least two sides and the containers always make it back home by the end of the week.  The school should also have a lost and found that you can look through for your specific items because it is really a common problem with kids.

 

post #66 of 85
My DD loses everything but has never lost even one thing out of her Laptop Lunch box, which we've had since she was 2! She doesn't remove the containers when she eats and even if she did, there is a visual cue that one is missing (the empty space). I love the box for this reason.
post #67 of 85
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by One_Girl View Post

Do you label them with a Sharpie?  I label everything my dd has on at least two sides and the containers always make it back home by the end of the week.  The school should also have a lost and found that you can look through for your specific items because it is really a common problem with kids.

 



I also label with Sharpies and/or labels/stickers from LabelYourStuff.com. It's helpful that my children don't take a bus, but when ds did the bus also had a lost and found. Dd has twice left her Laptop water bottle (labeled with a Sharpie and a LabelYourStuff sticker) in the lunchroom and it comes home with her the next day.

post #68 of 85

I can't believe I've read this whole thread and haven't bought a planet box yet!  I am such a sucker for lunch boxes.

 

Right now our favorites are easy lunch boxes and a great, cheap, soft domed insulated "embark" brand box from target that I use with some stainless steal boxes (plastic-ish lids) that I get at Maruki for 1.89 each.  I love it that I can fit plenty of food in both of these, along with a water bottle (I have given up on finding an affordable non-breakable double-walled stainless steal bottle, btw, we're using that supposedly safe plastic) and a couple of cloth napkins.  We also have an aladdin container for hot foods or soup that I like, though I wish it weren't plastic.  And I just ordered a packit lunch bag, which is supposed to keep it's contents "refrigerator cold" for ten hours.  We've been having trouble with stuff getting warm and melting.  It's so sad when you send some coveted little peanut butter cups in the lunch box as a special treat and they come home all stuck to the inside of a container because they were too messy to eat.  :(  Imo, it is a little expensive for what it is, but I'll be thrilled if it really works.  I also have a nice assortment of silicone cups and picks and cute forks and spoons, and a ton of hand dyed small towels for napkins and some flannel cloth napkins that I made.  And then I have a couple of AWESOME asian round stainless "boxes" that have a tray that sits inside (so they're like two levels).  I do love them, but they are a little limited because they really need to sit in a box that will be held horizontal, if that makes sense.  

 

We also have a laptop lunch box, but somehow it just didn't work for me.  The three compartments of the easy lunch boxes are great, but the four was too much for me to handle somehow.  I couldn't figure out how to use the space right.  I keep telling myself that that will be true of the planet box, too, because I think they're kind of similar in that respect, but I'm having a hard time believing I wouldn't love that planet box.  And I've also got a couple of those sandwich wrap things that I haven't bonded with.  I thought I was going to love them, since you can use them as a placemat.  (I'm supposed to send two cloth napkins in his box, one for a napkin, one for a placemat, but it's bulky!)  But they don't fit around a normal-sized sandwich quite right.  They seem more suited to wonder bread-sized sandwiches, I think.  

 

Here's a few pics of his lunches (and you can see a couple of my cool maruki ss containers in there, as well as the round double layered one).  I must've put a bunch of these in at the same time, xmas-time maybe?  lol  Because I NEVER buy ritz crackers, though we all have a weakness for them.  And although my kids are completely crazy over kalamata olives, I have only sent them to school with him a few times.  So, this is not representative.  And, I never do cute stuff anymore, though I do think some about presentation  --  colors and such.  And I do think a lunch tends to look a lot nicer for some reason if you use a small box and pack it tight, so I try to keep that in mind.  

 

And one more thing...  boy can I ever blather on about lunch!  shy.gif  But, I recently discovered a really nice new lunch food, which is those chicken apple sausages from costco (and trader joe's has something similar).  I have a hard time getting Milo to eat protein in his lunch and he loves those.  I heat them up so they're browned, but they're cold by the time he eats them.  And he actually does eat them.  How I wish he would eat cheese or yogurt, though!

post #69 of 85
Thread Starter 

I think someone here was looking for reusable "ziplock" bags...

 

Snack Happened Reusable Snack and Sandwich Bag 2-Pack
 
post #70 of 85
Quote:
Originally Posted by rubidoux View PostWe also have an aladdin container for hot foods or soup that I like, though I wish it weren't plastic.

 

What you want is something like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-THERMOS-PINT-SIZE-VACUUM-BOTTLE-GLASS-FILLER-made-Norwich-Connecticut-/160648341895?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2567632987

 

Those old-school thermoses with the GLASS insert, those seem to be the only ones that keep stuff hot. I found two pint size with wide-mouths and one 2-cup size (for me) with wide mouth. They are fantastic for soup or pasta or whatever. Put boiling water in them while you putter around and get the rest of stuff done in the morning, then empty the hot water and fill it with the hot food. You still have to be kind of careful 4 hours later not to burn your mouth! They are wonderful.

 

In my elementary school days, I think I may have only broken one. Or two. Not too many. But they are easily found on Ebay, and I found two of my three at the Goodwill for like...I think $2.00.

post #71 of 85

I don't know if I could get away with those at Milo's school.  We're not allowed to send any glass.  And his teacher is old enough to remember them.  If I saw a wide-mouth one cheap enough, I might not be able to resist.  I wonder if there's any chance of those being made again.  It seems like there'd be a market for them now.

post #72 of 85
Quote:
Originally Posted by rubidoux View Post

I don't know if I could get away with those at Milo's school.  We're not allowed to send any glass.  And his teacher is old enough to remember them.  If I saw a wide-mouth one cheap enough, I might not be able to resist.  I wonder if there's any chance of those being made again.  It seems like there'd be a market for them now.



Well, but the glass is on the inside, you know, it's not like sending a glass water bottle. You could always claim ignorance of the glass part winky.gif I wish there was a new market for them! Lucky they can be found on Ebay, though. I'm all about those; we love them here orngbiggrin.gif

post #73 of 85

oh, i love packing lunches for my kids(most of the time).. we have used laptop lunches for a few years and i really like it, but a lot of pieces to wash. i am not so good with getting the dishes done EVERY night. lol. this year we are using the easy lunchboxes(amazon- 4 for $14!) and it is great BUT my 7 yr old was still hungry so i just have to add something else extra. we do a hot lunch with thermoses about once a week and i preheat them in the morning(when i make my coffee in the press) and it seems to work. usually, i just make mac and cheese or soup, or beefaroni(awful, i know!) we have SS thermoses and plastic and whatever is clean and closest to me gets used. SS ones are smaller so that's nice. i like to have a lot of options depending on what is going in. sometimes, its just tupperware and sandwich bags. i make my own...i would love to start making pretty bento boxes but working full time with three kids hasn't given me much time to persue it yet....

post #74 of 85

I love love LOVE crocodile creek! I really want to buy my daughter the fairytale lunch box, but er, I can't justify buying it yet. Maybe when she is a little older lol.

It's this one: http://www.b-ecochic.com/kids-lunch-bags.html

post #75 of 85
post #76 of 85
Quote:
Originally Posted by star792 View Postwe have SS thermoses and plastic and whatever is clean and closest to me gets used. SS ones are smaller so that's nice.


What are SS ones?

 

post #77 of 85


I love that one! 

They also have adult lunch bags,too, which are cute. My main concern is size, so if I get new ones for me or DH I like that the neoprene is stretchy and can fit various weird / big sizes of salad containers in DH's lunch.

 

post #78 of 85
post #79 of 85


Oh, SS = Stainless Steel duh.gif

I didn't like them. I don't think they keep food hot enough. I'm glad ds's school doesn't check or care about glass inserts!

post #80 of 85

if i don't preheat mine, my kids complain but otherwise, they are fine. i remember "learning" those were glass inserts after my toddler took one apart. luckily, he was fine...i had no idea.

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