Eco-Friendly Lunch

With last week being the first days back to school in the Pacific NW, it forced me to think about the whole lunch thing with my kids. School lunches are disappointing (to me, not the kids), so I was faced with the annual purchase of the lunch boxes. I hate lunch boxes these days. While they have the antibacterial liners, I have never found them easy to clean. Also it just takes a couple of days of a lost lunch to result in the smell you can never get out. This year, I embarked on finding a new lunch box idea. I contemplated making a sack lunch bag out of fabric, but realized it would never keep the lunch from being smashed unless I sent plastic containers (which in our house means I never get them back until they are so gross you are forced to throw them away).

In the end, I opted for the Thai/Indian lunch box called a “Tiffen Box”.

(or a stainless steel, 2-tier food carrier)

I liked the rugged nature of the box. It’s two tier, snaps together to form a pretty tight seal when all snapped together. We are lucky that our girls go to a school where unusual is cool, not shunned. This week, I threw in a juice box into the bottom tier (not very eco-friendly, but it was a last minute decision).

We discovered that if I make the lunches the night before and put them into the fridge that the Tiffen boxes stay cold all day thus keeping the contents cold without an ice pack. This was purely an accidental discovery.

The verdict is very positive. The girls like the unique nature of the box. They like opening up each tier to find a new surprise each day. My hubby likes the fact we are not using any baggies or plastic to store the contents of the lunch because I organize it all to fit together. I like the ease of which they are cleaned. I like the fact I can put together a healthy fruit salad into it without worrying about leakage. Overall, we have an early success. We’ll see if we feel this way in a few months.

Next steps, attaching a Sigg bottle to it for a drink and finding some utensils that fit inside. I found a great site where they sell utensil kits made of fabric and bamboo. They are a little much for school, but we’ll see.

2 Comments Add yours

  1. OMG that is so cute.. I think i need to get me one!!

  2. Michelle says:

    You should! They are kind of fun, and a convenient weapon if needed….just don’t tell my kids that! 🙂

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