I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how thrilled I am with this lunchbox system!!
Before I go into the specifics of the Easy Lunchbox System though, I need to vent. 😀
I kid you not, I am overflowing with lunchboxes and containers! I have never found a “one size fits all” solution to packing the boys lunches for school. It’s hard enough to pack a regular lunch, but when you have to pack food for children with dietary restrictions, you are including not only lunch, but snacks too (and drinks). There have been times when I have had to send not one, but TWO separate lunchboxes for the boys, one for lunch and one for snacks and drinks! The lunchboxes are usually too small to hold several little containers, so I have to use baggies to make the food fit, which often leads to “smushed” sandwiches, broken chips, etc., plus you have to fit an ice pack in the lunchbox on top of it! Arrrggghhh!
Personally, I am not a huge fan of the Laptop Lunchbox system, I love the idea of it, but I have had issues with ours. There are too many pieces to keep up with and the containers are restrictive for what they can hold. It worked okay when Sam was in preschool with an itty-bitty appetite but he is a growing boy, with a growing appetite to boot. Plus, the Laptop Lunchbox and its containers were difficult for Sam and Luke to open on their own, I couldn’t fit one of our ice packs in it and you have to clip the beverage to the outside which doesn’t keep it cool and makes it awkward to carry. And they are expensive, at $37.99 for the Original System, which is what I have.
Earlier in the school year, I reviewed the Rachael Ray Meal Carrier. At the time, it was the best lunchbox I had found but that was before I started to make Sam the occasional GF Lunchable, which does not fit in the Rachael Ray Meal Carrier, so I had to use a different style of lunchbox to fit a GF Lunchable, and even then, I had to stick it in on its side so everything slid to the bottom. I still like the Rachael Ray Meal Carrier, but it has some limitations for me.
Packing the boys lunches had become an hour long process between making the food, searching for container pieces and finding the right size lunchbox to fit everything in! Not my idea of a good time! 😉 I won’t even mention what clutter does to my ADD mind.
A couple of weeks ago, I was searching the internet for a better solution and I happened upon the EasyLunchBoxes.com website. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Kelly sent me a complimentary lunchbox and a 4-pack of containers to test-drive and review on my blog. Let me just say this, as I am working on my “Spring Cleaning,” ALL of my former lunchboxes and their “pieces” are going to Goodwill! 😀
I am going to order 3 more lunchboxes (only $7.95 each) and one more set of containers ($13.95 for a set of 4 containers)!!
Kelly Lester is the BRILLIANT mom behind the Easy Lunchbox System (and my new hero!). Here is a little bit of information on Kelly:
KELLY LESTER is the owner, creator, and mom behind Easylunchboxes.com. During the last two decades she has been an entrepreneur, wife, and mother of three. She is also an actress and singer.
Easylunchboxes.com was born out of Kelly’s innate ability to do things efficiently while on a shoestring budget, and her desire to send her daughters to school with simple, healthy food, with little to no extra packaging or ingredients. Her past struggle with weight control inspires her to teach and model healthy eating habits for her children, and has fueled her dedication to always send them off to school with a great lunch. Kelly’s healthy lifestyle was recently featured on MOM TRENDS.
Kelly combined her self taught business-savvy with her natural inclination to think “what would other parents want?” — to develop the perfect lunchbox system. She is thrilled and proud to share her Easylunchboxes and lunch bags with other families who will benefit by their simple design, great price, and amazing functionality. Additionally, by promoting the waste-free lunch movement, EasyLunchboxes.com is helping the planet one lunch box at a time.
Kelly has been married to actor Loren Lester since 1988. They live in Woodland Hills, CA with their three daughters, Jenny, Lily, & Julia, and their dog, Albany.
For more on Kelly, click here.
There are currently 5 colors of lunchboxes to choose from. It would be cool to see pink or another “girly” color come available. 😉
4-pack of Containers.
In case you are wondering (like I did) if these are made of a similar material to the GladWare containers (that tend to warp), the answer is no. The Easy Lunchbox containers are of much higher quality, because they are a harder plastic (but no fear…they are BPA-free! See the FAQ section below for more info on the plastic used).
Note: If you order a set of these (or are the winner of this giveaway) be sure to unpack the containers carefully. They arrive stacked together and tightly packed. Be patient and separate them slowly so they don’t crack (like one of mine did). If I had taken the time to read the note in the package beforehand, I would have KNOWN that, but I was just like a child on Christmas morning when the box arrived! 🙂
Sam is starting to think these are “cooler” than the GF Lunchable! I think I smell a “mommy victory” in the air! 😉
A few FAQS on the Easy Lunchbox System:
What are the dimensions of the Lunch Container?
9.48 x 6.1 x 2What are the dimensions of the Lunch Bag?
9 x 6.5 x 6.5” (the sides flex out a bit to hold the container securely and without wiggle room, ensuring that the container does not shake around in the bag, thereby keeping the food stabilized).Are your products food safe?
We are very proud of our products’ safety ratings. We have ensured that all the materials used in our containers and bags are food and child safe and even pass strict FDA requirements! Easylunchbox products contain NO Lead, Vinyl, PVC, Phthalates, or Bisphenol A (BPA). Click HERE for more about our product safety info.Are the containers safe to use in the microwave?
Our plastic containers are FDA-approved for microwave use. They are made with the highest grade polypropylene plastic (#5), a plastic that does not leach any BPA or Phthalates when heated or cooled. More info here.Can I wash the containers in the dishwasher?
Absolutely! However, keep them away from the heating element.
For more FAQs, click here.
Check out this video:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P6hSWRiuNo&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
The EasyLunchBoxes.com website has a great page called “Neat Ideas,” and I have gotten quite a few of them to use for Sam and Luke’s lunches.
Links to Great Easy Lunch Recipe Ideas
Gallery of Creative Lunchbox Tags (there are some great ideas for lunchbox tags, which can be extremely useful for food allergy kids, see below).
We received the Easy Lunchbox System just as the boys went on Spring Break, so today is the first time Sam is actually taking it to school. Over the break though, they were very excited to eat every single meal out of them! Below are a few photos of different meal ideas, but first I want to point out the lunchbox tag feature.
This tag was issued by Sam’s school at the beginning of the year. I was inspired by the “Gallery of Lunchbox Tags,” so I am going to make some new tags for Sam. I will post pictures of those once I get them made. I love that this lunchbox has a ready-made hole for the tag, it has been tricky to clip this on some of the lunchboxes we have.
I am Bafoodled with all the room in this lunchbox!
Sam is at school from 8:30 – 4pm (including after school programs), then he has a 45 min. commute home so it is imperative that I send plenty of snacks in addition to lunch and drinks. I love that they all fit in this lunchbox, with room to spare!!
Over the break, I packed two meals (plus drinks and snacks) in one lunchbox, to send with the boys during a visit with Nana and Papa.
Sweet FREEDOM from my former Lunchbox Madness! 😀
The boys love to dip potato chips in Egg Salad, go figure!
We tried some Nutella over the break and Luke liked dipping his apples in it. My boys love the Boar’s Head Reduced-Sodium Turkey, but absolutely WILL NOT eat it as a sandwich, so I just do turkey rolls.
We went to see Walking With Dinosaurs over the break (VERY COOL show!!), so I made a quick and easy chicken nugget meal for the boys to eat in the car on the way.
This was for St. Patrick’s Day, the picks in the turkey rolls are cupcake picks that I re-purposed!
I made this Veggie Mac and Cheese using Tinkyada’s GF Vegetable Spirals that I buy on Amazon, and the White Cheddar Powder that I get from Frontier Co-op. I threw in some frozen mixed veggies (attempting to “hide” them among the colors of the pasta. They caught on to me, but ate it anyway). The hot dog is Applegate Farms Organic Grass-Fed Beef Hot Dog that I stuck on a chopstick. The boys also really like Glutino’s Pretzel Sticks stuck in a piece of cheese! BTW, have you heard about Glutino’s Chocolate and Yogurt-Covered Pretzels that are coming out soon?? YEA!! Sam used to love those Yogurt Covered Pretzel Flipz before going gluten-free. I am also working on making my own GF “Hostess” Cupcake but with a healthy twist (sneaking healthy stuff in the batter). The recipe is not ready yet, but hopefully soon!
Would you like a chance to “test-drive” the Easy LunchBox System?
For a chance to win a FREE Lunchbox (color of your choice) and Container Set, courtesy of EasyLunchBoxes.com:
Reply with a comment to this post about some of your favorite lunchbox ideas!
For a chance to earn multiple entries, do one (or all) of the following:
- 1 Bonus Entry: Tweet about this contest and be sure to include a link to this post and include @adventuresgfmom in your Tweet.
- 2 Bonus Entries: Sign Up to follow @EasyLunchboxes on Twitter
- 2 Bonus Entries: Become a Fan of EasyLunchBoxes on Facebook.
- 5 Bonus Entries: Blog about this giveaway in a blog post and include a link back to this post.
And one for some shameless self-promotion…
- 10 Bonus Entries: If you are the author of a blog and add me your Blogroll (please and thank-you) 😀
Send me an Email at heidikelly13@gmail.com after completing the tasks for any bonus entries you qualify for.
I will use a Random Number Generator to pick the winner on Monday, March 29, 2010.
Good Luck!!
This giveaway is offered to US & Canadian residents only.
EasyLunchBoxes.com reserves the right to disqualify a winner if they have won and received product from EasyLunchBoxes.com within the past 6 months.
I’ve had a few things come up, so I will be taking the week off from blogging to attend to some personal matters, but will be responding to comments and emails daily ! 🙂
And welcome to my blog!
Whether you're here looking for advice on how to go gluten free (with delicious kid-approved recipes of course!), or to read some of the latest medical research on celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity...or even to read about one woman's rise from the depths of gluten-free despair to a place of downright enthusiasm, it makes no matter. The point is, you are here now so let's have some fun!
This is a great giveaway. I have to take my food just about everywhere I go due to allergies. I love to take taboli, cucumber salad, other fresh salads. Hummus with fresh veggies or rice Krisps. Lettuce wraps. Chicken tacos on corn. etc. I also make my own salad dressings that I carry with me or meats and beans that I can throw on a salad.
The absolute favorite lunchbox item has got to be split pea soup. We have thermos soup containers that I put it in. Goes over very well. These lunch boxes look FANTASTIC. Have been searching forever myself!! I dread making lunch everyday because of it!!
Diane: I love soup too and you can EASILY fit a thermos in this lunchbox (along with the sectioned container! And Drinks!).
I like to use teff wraps for the sandwiches I take in my lunch. They don't have to be frozen (like most gf bread) so it's quick and easy.
Cindy,
You should check out Sandwich Petals: https://www.adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com/2010/01/04/…
They ROCK! If you order on Mondays, it is buy one, get one free!
We just joined a weekly local vegetable group that gives us boxes of fresh veggies from local farmers. I've been trying to figure out how my husband and I are going to eat them all and this is a fantastic idea!
I also travel a lot and have celiac disease so having food on hand is a great idea, and my Udi's gluten free bread will fit inside nicely. ^.^
Girl, you are already on my blogroll of course! Does that count? I am following them now on twitter too. And I will definitely retweet the giveaway for you.
And finally, will you please be my mom?
Maggie,
I didn’t even think of that, so yes… if a blogger already has me on on their Blogroll, I would like to show my deep appreciation by giving you the 10 entry bonus! Just let me know in your comment or send me an email! 🙂
And yes Maggie, I will “adopt” you as my own! 🙂
I love the idea of these.
With Celiac disease plus soy and dairy allergies we bring our own meals everywhere.
These are perfect for my family.
My children will love that they are sectioned, while I love that they are free of toxins.
I have three little girls, and like you, have had issues with lunchboxes.
We are pretty boring at our house – in addition to having my husband and three girls having Celiac Disease, one of the girls also has peanut and egg allergies.
But I LOVE to roll turkey or ham around a stick of cheese, (with mustard for dipping) with grapes and apples with nutella.
Perhaps if I had an easier system for lunch-packing, I could be more creative! Your lunches look wonderful!
Oh yes! I just had to comment – Mmm … nutella! 🙂
Tavia,
Nutella is awesome huh? I cannot believe I have NEVER tried it before this past week! I'm wondering if you can bake with it (like nut butters). I might try a Nutella Flourless cookie (like the peanut butter version).
Cut up fruit, nuts, cheese cubes, olives & pickles are favorite lunch time fare for us. 🙂
I am a fan of Easy Lunch Boxes on Facebook.
Ok, my son is only 2 (no school yet), but because he is gluten, dairy, egg, peanut, tree nut, and mostly soy and legume free, I've been wishing for something JUST like this. I find myself limiting activities I can do with him based on his mealtimes, because every time I think about what I could pack him for a meal while out and about, I just freeze. Where will I put it all? How will I keep it from getting smashed or turned to dust? How will I keep it cool? And here you've posted the answers to all those questions! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
Like you our son will NOT eat bread at all. Which is fine We do ham , turkey or chicken rollups with shredded cheese and bbq. He loves them and they are easy. He loves apples, grapes, pineapple in his lunch and prefers NO dipping sauces!
We also do Chicken Taco’s for lunch. We put the taco shells in his lunch and then the meat in one container, cheese in another, tomatoes, lettuce and he loves it.
This looks like a great way to make packing a bit easier. I’m really tired of a zillion baggies in my son’s lunch.
Tina,
Chicken Tacos… Brilliant! Sam is getting into “Hot Lunch Envy” and I am having a mental block on ideas. The great thing is that the Chicken Tacos wouldn’t need to be re-heated but it LOOKS like a “hot lunch!” 🙂 Love it!
My son is not old enough to need a lunchbox at school yet, but we have used them for outings–picnic lunch at the playground, day at the museum, etc. One of my favorite lunchbox ideas is leaving notes or other surprises inside!
I am about to start a new job in our school system next week. Since my girls are past the lunch packing stage, I have nothing to pack my GF lunces in! This looks perfect! I always packed my girls lunches when they were small since the school food is so poor in quality. Their favorite was mini tacos, made on homeade GF tortillas (using Chebe mix).
Cindy
Great system. I do agree that a girly color would be nice to have. I pack my daughters lunch every day for school and will continue to do so this summer at daycare. I am not very creative when it comes to lunch. The usual things I pick from are: heat and serve rice, ham roll ups, fruit, leftovers from night before, yogurt. I am sure she is tired of the same ol' thing.
winning these would make packing my husband's lunches so much easier!
Healthy lunches indeed! I think hummus with veggies would be an excellent start! 🙂
My daughter and I, mostly me, struggle packing lunches. I often feel like she doesn't have enough variety and many do I go through the snack bags : ( It would be wonderful to have this system!!!
These are awesome!! I take food everywhere.
These look really great…we often have to bring our lunches to work with us and I'm always packing a bunch of different things, and so have to wrap them up separately. These would be great to carry our nori vegetable rolls in with some hummus on the side! Or our zucchini "noodles" with sauce……
What a great post! I don't have to pack so much food for school but I'm always running out of ways to fit everything into her lunch box. I use a thermos from Target to pack mac-n-cheese and soups that takes up a lot of the room. Thanks for the pictures of your son's lunches. You've given me great ideas!
Janine
I have been on a mission to find drink containers that don't spill and lunch boxes that fit all my "picky" eater's requests (or lack of requests since she can never find anything she wants). I try to make her feel like everyone else even though she's gluten free. I don't have any tips – still working on it – but I'm going to steal some of yours for sure.
I originally found your website through Crockpot Lady. Love both of you! Diagnosed with Celiac in November – on my birthday, no less! I like to take salad for lunch, but I haven't been able to find a way to carry all the "parts" without something getting tipped over or running into other parts. I like my cheese and veggies separate and don't put dressing on it till I'm ready to eat. These lunchboxes look fantastic!
It would make taking lunches to work easier for me. I brought hummus today and yesterday left over chicken pad thai (with no soy sauce).
Love these lunchboxes! They look great! Awesome giveaway!
How do they freeze? I’m thinking of putting leftovers in them for future lunches.
Alicia,
I'm not sure how well they freeze, let me go put my chipped one (MY fault!) in the freezer and we'll find out! I will report back tomorrow. 🙂
Wanted to share a website link with everyone. A very nice man from Ireland left me the link to his blog on Gluten-Free Faces, and his blog is appropriately titled, "The Coeliac Lunchbox:"
Some great ideas and yummy looking GF foods (Thanks David!!)
Alicia,
Just saved some time, Kelly Lester of EasyLunchBoxes.com just emailed me the answer to your question:
This is a wonderful giveaway! Since my celiac diagnosis, I am always trying to pack food to bring along on family outings, to parties, etc. I also struggle with packing lunch for my daughter in those tiny, little lunchboxes sold in stores. I would love, love, love an Easy Lunchbox System!
These lunch boxes look great! It's frustrating that you can't even fit a sandwich sized plastic container into a regular kid sized lunch box! So, I love the size of this box, and the cool trays that you can put several different foods in!
I love to add lightly cooked veggies such as beans and brussel sprouts along side the normal carrots and cucumbers to my daughter's veggie box with a GF dip of her choice. She's also a big fan of Blue Diamond's Nut thins with cheese. I also like to add these Raw Cookie Dough Balls as they add something sweet, are healthy and travel well. http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2010/01/ball-re…
Happy to have found your blog. Added you to my blog and now following you on twitter 🙂
I just told two friends about this and I think we are all putting an order in together! These friends began http://www.greenmoms.com so I got their "seal of approval". After we get the boxes, we will do a review on the website.
I could see putting yogurt in one compartment and then fruit and granola in another so my son could make his own parfait. I think he'd also like this for tortilla chips and guacamole. It's a great way to be creative!
Thanks for sharing.
what a great give-away!!!! lunch time is tough as it seems my son does not have enough time to eat everything most of the time. i usually send him with little squares of lunch meat (salami being his favorite), a string cheese & a veggie, usually carrots or broccoli. i found these tiny containers at the the dollar tree that i put a bit of ranch in for dipping. its much cheaper than the little hidden valley single packs & i find there is too much dip in those for him anyway. for dessert, its usually tiny oranges or aldi's pineapple & cherry cup. i very rarely send cookies or anything like that. thanks for the great blog!!! :-}
Wow,
What a wonderful giveaway.
I would use this for my husband's lunch.
Put in some healthy food and snacks and he is good to go.
My favorite lunch is: candied cook carrots with pineapple, cereal, or baked oatmeal cookies (oatmeal, soymilk, fruit, nuts), a piece of fruit, and a few pieces of candied ginger for dessert, and finally an emergency granola bar.
Great giveaway idea~Your products look awesome! My favorite thing to pack is apples, almond butter, and some rice crackers!
Oh cool lunchboxes! My favorite thing to pack it Lemon Quinoa Crunch.
I just have to add that I packed what, in theory, should have been a simple lunch today – BLT (with the L&T separate from the sandwich, of course), chips, salsa, dessert, and a little morning and afternoon snack. I ended up with 3 plastic containers, 3 plastic baggies, and had to just carry my apple separate, because there was no more room in the lunchbox! I think I might go buy some of these lunchbox systems now – and if I win, my husband can have one, too! I told my daughter about them and she's already sold on it!
My favorite thing to send in the lunchbox are the cutie oranges! 🙂
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My favorite lunch idea for the girls is all raw snacks: mixed nuts, fruit, veggies, and salad. That way if they don't want any veg at supper, at least I know they've had some today.
One of the fac lunchbox ideas is some lunchmeat, cheese crackers, veggies and a cookie. An easy lunchbox would be perfect for this fav lunch of my son's.
I'm a fan of easylunchboxes on facebook.
(Joey-Lynn Matsuura)
I'm a fan of easylunchboxes on facebook #2.
(Joey-Lynn Matsuura)
53 Comment on this already??!? Dammit!! I want to WIN THIS ONE!!! For real. I need to get my sh!t together with my work lunches. You're already on my blog roll. And I just don't have the damn energy to do all the other steps to get entries. I'm exhausted from going back to work.
We currently use a VERY LARGE insulated lunchbox with VERY LARGE ice packs. This works for me, my 5yo and 3yo (lunch plus snacks for 8-9 hours). For containers we mostly use the Ziploc rusable containers. Each person's sandwich goes in its own box. You can write on the lids in dry erase marker and it stays in place beautifully but wipes off easily with a dry cloth (and that is my best tip in this comment). Chips and other breakables also go in reusable containers. Anything that won't get mushed goes in Ziplocs. Our favorite snack is the applesauce crushers from Trader Joe's.
Know what's tough? Keeping food from freezing in the winter here, even in just a few minutes at -40! I bet this would help a lot with that, all insulated. I have two kids and a husband with CD, so I get the crazy lady with a cooler dynamic in a very intimate way.
My boys adore strawberry ladybugs…I cut strawberries in half and stick a grape on the front with a toothpick as a head, then stud the strawberry half with mini chocolate chips for the dots. They love that. We also have honey cinnamon popcorn as a favorite snack, and hummus…my youngest is wacky for hummus and oranges. A slice of chocolate garbanzo cake is so delicious but so crumbly, so they rarely get it on the move…
BTW, became a fan on FB! 🙂 And you're on my favorites list now…we gf moms need all the ideas we can get!
Erin,
LMAO! That was a snort laugh! Thank you, I needed that! 🙂
Heidi
Following Easy Lunch Boxes on Twitter (1)
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Tweeted about the contest.
My favorite lunchbox idea is to add a frozen item to keep everything else cold. I also pack my bread separate from my lunchmeat so it isn't a soggy mess by the time lunch time hits.
Following on FB & Twitter @KrystenLindsay
My favorite lunchbox idea is to pack small items with toothpicks. Makes it more interesting for them to eat.
I admit that I am brand new to this whole gluten-free thing, but I already love your blog! My sis and I are both going gluten-free for the health of our kids and families. I have been looking for containers like these for a long time, and I am so excited to see that someone finally made some! I agree that pink should be the next color, but that aqua is pretty.
I hate to say it, but I think you listed all of the great lunch ideas that we use. My son did go through a time when he did not want to eat his lunch so we started calling it a picnic. I would ask what he would like to take to his school picnic, and I would pack that. I tend to send pasta with cold or raw veggies, create your own sandwich/salad/taco, or fruit and cheese trays.
I did become a FB fan, too.
I like to partially freeze the juice box or drink container , then by the time lunch comes around, it is thawed out and still chilled. It also helps keep the food cold as well.
The lunchbox looks like an easy way to put a lunch together —
Turkey Tortilla Roll-ups, and
A few Go-Withs:
Seedless grapes
Cheese cubes
Broccoli florets
Carrot sticks
Yogurt
Glutino Pretzel Sticks
Dried mango slices
Blue Diamond Natural Pecan Nut-Thins Nut & Rice Crackers
Apple slices
Thanks for your great ideas!
Pat
One idea is to freeze grapes so that they are chilled at lunch, I have frozen juice pouches and let them thaw out during day wrapped in paper towel and made simple wraps
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Does anyone know if a laptop lunchbox will fit in the easy lunchbox carrying case?
I plan to order the entire easy lunch system but was wondering if I could also use the carrier for our laptop lunchbox.
Thanks!
Good question Melissa! I wish I could tell you but I gave my Laptop Lunchbox to my local Goodwill already! What are the dimension's of the Laptop Lunchbox? If you can give me those, then I will compare with my Easy Lunchbox to see if it might work!
The laptop lunch box is 9" x 7" x 2"
The 7" side is the only one I am worried about. I know the easylunchbox carrying case is 9" x 6.5" x 6.5" and expands around the easylunchbox so I was thinking it may also work with the laptop lunch box.