Preparing for school and work each night is an ordeal in my home. With 4 school-age kids, 1 child that goes to a sitter, and 2 adults, the amount of money and food we go through just on lunch alone is CRAZY! One of the biggest problems with packing meals for everyone is that it can quickly seem monotonous. I mean how many days in a row can you eat boiled eggs, PB&J sandwiches, or salads? It also doesn’t help that everyone has their own ever-changing list of food likes and dislikes. Ok, so I don’t have any suggestions for that but I do have suggestions for the things you can control….LUNCH GEAR!
Since my oldest was in 1st grade, I’ve been purchasing Land’s End backpacks and matching lunch bags for them because they come with a lifetime warranty and are so much more durable. They also come in so many cute designs. I’ve noticed however, that kids lunch gear tends to lay flat instead of sitting upright. This can make for a messy situation when the bags are being transported.
After many trials. I’ve found that Rubbermaid’s LunchBlox kits are the perfect fit for all of us regardless of the type of lunch bag or food. I love how they mix and match between the sets. The lids are tight and sturdy. I’ve never had a leakage from anything. The kits each come with an ice “block”. The containers tightly snap with the ice “block”. Best of all, they are priced very reasonable and I’ve managed to purchase most kits for under $10 each.
I have ordered the sandwich kit the most because it is the most versatile. Sandwiches can fit (normal width breads) and the container is an appropriate size for a lunch meal. It also comes with 2 snack containers and 1 side container. The snack containers are great for nuts, toppings, condiments, dressings, and anything else you’d want to eat in moderation. The side container is the one we mostly use for fruit or veggies.
The salad kit is great if you make a lot of salads. In my head, I’d eat more deliciously creative salads. In reality, I get bored very quick with salads. This kit is deep so it would only work with an upright lunch bag (you’re in luck…Rubbermaid makes a companion lunch bag). I do love that there’s a 3-section insert that sits at the top of the container for your toppings.
If you need more space than the sandwich kit or perhaps are feeding a person with a bottomless stomach, the entree kit can help you. This kit is longer than the other two kits so you would need a full-size lunch bag to hold it. The main container has a section for a side and there’s 1 additional side container included separately as well as the 2 snack containers.
I mentioned this earlier but it’s worth noting again that the kits are interchangeable. Now maybe some of you can keep up with lids and whatnot, but in my house, lost lids (or even containers) are the norm. Additional containers are available a la carte, if necessary. They do come in different color combinations but we aren’t picky about the colors of our containers; it’s more about what’s in them. I hope you find them to be just as perfect for your needs as they are for ours.
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