Picking a box

I do believe that the most important part about preparing great school lunches is finding a versatile, sturdy and interesting vessel to carry said lunch in. In this post I plan to showcase a couple of variations of lunch containers and give my personal opinion of them. I know a lot of people may not think it's a big deal, but those of you who know me personally can probably see a bit of an advertising campaign coming about a certain product (that we will get to later). Remembering that this is all just my personal opinions based on mine and my children's experience.
There is one factor that will always sway me towards certain products and this is my huge belief that we should at least attempt to send our kids to school with 'Litter Free Lunches' for the majority of their school week. This can seem like a bit of an extreme thought if you are a parent who believes that they are strapped for time and finds it quickest to be able to throw a few packages of food and a cling wrapped sandwich in a box, but I'm here to prove that there is another way.

So lets get to these lunch boxes.

#1
The basic square box

These come in many different colours and sizes, are fairly inexpensive to buy and can be sturdy enough to last a few good droppings. Big negative: they aren't really ideal for litter free lunches. There are ways around it, for example using smaller containers inside the box. But this can seem a bit painful.

#2
The duel compartment box.

These are still rather similar to the basic box, it can give you a little bit more of an option when it comes to the possibility of providing a variety of food options as you can separate morning tea and lunch if you like. However you would still need to package items separately either using plastic wrap or smaller containers.

#3
The multi compartment box

These two are rather similar and I quite like them both. I have used the blue one to pack a lunch for myself and it was plenty enough for me. These two both discourage the use of plastic wraps as food will stay in each compartment. The nudie food mover (the one with the orange and yellow containers) are my second choice in a kids lunch box (you can get bigger sized ones). They can both still be a little on the fragile side being plastic and having removable lids (i had to use a rubber band on the blue one to keep the lid on). I also think that sometimes having too many containers to open can be a bit of a turn off because usually the kids spend more time playing at lunch than eating so they are likely to forget about anything that takes too much time to access. In saying that I would still much prefer these over a lunch full of small packages. They are both still decently priced and are definitely the type that I would recommend if you aren't willing or in a position to purchase the next product, (which is my personal favourite).

#4
The 'Planet Box' (specifically The Rover)

These lunch kits are by far the best lunch vessels I have ever come across. They are decently sized, made of extremely durable stainless steel, they look great and they inspire fantastic lunches. They require no plastic wrapping of food so are perfect for litter free lunches! I did say that we have no litter in our lunches most of the time, the only exception is if we have a squeeze pouch of yoghurt, but I would like to try the reusable pouches. They come with two stainless steel containers (a big dipper and a little dipper). They can also come with a carry bag which has a pouch for a drink bottle and an extra pocket which fits the big dipper container in it for an extra snack. Now the negative, and yes there is only one, they are expensive. They retail at $59.95 for the complete set including the lunch box, the two dippers and the bag. Also they are an American product and there are very few Australian retailers of the product which means you need to pay expensive postage. There are some available in Australia now and I will add a link to the retailer but I think your choices are limited. We have had ours for over two years now and they have been dropped, kicked and tossed around and they are still complete (if I didn't mention it earlier i have two boys so you can imagine what they have been through). They are a fantastic investment and they generally come home completely empty.

I hope this gives you a bit of insight into making a lunch box choice. In the end you will need to choose what works for you and your family. My goal in this journey is to help you to feel enjoyment in creating a nutritious and preferably litter free lunch for your loved ones so that we can fuel them smart and fuel them strong during the most important part of their day and their lives.

Making better choices for a longer, stronger future

Let me start by saying that i love my children with a ferocity to rival any other and i know i'm not alone in this. Of the seven billion plus people on this earth there are plenty of parents who feel as much love for their children as i do for mine. This is the reason that i'm on this journey.
What is "Fuel Smart, Fuel Strong" and what does it have to do with loving our children? I'm a mum first and foremost and as of last year i became a school mum with my oldest boy going off into the big wide world and starting prep. I've learnt a whole lot by having one of my babies leave the nest. There have been many positives and a few negatives. One of these negatives being the shocking revelation of what is contained in a child's school lunch box. I've seen and heard a few that have caused my jaw to drop including left over takeaway (think the big yellow 'M' word), chocolate biscuits (i mean half a packet of Tim Tams straight out of the backpack) and lunch boxes full of package upon package of sugary treats, consumed one after the other.When did it become an impossibility to allow 20 minutes of our morning that could be used to create a healthy and nutritious lunch for our children? Believe me that's all it takes, just 20 minutes. In that period of time i can cut fruit and vegetables, make a sandwich or wrap, add in a sweet or savory treat and any other little extras that i'm inspired to include that day. My family are on a journey to mostly remove sugar from our everyday life so it's usually a no added sugar sweet treat and i also am trying very hard to avoid packaged or processed foods but sometimes i slip up, i'm not a martyr. My goal with this is to encourage, excite, inspire and educate both parents and children into spending that 20 minutes a day to pack a wonderful healthy and nutritious lunch and to maybe spend an hour or two on the weekend cooking and baking in preparation for a week of amazing lunches. I plan on sharing recipe's, lunch box planners and anything else i come up with or find to help along the way.
We as parents are solely responsible for the way our children view food and the habits that they establish so we need to feel as though providing our children with the fuel that they not only require, but also they deserve, is a top priority. In addition to that, i not only want you to feel like you should plan and pack these great lunches, i want you to feel excited and inspired to do so. I have established my goals and i am well on the path. I still have plenty to learn but i also have plenty to share. I don't want this to become an intimidating idea that makes you think you will have to spend hours agonizing over what to feed your children everyday, that's where i come in. I am hoping to provide plenty of ideas as i know that there will be days where you feel creative and inspired and there are also days where you feel completely uninspired and need someone to think for you.   I believe that awareness is everything, because once you learn something you can' t unlearn it so even becoming aware of the choices we are making can make a huge difference. I hope that you, dear reader, would consider sharing my goal to fuel our children smarter and stronger and that you share your journey with me and others in the hopes that we can make a difference in the lives of our precious children.