Back to School --School Lunch (Updated)

Tomorrow is our first day of 1st grade. For us, it marks the first time we will be eating lunch at school. Like all meals, I have given it a lot of thought....maybe too much...we now have 4 lunch boxes:


Here's the Lap Top Lunch. It came highly rated from food conscience moms. It's a Bento style box with small compartments. Two of the compartments have lids. It comes in several colors, with utensils, and an optional insulated bag. Unfortunately, for my young 1st grader, it is too difficult to open. I think we'll be ready for this box next year. We'll also see how long the small parts hang around....good chance we'll loose them.




Here's the Tupperware version of the Bento Box style. It's one piece (won't be losing lids or small parts) and easy to open, which I like. I'm not sure about the Tupperware plastic --is it PBA free? Overall I like this box's design, function, and is 6 year old friendly. I would buy this again.




Here's the standard good ol' fashion tin box. Not really anything to say about this one--it's the same style I had as a kid, tin and cheap. Although mine was Strawberry Shortcake and had its fair share of rust. Unlike mine, this one did not come with a matching thermos. Cheap-os. I think this box is best for carrying toys.



And then there is the GI-NORMOUS Land's End cooler style lunch box. It has two separate compartments, one for a drink and one for the lunch. There is also a pocket for utensils, napkins, etc. This one clips onto my son's matching backpack and came with his name embroidered on the outside. I like this one because it will keep his food cool in our 95 to 110 degree summer weather. It's pretty big however, and probably unnecessary in cooler months. Even though the size is bigger than huge, I really like this box for its function (keeping things cold in our hot summer) and it is easy to use. This box has been great to take to the park too. I would buy this one again.




Remember, feeding our kids a nourishing lunch, free of chemicals, refined sugars, preservatives and other additives is extremely important. We want the best for our children and that has to begin with food. Food is not the same as it was 30, 40, 50+ years ago and its important to think about the quality. Read labels...or better yet buy foods that don't come with labels, like fruit, veg, grains, and meat.

Remember that the only beverage a kid needs to drink is water.

What will be in Kid #1's lunch box tomorrow? A (nitrate/nitrite free) ham sandwich on either sourdough or sprouted grain bread, popcorn (popped here on our stove, it's lightly salted with sea salt and real butter), a plum, and some carrots with ranch dressing. Water.