Way back in the early days of my blog, I wrote a post about how I pack a frugal, waste-free lunch for Mr. FG.
Seeing as that was over four years ago, I thought it would be fun to do an updated post.
I send two beverages with him…water in a stainless steel Klean Kanteen, and iced or hot tea in his Thermos Tumbler
(which, by the way, is really fabulous for keeping beverages hot or cold. It’s amazing how long it works!)
The only difficulty with these two containers is that they will dent if you drop them on a hard surface. Otherwise, they’re pretty darn near perfect.
For items I want to send in small quantities, I dearly love my little sidekick containers by To Go Ware (I bought mine at Hip Mountain Mama.)
These are stainless steel, completely plastic-free, and fairly lightweight, so if you drop them, they’re not likely to dent. They aren’t leakproof, though, so I don’t use them for liquids or for things like yogurt.
Probably my most-used lunchbox item are my small Pyrex containers. I love these for sending fruits and vegetables.
You can’t usually buy a set of these on their own, but they typically are included in larger Pyrex sets
. I also sometime see them sold individually at grocery stores, and on two occasions, I’ve been fortunate enough to find them at Goodwill.
Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to buy Anchor glass containers instead of Pyrex. Every single one of my Anchor lids has cracked, but my Pyrex lids are still going strong.
I use other various Pyrex containers for whatever main dish I’m sending along (it’s usually leftovers), but probably the 2-cup round size is the one that sees the most use.
For items that need to be sent in really small quantities, I just bought some teensy stainless steel containers from LunchBots. These have a small silicone ring around the inside of the lid, so they’re leak-proof…yay!
That makes them perfect for condiments like BBQ sauce or salad dressing.
You can buy LunchBots brand items at a number of retail outlets, but this teeny set is only available directly through LunchBots.
(Not affiliated with them, by the way. I just think these containers are great!)
To keep the food cold, I use Rubbermaid reusable cooling packs. And I send real silverware because it’s green and also because plastic utensils are just no fun to use.
Now, if I was packing lunches for my kids, I might be a little more hesitant to send all of these nice and somewhat expensive items. But Mr. FG is responsible and has almost never lost a container (and I think the one he lost was plastic anyway, so he’s forgiven.) 😉
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Jo@simplybeingmum
Saturday 25th of August 2012
ps - does anyone know how easy lunchbots are to open for young children? Just eyed up a nice on with 3 internal compartments for my 7-year-old? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Christine
Monday 17th of February 2014
My 7 year old spilled a couple of times with lunch bots:( so we only use planetbox now. He loves it because it's so easy to use and he can see everything at once.
Virginia Dare
Friday 24th of August 2012
Yes, those lunch bot containers are awesome!
Also, concur about Anchor and would add Martha Stewart brand, too, which I think might be manufactured by Anchor. I don't know why because they look just like the Pyrex ones, but they don't hold up.
Kayla
Thursday 23rd of August 2012
I love my Pyrex bowls and storage containers for mixing, leftovers, and hubby's lunch. We do use our Rubbermaid / Glad plastic containers on occasion but I'm trying to use them less often. Those Lunchbot items look sweet! When I need to get more containers I will definitely consider Lunchbot. Thanks for the recommendation. :)
Karen
Thursday 23rd of August 2012
I have two lunch packers. One has no access to any kind of facilities, so heating leftovers is not an option. We use a stainless steel thermos for soups and stews, wish there was an insulated container that could be used for hot, more solid things. We also use small canning jars with the plastic storage lids, but I'm going to use the suggestion of cozies for protection. I get the jars for $.25 at the thrift store. Thrift store cutlery and cloth napkins are kept with the lunch packing gear. The other lunch packer is in the last year of high school. Coolness counts there, but we have managed to get away from the brown bag by just using a pocket of the backpack. Lunch thefts (yeah, really - about once a month) prevent me from using any container I would be upset about losing, so we are stuck with the nasty bags for one more year. They do come home to be washed and reused, so we don't go through very many. With luck, the small box I bought this spring will last. Really like the stainless steel containers, though, especially the ones with the seal.
Bob
Wednesday 22nd of August 2012
For dent-prevention on the stainless steel bottle & cup, I thought of a couple solutions. You could knit/crochet/sew sleeves for them (the first two things that came to mind to sew them from are the sleeves of a worn-out long-sleeve t-shirt or the calf of a tube sock) - beer koozies are often available free and could be cut to fit as well. You could also use Plasti-Dip to rubber-coat them. An uglier, but cheaper, solution would be to duct-tape thin packing foam to the outside.