When the Five Little Reasons are eating their breakfast, I make the school lunches. I have never been a "make them the night before" kind of a girl. I would rather take 15 minutes in the morning to put it all together.
I like to give the Reasons a little control over what they would like in their lunch box. I make a healthy sandwich of ham and salad or a yummy wrap. They then choose a piece of fruit, a snack and a dessert.
This is how we store our lunchboxes and containers. This is actually our laundry cupboard - which is off the kitchen. Everything has a place. Bottom shelf stores sandwich boxes, drink bottles and insulated bags. One of each for each of the Reasons. Top shelf on the right is a range of snackcups and containers. And on the left is our snack box. In here I put portion control biscuits, crackers, muesli bars, sultanas and other semi healthy snacks. I keep desserts which are portion controlled cakes, slices and short life biscuits in the bottom drawer of the freezer.
We have been road testing some Smash and Nude Food Movers products this week and this is what I thought.
I am totally in LOVE with the Smash insulated bags. They come in a huge range of colours and types. They have a good, thick insulation and they are tough. They fit a good range of items inside. One thing that I look for with a large family is a good range of colours. I need at least 5 different designs to make distinguishing the bags easier. Smash have a great range of different colours, patters and designs.
How cute is this?
I next put the Nude Food Mover Cool Tote to the test. I am on the fence with the Nude Food Movers range. I love the concept, however I found them limiting with what you can put inside them. Oliver had to take a 2nd lunch bag to kindy as it didn't fit his muslie bar, banana, his yoghurt or his popper.
I think this pack is perfect for a picnic lunch or a quick trip. I didn't find it suitable for a whole day pack. I even tried taking the snack cups out to put the popper in, but the bag didn't fit anything else.
I also road tested the new Nude Food Movers Muffin Mover. This product I am in LOVE with. It is a perfet size as my kids have outgrown their little tupperware snack containers. They have a rubber seal, which makes them perfect for juicy fruits like watermellon or yoghurts.
I love that both the Smash and Nude Food Movers range are 100% BPA free, 100% Phthalate Free and 100% Lead Free, totally food safe and easy to clean. The fact that they are 100% Australian owned is a bonus.
To celebrate the end of the holidays and the kids going back to school, I am giving away a Smash Insulated Lunch Case with Drink bottle (in either boy or girl) plus a Nude Food Muffin Mover.
All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what your favourite sandwich was as a child. I personally loved Vegemite and potato chips sandwich.
The judges will be Hayden (9) and Lucy (7) so make them as creative as you can!
Entries close 6pm on Friday 27th January 2012 and a winner will be announced on Saturday 28th.
Competition is open to Australian Residents only.
This competition has now closed! See how we decided on a winner HERE!
{Disclaimer} I received a Smash Jungle Bugs Insulated bag, a Nude Food Movers Cool Tote and a Muffin Mover to review, as well as a Smash Insulated Bag and Muffin Mover to giveaway. I am not associated with either Smash or Nude Food Movers and all opinions on my blog are totally mine.
I loved lunchin sausage and sauce - BLERK!!! I am now a vegetarian - I wonder if that was a contributing factor!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your storage solutions - I need as much help as I can get with organisation!!!
Kylie Look
Otherwise known as Devon (luncheon sausage is the NZ name)
DeleteWe called it Luncheon too. We used to have it sliced and grilled on the BBQ with eggs (as a substitute for bacon!)
DeleteDevon and potato chips...although now I cringe at the thought of it lol
ReplyDeleteHmmmm - I'm tossing up between vegemite with lettuce and tomato or cheese with gerkin spread!
ReplyDeleteBTW - I bought my kids those Nude lunch boxes (the next one up from the one you tried - the 3 compartment one with sandwich in the middle, 2 little tubs on one end and the split compartment on the other end)
I loved the idea but I too found it a little restricting at times and the feedback from my kids was that it was a pain to have to squeeze the box back into the cover and zip it up all the time.....
Sliced apple and onion or banana,peanut butter and honey. yummy!
ReplyDeleteI didnt like sandwiches at school - an ice pack would have made all the world of difference i think! But my dad was a teacher so i could take leftovers have them heated!
ReplyDeleteOh and i love the elephant smash lunch bag!! I also look for a good range of colours. My kids have an allocated colour - Blue, red, yellow and green which makes identifying their own plates cups etc really easy (and no fights!) Do you have a system like this for your Reasons?
DeleteWe do colour code things here as well. Hayden is green, Lucy is purple, Joshua is blue, Oliver is yellow and Camille is pink. Although, like I said, it is so hard to find products that come in 5 different colours. Usually they only stock things in 1,2 or 3 colours max.
DeleteI have one of the nude ones for my partner to take to work and to be honest, more often than not I end up putting his lunch just in the insulated bag and not the lunch box as I can't fit a lot of stuff in there...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, as a child I used to eat peanut butter and banana sandwiches.. Ahh yum? Generally not something I eat as an adult though lol.
Loved Salami and Cheese!!
ReplyDeleteMy favourite sandwich at school was vegimite (pretty boring!) and when I was in infants my mum would cut them into different shapes and I would spend half of my lunch time making things out of the shapes such as house from a sqaure and a triangle.
ReplyDeleteLOL, disregard my comment as an entry to your givaway - I think it'd be a bit unethical for me to enter given we know each other personally :-)
ReplyDeleteBut, I have to say - Benjamin uses the new Nude Food Mover Mini lunchbox & the neoprene tote bag - same as you have tested for Oliver (it comes in a bigger size btw..). we find it brilliant. He broke his tupperware lunchbox dropping it on the ground but the NFM one is surviving really well so far. It fits all his food for the day with the exception of his 2nd piece of fruit in it.
He usually takes a sandwich, some cruskits (which fit on top of the sandwich divider) or other bikkies, 2 pieces of fruit/carrot sticks & a yoghurt. We don't use poppers so don't have to worry about them not fitting. I freeze the yoghurt the night before so it keeps his sandwich cool (rather than use an ice brick) & by lunch it is still nice & cold (sometimes still icy).
BTW, just for S&G's - My favourite sandwich (which was NEVER allowed!) was hundreds & thousands.. Benjamin's favourite sandwich for a while was Vegemite & tinned mandarins (gross I know..).
My favourite sandwich when I was a kid was nutella with sprinkles - but my mum wouldn't let me take it very often. Now I'm a grown up my favourite sandwich filling is left over lasagne - YUM
ReplyDeleteNot my idea as i didnt really like sandwiches as child but my brother in law lived on snickers sandwiches as a kid (nutella and peanut butter together) he introduced this idea onto his own kids and mine and they have requested this reguarly! Another great lunchbox is the long tupperware one with the divided sections.
ReplyDeleteI loved white bread peanut butter and honey sandwiches. I still do. On Sundays the family would pick up bread from Brumby's, hot chips and a bottle of coke and we would make chip sandwiches with tomato sauce. We weren't worried about carbs back then. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Rachel xx
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is nutella and cream cheese! Not the good creamed cheese though the horrible stuff from the jar :D and on a bagel!! Nutella and smooth peanut butter is also a favorite!
ReplyDeletewe have colour codes as well, I find smash has the range (blue; green; pink; yellow and red).
ReplyDeleteAs my fav sanga as a kid, just mayonaise, nothing else, I shudder now lol
As a child my favourite sandwich was baked beans, egg & bacon. I can feel my arteries hardening at the thought.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
My favourite sandwich was jelly crystal sandwiches!!! Colourful, and oh so fun. I was the envy of all the kids at school. :)
ReplyDeleteAs a kid, I liked banana and honey although it would not be a good combination for school. I still love banana on toast with golden syrup although it's more of a treat.
ReplyDeleteGood old devon and tomato sauce!
ReplyDeleteHands down favourite sandwich was jam and cheese.
ReplyDeleteYummmm everyone thinks I'm weird when I now put this on a sandwhich
DeleteI loved Nutella sandwiches with hundreds and thousands on top... sickeningly sweet, but super delicious!!
ReplyDeleteDanielle, you are so very organised!!Where did you get those white containers that you have the snacks kept? I like them very much and they would work great in my pantry :)
ReplyDeleteThey are from Ikea Belinda. Cheap as chips too!
Deletehttp://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/50177256/?query=501.772.56
Banana sandwich.. YUM!!
ReplyDeleteOr as a treat jam and cream on fresh bread... Mmmm
I have 2x boys just incase ;)
I love making salt and vinegar chips on a sanwhich!! YUMMMY
ReplyDeletePeanut Butter & Banana.... and I still love it lol
ReplyDeleteAs an American it would have to be peanut butter and jelly (jam) or tuna fish with potato chips crushed on top!
ReplyDeleteMy favourite was sprinkles and peanut butter with raspberry jam Or honey Or all four!
ReplyDeleteCream cheese, sultana and carrot on whole meal thick sandwich bread or multigrain
ReplyDelete-gimmeguitars (Chris)
My favourite sandwich as a kid was vegemite, cheese and tomato, still love it now :)
ReplyDeleteHiya :-) My favourite sandwich as a child was cheese and beetroot. I used to love it! I hadn't eaten it for years after finishing school (19 years ago) and had one the other day for the first time since then and it was devine! My kids on the other hand thought it looked gross! lol
ReplyDeleteMy favourite sandwich to have at school was crunchy peanut butter on white bread.
ReplyDeleteI used to love left over slices of roast lamb and mint jelly sandwiches. It has been a long time since I have had one of these but might just have to indulge in the next few weeks (being coeliac bread just isn't the same anymore but I have found a rice sourdough which is fabulous and can be eaten fresh!)
ReplyDeleteLynne (randalllynne@yahoo.com.au)
My favourite sandwich as a child was also Vegemite and Chips. I still remember the first time I ever got it and it was when I went on my first school excursion when I was in about grade 2. Still love them to this day.
ReplyDeleteBut I hated sandwiches normally as a kid, and I think I put it down to not always having fresh bread. I always make sure we have a fresh loaf of bread for my kids. Thankfully they both love their sandwiches. I hope it continues through their schooling.
I loved swapping whatever was in my sandwich with my best friend Anna....she was Italian and ALWAYS had cutlet sandwiches - I loved her sandwiches and she loved mine, great swap and we both loved it :-) and then we would often trade any other little snacks that we had :-)....that brings back lots of great memories :-)
ReplyDeleteDebbie
I have a similar system. I've discovered the fridge to go lunch boxes. The freezer block stays cold for 8 hours. I've also discovered eco wraps. They are sandwich wraps that are re-usable. My daughter loves them and one lasted 12 months. Keep up the wonderful blog, I often refer to your ideas. Mum of soon to be 4.
ReplyDeleteHam, cheese and pickles or instead of ham leftover corned beef from the night before.
ReplyDeleteVegemite and Tomato Sauce were always my favourite. DS1's is Ham and Jam.
ReplyDeleteVegemite and Lettuce!! Yummm!
ReplyDeleteThe vegemite kept the lettuce fresh in the hot WA heat! Awesome ;-)
I always loved mashed banana sandwiches in primary school, yum.
ReplyDeleteCucumber and tomato sauce with a little bit of salt or pickled gherkins with cheese :)
ReplyDeleteOoooh, two favorite sandwiches from childhood. 1. Banana with a sprinkle of sugar. 2. Devon and tomato sauce with the sauce in a smiley face! Mel (mash.1993@hotmail.com)
ReplyDeleteI love the nude food range. So does DevilChild (10). He packs it at night & it's ready for the morning. We are looking at doing more freezer based lunches this year, and we use the large size Nude Food lunch box (not the smaller one pictured).
ReplyDeleteThe larger 1 has it's own sleeve & icepacks as well as the room for a small banana & slices/snacks. It doesn't have room for a "popper" or a juicebox, unless you pack a wrap or narrow roll in the main section, for us, that's great, because it means we're not packing him one. No room, no box :D He drinks primarily water & on canteen/tuckshop days a BigM box.
This year we've bought additions to the range, the snack box, the stacker tubes, the sandwich box and plan on using them for his treats. To compensate for the lack of room in the Smash sleeve we're using a compact insulated bag we got a couple of years back. We're also doubling up on our range so that we can advance freeze some of the produce straight in their tubs - yoghurts mainly.
This in theory is Mstr 10s lunch this year - mainly plastic free:
Sandwich / roll / wrap
Banana or apple
tub frozen yoghurt
rice snacks (asian, sakata or rice cake)
slice/cupcake
Bottle of water
He may also be taking in the 2 travel pod (the green/orange) some fresh berries
This all means that Dad & I have to be more organised, and for the record, we are far from it, so hence the attempts at freezer food. Wish us luck! I'm determined to get Mstr 10's food healthy before he hits highschool with a daily free-for-all canteeen style junk system.
Thanks for the review, I enjoyed the read.
I used to love banana and peanut butter (on the same sandwich!). Love the range of things out there for making lunch time easier :)
ReplyDeleteSugar sandwiches. If I was feeling 'healthy' I put some lettuce in there too. Fortunately the teachers didn't care what we ate back then, or my lunch would have been confiscated each day!
ReplyDeleteFor cold sandwiches, either egg&lettuce or nutella&sprinkles.
ReplyDeleteHot toasted sandwiches, we used to make Pizza ones with tomato paste, ham, pineapple & cheese!
Yummo! :)
My favorite sandwich, which I only ever got to eat on my birthday, was bacon, banana and cream cheese.....soooooooooo yummy!!
ReplyDeleteIt's now a birthday special for everyone in the family :)
My counsin got me onto vegemite and lettuce. Not bad :)
ReplyDeleteJenny Power (gregandjenny@kern.com.au)
DeleteMy favourite was mum's homemade Apricot jam sandwiches closely followed by banana rolls!
ReplyDeleteCheese and tartare sauce- it tastes like a cheeseburger!
ReplyDeleteMy favourite sandwich as a child was either a chip sandwich or fairy bread. Unhealthy but very tasty!!!
ReplyDeleteMine was leftover sausages or meatloaf with tomato sauce on white bread! yuuuum!!
ReplyDeleteSarah Christou :)
My favourite was peanut butter and honey. Hot chips and sauce was also very yummy, but school didn't sell hot chips. - Jackie speak
ReplyDeleteI always loved sour cream and onion potato chips on a bread roll with butter and that was in high school :)
ReplyDeleteI know the giveaway is over now, but wanted to leave my 2 cents anyway.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Germany with a yugoslavian mother, so we didn't have the type of bread that people use for sandwiches here (thank god, still can't stand the stuff ;-)
So it was things like liverwurst and gherkins on rye bread or ajvar (yugoslavian vegetable relish) and butter. One of my favourites was butter and fresh chives.
My 5 year old daughter's current favourite is blue brie and quince paste.