New spring Yumbox...

Hi Friends. Wow!! Can you believe it....a lunch post!! Sorry it's been so long since I've posted a lunch. Busy does not even begin to describe my life right now. I know most of you are busy moms, so you completely understand. I wish I could say that it's my kids that are keeping my life so hectic, but it's other things. However, when our new Yumbox came in the mail, I just had to test drive it. At the beginning of this year, Yumbox announced new spring colors and an updated tray design. All of the new spring colors are sooooo pretty, but I chose the Ananas Yellow for the little guy. It's BE-U-TI-FUL!! I really am loving the new design of the tray. It has the same layout as the original Yumbox tray, but is more streamlined and has larger compartments, which means it will hold more food. If you've been thinking about the Yumbox for your kidlets, I say dive right in. Even if your kidlets are older, the Yumbox will suit their needs. The new tray design really does hold a lot of food.

This lunch is packed in the Yumbox.

• peanut butter and strawberry all-fruit spread roll ups- These are totally mangled because my bread was super stale. Stale bread doesn't roll well. Blerg!!
• Babybel cheese
• Pepperidge Farms goldfish crackers
• strawberries
• carrot rounds and black olives
• natural applesauce with blueberries
• Russell Stover's mini milk chocolate bunnies

Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:

Healthy heart Yumbox...

Hi Friends! I cannot believe today is the last day of February. I have one more heart themed lunch to share with you to support February as the American Heart Association's healthy heart month. Better late than never, huh? The AHA promotes Heart Month to raise awareness about heart disease and how people can prevent it. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. So, please take care of your ticker, Friends! Lots of healthy foods to help my little guy's heart packed in the Yumbox today.

This lunch is packed in the Yumbox.

• triple-decker Natural Selects ham and cheddar cheese heart sandwich on whole grain bread
• sweet peas with 2 heart shaped carrots
• Rold Gold honey wheat pretzels
• Yoplait dye-free yogurt with strawberry heart center
• sliced strawberries
• heart shaped jelly beans

Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:

Applegate & Yumbox....Win-Win!

Last week, I reviewed the Applegate HALF TIME lunch kit. The lovely people over at Applegate sent me 3 different types of the kit for us to try out and review, and I chose the bologna kit for Z's first lunch since bologna is his favorite deli meat. Today's lunch features the HALF TIME turkey kit packed in the Yumbox. This was a Win-Win all around as Z loved the turkey kit, too, and he loves the Yumbox. You can see my Applegate HALF TIME lunch kit review HERE.

This lunch is packed in the Yumbox. You can see my Yumbox review HERE.

• Applegate turkey slices
• Applegate American cheese 
• Annie's Buttery Rich crackers
• Stonyfield strawberry YoKids Squeezers
• four bean salad
• strawberries and blueberries
• green olives
• Annie's fruit snacks

I add a few fun transportation theme picks for a bit of cuteness.


Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:

Lovely Leftovers...

Well, it's no secret that I love the Yumbox for Z's lunch during the school year. The original Yumbox is great, but I'm especially loving the new design of the Yumbox Panino. As you can see below, it holds a lot of food. It is the perfect size for older kidlets. Z only gets 25 minutes for lunch, so I really like that all of Z's lunch is in the Yumbox. All he has to do is sit down at the lunch table, open his Yumbox, and start eating....no plastic baggies to mess with, no small containers with difficult lids to get off, no searching for a teacher to take said difficult lid off. All of his lunch time is spent doing what he should be doing.....eating his lunch. The Yumbox Panino is small enough that it fits in any lunchbag. So, your kids can still have those super cute character bags that they seem to clamor for. And, best of all, the Yumbox Panino has all of the great features of the original Yumbox. The new school year starts very soon, and I'm sure I'll be reaching for the Yumbox quite often. To see my review of the original Yumbox, click HERE.

This lunch is packed in the Yumbox Panino.
*leftover ravioli with meat sauce and breadstick
*tomato and mozzarella salad
*red seedless grapes
*natural applesauce


Some of the things that I used to make this lunch:

Froggy Yumbox Panino

Woo!!Hoo!! Lookie what I got! So excited to be one of the first ones to get my hands on the new Yumbox Panino. We love the original Yumbox. You can see my review of it HERE. But, the new design of the Yumbox Panino rocks!! The new Panino has a tray that has been redesigned to hold a full sandwich and more. Z has a full sandwich (I cut the crusts off because Z prefers that), and there's still plenty of room for more food. That green pea pod silicone cup takes up a lot of space. But, if I had left it out, I could have fit half of another sandwich. The treat/dip well is larger, too, and so are the 2 smaller sections. Yumbox has also reinforced the hinge design of the lid. It feels a lot sturdier now. The previous design of the Yumbox is perfect for younger kidlets with smaller appetites. But, the new Panino is great for older kids and bigger appetites. Great job, Yumbox, great job!

������ Just a reminder....my Matkins reusable placemat giveaway is still open for entries. Click the giveaway graphic on the right sidebar at the top to go right to the giveaway post. ������-------CLOSED GIVEAWAY

This lunch is packed in the Yumbox Panino.
*Natural Selects ham and Colby-Jack cheese sandwich- I cut an additional piece of cheese with a frog shaped cutter and placed it on top of the sandwich. I gave him candy eyes and mouth.
*red seedless grapes in the silicone pea pod cup
*pizza flavored pretzel thins tucked in beside the sandwich
*green olives
*tomato salad- Z loves this salad. It is red and yellow cherry tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, Craisins, and croutons mixed with balsamic dressing. I put the dressing in the froggy container for Z to add on his own so that the salad won't become soggy before lunchtime. He loves adding the dressing on his own so Win-Win!
*Yoplait yogurt with a froggy gummy on top- I don't usually include a sweet goodie in Z's lunch. Believe me, he gets plenty of sweet treats when he's at Mimi's house. He's pretty happy with yogurt or natural applesauce. But, on occasion, I will include a fun treat. These little frog gummies were too cute to resist.
*linked to: Bentolunch.net/ What's for lunch Wednesday


Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:

3 Tools 4 Lunches challenge

Hi Friends! I'm very excited about this post. Today, I have the awesome privilege of participating in a new series hosted by Wendy of Wendolonia called 3 Tools 4 Lunches. This is a great blogging series where 4 lunch packing moms use the same 3 tools to create a fabulously fun lunch. We all need some creative inspiration at times, and this lunch challenge will hopefully give you awesome lunch packing moms just that. And, this awesome challenge will help you to see the versatility of the tools that have been used. At the end of this post, I've included a link to this week's challenge on Wendolonia where you can see the 3 other terrific lunches. Thanks Wendy for letting me participate in this super fun series!

The tools for today's challenge are: Transportation cutter/stamp set, and edible food writers, Yumbox

I love the Yumbox (you can see my Yumbox review HERE). I wanted to use at least 2 of the transportation cutters for the challenge, but, because the box is very small, it was a challenge to figure out how to use 2 cutters. So, I decided to use the car cutter/mold for the sandwiches and the boat cutter/mold for a frozen yogurt boat, and put them in separate spaces. To make the frozen yogurt boat, I poured some tiny sprinkles into the grooved areas of the stamper part and then gently spooned vanilla yogurt on top. I then put the entire cutter in the freezer to allow the yogurt to freeze for a few hours. Once frozen, I ran a bit of hot water over the outside of the cutter, and the yogurt popped out.

I used the edible food writers for the bologna car accents and for the "vroom" on the Babybel cheese.

This lunch is packed in the Yumbox.
*car shaped Natural Selects bologna and cheddar cheese sandwich with bologna car on top- I used the edible food marker for the details.
*Ritz Bitz cheddar cheese crackers
*green olives
*Babybel cheese with "vroom" written on the cheese wax with edible food marker
*baby carrots and sugar snap peas
*strawberries and cherries
*frozen yogurt boat in blue yogurt water- I added a drop of blue food color to the vanilla yogurt. If you are sending a school lunch, the frozen yogurt will have thawed by lunchtime and can be eaten with the other yogurt. I like adding frozen yogurt shapes to Z's school lunch because it helps to keep the yogurt cold and is super cute.
*Craisins in the treat cup
*linked to:Bentolunch.net/ What's for lunch Wednesday


I added a few cute transportation themed picks for some additional fun.


Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:



 Click HERE to see the details of the 3 other fabulous lunches. Then, take some time and check out the Wendolonia blog. You will not be disappointed in Wendy's lunch making awesomeness.

Welcome Spring!

Welcome Spring!!!! Today is the first official day of spring, and that makes me a happy girl! I love winter, but I look forward to the warmer weather so that I can work in my flower beds and garden. I'll be planting some colorful annuals very soon. Gardening is a favorite pastime of mine in the spring. What are some of your favorite things to do in spring?

Today's spring inspired lunch is packed in the Yumbox. We really like this lunchbox. You can read my Yumbox review HERE.

This lunch is packed in the Yumbox.

*sliced Natural Selects hotdog with daisy picks
*black seedless grapes and blackberries with ladybug pick
*Italian green beans with bee pick
*green and black olives in a flower shaped cup
*white cheddar cheese Nips
*Yoplait yogurt with a butterfly cupcake decoration
*a few Sixlets in the treat cup


Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:

Star Student Yumbox

The little guy was so happy with his Star Student lunch on Monday that he asked me to make him another one today.  Well, you bet I will!! So, today I'm sending his Yumbox. If you missed my review of the Yumbox, you can read it HERE. 

This lunch is packed in the Yumbox.

*star shaped Applegate ham
*sweet corn with carrot rounds on top ( I used an extra small star cutter to cut out the centers of the carrots. The official taste tester, our poodle, gobbled up the tiny star centers.)
*pretzel balls
*strawberries, blueberries, and a slice of starfruit
*Yoplait yogurt with a frozen blue Trix yogurt star in the middle (We love Trix yogurt because it has no artificial colors, flavors, or other yucky stuff.) I used a star shaped silicone jello mold to freeze the  Trix yogurt, and then, after frozen, I added it on top of the other yogurt. The yogurt star will thaw by
lunchtime and helps to keep the other yogurt cold.
*Craisins in the treat/dip cup
*linked to: Five Little Chefs/ Fantastic Thursday
                  Eats Amazing/ Fun Food Friday


Starfruit is not usually a fruit that Z eats with gusto. I love it, but he always says that it tastes bitter to him. I've been on a mission lately to get him to eat a wider variety of fruit and veggies. He's very agreeable to trying new foods, which is great, but fruits that are bitter or sour don't appeal to him as much. So, I sprinkled a tiny bit of all-natural Stevia sweetener on the starfruit and gave him some. His response... "I love this fruit, Mom!" Hmmmm....while I don't expect starfruit to replace the strawberries, grapes, or apples that he loves so much, I may try to add it into our fruit rotation more.


Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:

Yumbox full of hearts

I hope that you all read my Yumbox review from a few days ago. We are really enjoying it. Today's lunch features a Yumbox full of hearts. Hearts just make you happy any time of the year, don't they?

In this lunch:
*Natural Selects bologna cut into heart shapes
*heart shaped strawberries
*green beans with ranch dressing in the heart box
*pretzel snaps
*black olives
*Yoplait yogurt with 'LOVE' candy decoration on top
*Hershey's kiss
*linked to:



Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:

Yumbox Review...

One of my goals this year for The Lucky Lunchbox is to do product reviews. So, to get 2014 started off with a bang, I've decided to do a review of one of my favorite products, the Yumbox. I love using the Yumbox lunchbox. It's getting increasingly more difficult each day to choose which of our lunch boxes I love the most. I love the Easy Lunch Boxes and the Munchkin Mealtime Bento, too. These lunch boxes all have their own unique features and are great for different reasons. Today, I'll be sharing with you which features of the Yumbox I love the most and which points to consider when deciding if the Yumbox is the right lunch box for your family.
                 

I purchased the Yumbox at the beginning of the school year in late August. So, I've been using it now for 3 1/2 months. The Yumbox is a colorful, bento style lunch box that was designed to encourage healthy eating habits. It is designed with the child in mind. This fun and unique approach to eating lunch is bound to capture the attention of toddlers, preschoolers, and young children. Parents will like that there are no difficult lids to remove or to keep up with, and no baggies to unzip. But even bigger kids and adults can use the Yumbox. It's dimensions are 8x6x2, and it weighs about 1.5 pounds empty. It's lightweight and holds 2 1/2 cups of food total.The Yumbox is eco-friendly in that it is made of materials safe for the environment and our kids, and it comes in 2 great colors, green and pink.

One of the stand out features of the Yumbox that I love is that it has 5 individual compartments, each labeled with fun drawings showing a different food group- fruit, vegetables, grain, dairy, and protein. (See photo above.) There is even a smaller section in the middle that is meant to hold a small treat or dip of some kind. The five compartments each hold 1/2 cup portions which is something to keep in mind if you have children that are older with bigger appetites. This design really does encourage parents to pack healthier lunches. It's great for my little guy, too, as he prefers to have all his food separated and not touching.

       
Another feature of the Yumbox that I like is that the tray is removable. Both the lunch box and the tray are dishwasher safe, and the removable tray makes dish washing simple and effective. My blogging buddy at Ladybug Lunches pointed out this great feature...having a removable tray allows the Yumbox to be used as more than just a lunch box. It can also be used as a food tray or plate.The tray is small enough that it can be tucked inside a diaper bag, tote bag, or large purse and easily be taken on-the-go to a play date, restaurant, picnic, or on vacation. 
                     
                   

Another great feature of the Yumbox is that the lid has silicone edges (see photo above) that make each of the 5 compartments leak proof, so packing foods like yogurt and applesauce are a cinch. (Both pieces of the Yumbox are dishwasher safe. However, I hand wash the outer box so as to preserve the leak proof seal.) This is great as my son would not be happy if his applesauce leaked onto his sandwich. The latch that opens and closes the lunchbox is very easy for small hands to work. My son is 6, and he has no problems opening or closing it. We have not found this to be so with some other popular lunch boxes, so this feature really works for us.

Overall, we really love using the Yumbox. Packing lunches in it is fun and simple. I can foresee many more fun and creative lunches for my son being packed in it.
Here is an overview of the features we love about the Yumbox and some of the points to keep in mind before purchasing.

Features we LOVE: 

*Environmentally friendly- BPA and Phthalates free

*Leak proof lid, mess free

*Dishwasher safe

*Removable tray

*Compact, sturdy, easy to use

*Encourages portion control and healthy eating habits

*Portable 

*Economical- no more baggies, plastic containers, or food waste

*Makes eating and packing lunch FUN!

Things to keep in mind before purchasing:
*Cost- The Yumbox sells for appx. $28. This does not include a carrying bag.
*Each of the 5 compartments only holds 1/2 cup of food, which may not be sufficient for a large appetite.
*Water tends to pool in the back of the Yumbox tray when placed in the dishwasher. The small crevices need to be wiped dry before putting the tray away. I'm not bothered by this, but some may find this to be a nuisance .
*The Yumbox is not insulated....use of an ice pack is needed.

Here are 2 Yumbox lunches that I made. Click on the link to see them.

Winter themed Yumbox

                                     

Fishy Yumbox

Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make these lunches:

Welcome 2014...

Welcome 2014!! I hope the new year has started off very well for everyone. It seems like a new year always brings with it a certain excitement and anticipation of great things to come over the year. I am looking forward to an exciting year with The Lucky Lunchbox. I have many great posts planned, and I have some product reviews and giveaways planned, as well. I am currently working on a review of one of my favorite products, the Yumbox. So, I hope you will continue to visit The Lucky Lunchbox, and I would love to hear in the comments what you would like to see in future posts.

Thanks!!
Tracy

Winter themed Yumbox

Z wanted to use the Yumbox today. This is a 1/2 day of school before the winter break, so I thought I would give him a winter themed Yumbox for his last day. I love how the frozen yogurt snowman turned out. I used a silicone snowman Jello mold and added candy sprinkles to the bottom to make the eyes, mouth, and buttons. I then gently spooned the yogurt over the top of the sprinkles and froze it....perfect frozen snowman that will keep the yogurt cold until lunchtime.

This lunch is packed in the Yumbox.

*Natural Selects ham cut into mini snowflakes
*strawberries and blueberries with snowman pick
*honey wheat pretzel sticks
*green beans with winter scarf/hat pick- ranch dressing in the green cup
*Yoplait yogurt frozen into a snowman shape with sprinkle eyes, mouth, and buttons
*Craisins cranberries in the treat/dip cup
*linked to:

Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:

Yumbox lunches are Yummy....

We really love the Yumbox. It's a very versatile lunch box, and it actually holds quite a lot of food. Z likes having his food separated, too, so the Yumbox is great for him. I started using the Yumbox a few weeks ago, and I plan to do a formal review after I've used it a few more times.

Today, we have a Yumbox full of fish. The doggie theme Yumbox above can be seen Here.

*Natural Selects bologna sandwich with bologna fish on top- decorated with edible food marker
*sweet peas with carrot shaped fish
*strawberries and blueberries
*Pepperidge Farms Goldfish
*Yoplait vanilla yogurt with strawberry swimming fish
*Pepperidge Farms s'mores flavor Goldfish Grahams in the dip/treat cup


Some of the things I used to make this lunch:

Finally Fall in Memphis...

Well, it finally feels like fall here in the M-town, so all this week, I'm going to do fall themed lunches. Today's lunch is served up in the Yumbox. You may have noticed the turkey off to the side. No, ok, take a look at him. If you scroll down a bit, there is a larger photo of him. Go ahead........I'll wait for you. Did you look at him? Isn't he crazy cute?? He's made entirely from candy and Oreo cookies. My stepmother, who is a baking phenom, made him. She creates some of the cutest and yummiest treats, cookies, cakes, and candies.  This little guy is perfect for the fall, so, of course, I had to include him in a fall themed lunch. I plan to include more of my stepmother's baking goodies in future lunches.

This lunch is packed in the Yumbox.
*Natural Selects ham sandwiches with Colby-Jack cheese leaves on top
*tomato salad (one of Z's faves- cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, Craisins, croutons, balsamic dressing)
*strawberries and grapes with fall flower pick
*Ritz Bitz cheese crackers
*all-natural applesauce with leaf sprinkles
*2 candy corn pieces in the treat/dip cup
*linked to: BentoLunch.net/ What's for lunch Wednesday

Here is a close up of the candy
turkey. Isn't he super cute?
This would be too much of a
sweet treat to put in Z's lunch
at one time, so I let him eat
the turkey little by little.
Makes eating him kind of
fun because Z gets to choose
which part gets gobbled up
next....sorry, a little turkey
humor for you.




Some of the things I used to make this lunch:
Yumbox

Animal friends and Yumbox

Happy Wednesday friends! The little guy wanted to use his Yumbox today which was fine with me. Yumbox makes it so easy to pack a great lunch. I cut the bologna in the shape of a bunny and added a few cute animal picks....easy peasy lemon squeezey (as Z would say). I just love that little raccoon peeking out of the sunflower seeds. Food picks are one of the best ways to cutify (hmm, is that a word?) a lunch. This cute animal pack is definitely a fave of mine!

This lunch is packed in theYumbox.

*bunny shaped Applegate bologna decorated with blue food marker
*Ritz crackers
*peaches and blueberries
*Yoplait vanilla yogurt
*carrot rounds and green olives in a bunny shaped cup
*candied sunflower seed in the little treat/dip cup
*linked to: Eats Amazing/ FunFood Friday

Some of the things I used to make this lunch:
Wilton pastel silicone baking cups
Cute animal food picks

Doggie Yumbox

I'm really liking the Yumbox. I usually rush on Tuesday nights to make lunches, and the Yumbox makes it very easy to pack a cute but quick lunch. This lunch took me about 15 minutes to make. I made the dog picks a few days ago by gluing food grade plastic picks to the back of buttons......yep! Those are buttons. They turned out so cute, didn't they? 

This lunch is packed in the Yumbox.

*dog bone shaped Applegate turkey

*homemade croutons (made from our leftover bread scraps)

*Pacific brand all natural cranberry sauce

*carrot rounds

*Craisins (yes, my child loves all things cranberry)

*Scooby snacks graham crackers

*Honeycrisp apple wedge

*sunflower seeds in the small green cup ( I'm not sure if Z will eat them but thought I'd give them a try today. They will more than likely come home.)

*linked to : Bentolunch.net/ What's for lunch Wednesday

Check out these super cute Yumbox lunches from Pixie's Playland on Facebook:

Pixie's Playland Yumbox

Pixie's Playland Yumbox2

Quick and Simple Yumbox

Tuesday nights are usually very busy for my family, so the Wednesday lunch has to be quick and simple. This lunch fits that bill.....quick and simple. A few happy face picks add a bit of cuteness to the lunch.

This lunch is packed in the Yumbox.

*Applegate hotdog slices

*cheddar cheese pretzels

*red and green seedless grapes

*black and green olives

*carrot rounds and cherry tomato

*Yoplait dye-free yogurt

*Craisins in the little treat/dip cup

*Linked to:

Some things I used to make this lunch:

Cute face food pick

Wilton square baking cup

Double Yumbox

I'm new to using the Yumbox, but so far, I really like it. My little guy really likes it, too. I plan to do a formal review of the Yumbox after I have used it a while longer. Today I have 2 Yumbox lunches to share from this week. 

I made this lunch in less than 15 minutes. Yumbox makes it easy to fix a cute lunch in very little time.

*Applegate brand hotdog
*strawberries
*Yoplait yogurt with red and green sprinkles
*carrot rounds and red cherry tomatoes
*pretzel snaps
*green olives
*M&M's
*linked to Bentos on the Bayou/ 15 minute Friday

The theme of this lunch is shapes.  
                                        
*peanut butter and all fruit spread square sealed sandwich
*red delicious apple wedge
*Yoplait yogurt with strawberry hearts
*sweet corn with carrot stars
*Applegate bologna triangles
*round Ritz Bitz cheese crackers
*round black olives
*round Oreo minis
*linked to Bento Blog Network/ Bento of the Week
This lunch was picked as "Bento of the Week" at Bento Blog Network!!



My bento buddies have been creating some fabulous Yumbox lunches, too. Check these out:
Bent On Better Lunches/ Pretty Yumboxes
Ladybug Lunches/ DIY Lunchables
Glory's Mischief/ Angry Birds

Ladybug lunch

 Back home now from our journey to the mountains this week, and I'm sooo ready to get back to making lunches for Z. I hadn't planned to post a lunch this week, but I had a fabulous surprise waiting on me when we returned...my Yumbox arrived!! Z was very excited to try it out, so I went ahead and made this quick lunch for him. He even picked out the theme of ladybugs. I think we are really going to enjoy this lunchbox. Well, back to the dreaded chore of unpacking. See you all next week!

This lunch is packed in the green Yumbox.
*circle Applegate ham ladybug sandwiches decorated with a light spray of Wilton red Color Mist and black edible food marker
*sweet corn with carrot flower and dill pickle stem and leaves, orange cherry tomato
*red seedless grapes and pear chunks
*honey wheat pretzel sticks
*applesauce and Craisins in the small circle cup
*linked to Following In My Shoes/ I  Heart Lunch

Things I used to make this lunch:
Ladybug food picks
Silicone food cup

I think I'm going to really like using the Yumbox. It's a very good size for my first grader. It holds plenty of food for him, and he really likes to have his food separated, so this lunchbox will work well for him. Yay for Yumbox!!

Yay for Yumbox.....

So excited......the Yumbox is back in stock, and I ordered one this morning. I've been wanting one since the middle of summer, and I'm finally getting one!!!! Looking forward to some great lunches in it. Stay tuned......