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:

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.

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:

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

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:

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:

Hello 2nd Grade...

Today is the first day of school here in the M-town (insert frowny face), and the little guy is starting 2nd grade. We had a blast this summer (insert happy face)...lots of pool time and 2 fun vacations. Back to school time always leaves me a bit melancholy. I know that Z has missed his friends, and he's always happy and enthusiastic to go back to school. But, I love having my kidlets home with me. I just miss them when school starts. However, I'm pretty sure that the first kid-free grocery shopping trip (insert enormously happy face) will cure me of the back-to-school blues, and I'll be back on track.

This lunch is packed in the Yumbox Panino. You can see my Yumbox review HERE.
*peanut butter and strawberry all-fruit spread sandwich- I cut the words "Hello 2nd grade" from a slice of Swiss cheese and sprayed the letters lightly with Wilton Color Mist. A little dab of cream cheese on the back holds the letters in place.
*Rold Gold mini pretzels
*strawberries and grapes with school themed cupcake pick
*green olives
*carrot rounds
*Babybel cheese with a "2" cut from the cheese wax


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:

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