Saturday, February 21, 2009

Two Cute Lunch Kits

Wow, it seems like exciting new lunch-gear is just springing up left and right! I'm having a hard time keeping up with all the fun lunch items I want to share with you all. Here are two more:

1. Etsy craftswoman Becky Striepe recently sent in this email:
"Hi Jennifer!

I've been a big fan of yours for quite a while. You're basically the reason I got interested in bento, so it would be a total honor if you mentioned my Lunch Kits on your blog. Each one comes with: a handmade bag, 5 napkins, a stainless steel lunchbox and a pair of bamboo chopsticks or eclectic utensils.

"I'm also a vegan and love cooking! Your Magical Loaf Studio is one of my go-tos when we need an easy, tasty dinner. It hasn't failed me yet!"
Oh, thank you so much, Becky! Your handmade bags are super-adorable!

2. A blog commenters recently pointed me towards Kids Konserve, a new company focusing on waste-free lunches for kids.

There's so much to like here! Their Lunch Kits come with a recycled canvas sack with recycled aluminum name tag, an organic cloth napkin, stainless steel beverage bottle with a carabiner, a BPA-free "food kozy" that replaces disposable baggies, and two stainless steel food containers with BPA-free plastic lids. Eco-impeccable!

There is one thing I don't like, though, particularly since this kit is geared toward school kids, who usually don't have access to a refrigerator: I wish that the lunch sacks were insulated and came with an ice pack and a built-in ice pack pocket, to keep foods safe until lunch time.

Also, although I think stainless steel is the best choice environmentally, I wonder about sending kids to school with it. Watching my own son swing and drag his backpack around makes me fear these containers will wind up dented in a matter of weeks. And do schools have issues with stainless steel, particularly those with security? Thoughts?

26 comments:

Laci said...

Such cute, crative lunchboxes! I particularly love how they are enviromentally friendly and matching containers. As a school girl, I don't think there would be security issues with the stainless steel containers/thermos, but I do agree kids bang around their lunches and backpacks alot and it may be a bit heavier then the typical lunchbox, but it is still a cute invention. ;)

DianeCA said...

Those are both so adorable! I don't know how I would every choose!! Fortunately I dont think they are available in Norway :-)

Sarah said...

My experience with my own treatment of stainless steel has been that the side walls may ding, but it doesn't impact their function. The only part that matters are the edges where the tops seal on, and they're probably pretty protected by the tops themselves!

Ellen said...

We have the 2nd one and while it works, the lids are really hard for my son to open on his own, and he's 7 and not a weakling. The water bottles don't have drinking spouts either, so they spill down their chins. I like it, but I don't love it. I prefer the Laptop Lunchbox system still. Or the tiffin. But, it's nice for snack, or when I'm along to help wrestle open the containers.

pTara said...

I hate to add more for you to keep up with but I recently bought a really pretty stainless steel tiffin at my local World Market. Mine was $10 and no shipping, which is nice for lunch gear. It has a hammered metal effect and some really nice details. It seems pretty well made to me. They don't seem to have the one I bought online, but they have another kind that looks pretty sturdy for the same price.

http://www.worldmarket.com/Stainless-Steel-Tiffin-Tin/lev/4/productId/8304/Ntt/stainless%20steel/Ntx/mode+matchallpartial/Ntk/Def/N/0/Nty/1/index.pro

And these seem like you could use them as a lunchbox:

http://www.worldmarket.com/Stacking-Storage-Canister-or-Spice-Box/lev/4/productId/6848/Ntt/stainless+steel/Ntk/Def/Ntx/mode+matchallpartial/N/0/Nty/1/view/10000/perpage/0/index.pro

Hopefully they have the more decorative one's in the store still, I really like mine!

Unknown said...

We really like moving away from plastics around food items, so almost everything we use is metal. Initially my son's school was opposed to metal lunch boxes but agreed to "try it out" and see if kids would really be banging them around. It was not an issue. From what I have seen, the tiffin style lunchboxes are gaining a following. They dent a little, but have proven much more durable than the (plastic) laptop lunchboxes that preceeded them. For my own lunch, I appreciate that nothing gets squished or pops open in my travels.

Lilian said...

Main problem for me/us -- in our small school we can microwave our lunches and stainless still wouldn't work for that!

As for denting, my sons and I have stainless steels bottles that we carry around a lot, they get some small dents, but nothing too bad...

The Voracious Vegan said...

Adorable! I love these lunch boxes. Where were they when I was a kid???

Christy said...

I have the stainless steel containers and the tiffin from Kids Konserve and my kids love them. We learned about Kids Konserve through my son's school, they took the Kids Konserve Waste-Free Lunch Challenge. It is nice to stear away from the plastics. Love the stainless steel.

Love and Faith Homestead and Ministries said...

I totally agree about the stainless steel! I love the Lunch Kits by Becky Striepe (those totes are too cute) but I think the lunch box would get ruined by both me (I work in a nursing home and others are not as friendly with your belongings as you would think) and by my kids (this is the first year both of them are not being homeschooled and the school wont even let them bring stainless steel... plus there is NO way to refrigerate them at the school). I guess I could just buy the kit and use the lunchbox for something else....

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
A said...

oh how cute!! please post if you find any cute, microwavable lunch containers. I currently use pyrex glass bowls but would love something cuter!

adrianamd said...

Hi, sorry to do this on a blog, was trying to find out where to email butwas no ale to find your email addres, I was browsing through your website and I love your ideas. I was wonderin if you would like to send some recipes and ideas to me that i can post on my site. I just stared a website called www.thetravellingcarrot.com its a site for the travelling vegetarian, so that we can all fnd vegetarian restaurants when travlling abroad. I also post veg news and vegetarian recipes. I would be very happy to swap links with you. let me know what ou think.
Adriana
adriana.harts@gmail.com
or
contact@thetravellingcarrot.com

Tami said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tami said...

We have the snack containers and sandwich wraps from Kids Konserve and use the snack containers everyday but have never used the sandwich wraps. My girls are 9 and have never had a problem opening the lids - a week or so after we got them they sent me new lids saying they were softer and easier to open. My sister's kids do have a hard time opening them though.

I recently bought some new lunch boxes from Lunchbots (www.lunchbots.com) and we really really like them - it's all we use anymore. There is an uno and a duo - the uno is just a rectangular space, the duo is the same size but with a divider in it. I use these for sandwiches, along with the sidekicks from To-Go Ware for the fruits and veggies. I highly recommend them - my sister bought some too and likes them as well.

Tami said...

Also - we have no issues with the stainless steel. My girls carry their lunches in their backpacks until lunchtime - we alternate between Built lunchbags and Mimi the Sardine lunchbags. Neither are insulated and my girls have never complained. I can fit an icepack in either of those lunchbags though, if needed.

Chris said...

Those are both adorable. There are so many adorable bento kits out there. All of my kids are homeschooled so we have no use for small lunch kits. Something large for the whole family maybe...

I do enjoy looking though, so keep sharing :).

Christy said...

I couldn't find an email. Thank you for featuring Kids Konserve.

I wanted to share with you another product that Kids Konserve just recently launched. Kids Konserve Has Parties in the Bag! Birthday parties are a highlight of childhood, but in the past 20 years parties for children have turned into big, waste-producing extravaganzas! Join the party and cut-down the waste. No more signing up to bring paper products for the classroom party. No more garbage cans overflowing with paper plates, cups, and utensils. The eco-party is in and Kids Konserve has it in the bag!

Would love to share with you and your readers a 10%coupon code (vegan). Please let me know if you are interested.

Thanks again for featuring Kids Konserve. I look forward to hearing from you.

Christy
www.kidskonserve.com
christy@kidskonserve.com

All about... (vegan) food said...

Loved the Kids Konserve ones!

Glue and Glitter said...

Thanks so much for all the kind words about my Lunch Kits!

Marissa B. said...

Finally! A stylish and eco-friendly way to pack lunch. This is so wonderful and the stainless steel is brilliant - so much healthier than plastic.

reen said...

These lunch kits are for girls. Are there any ruff tuff ones for the guys. Bad Guys.
My Blog : earn money chao!

Christy said...

Hi Jennifer,

I don't seem to have your email address... Thank you for your support and interest in Kids Konserve. We are coming up on our 1st Anniversary and we continue to educate and empower children and families to pack waste-free. I would love to share with you our new products (Trash is a Terrible Thing to Waste: Lunch Bags made from 100% recycle plastic bottles and more stainless steel containers and yes the "don't sweat it" ice pack.

I would love to share a 15% coupon code with your readers. Please let me know if you are interested.

Thanks
Christy
www.kidskonserve.com
christy@kidskonserve.com

Pavan sharma said...

hey thanks for this info, surpisingly myself i work for an Express and Logistics company but this sounds much better..
but my question is .. this is one place lets say ..its not like a business proposition or so but in a way more practical.. in this case, i am desperately looking for something for my car stereo which i need to get it off crutchfield.com, now if you have an account, i can use it coz its just a one off ? and lets say to be fair we can negotiate an amount i pay you for using your account ? It makes no sense for me to pay 35 USD a one time fee where i know i will never be using again until a blue moon.. what say ?


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Rashmi Chaudhary - English Voice Over Artist (Female) in Noida, India said...

these lunch kits look so cute - really!
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Nikhil said...

Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch because I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that.
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