After several months of nagging from my two older children, I finally caved in and started making them packed lunches for school. I figured if I was going to have to make them packed lunches every day I was going to have a bit of fun with it and I started making them Bento lunches. Nothing particularly elaborate, mind, as I am quite a lazy person, but it doesn’t make much effort to cut a peanut butter and jam sandwich into novelty shapes, or cut vegetables with miniature flower cutters to form a little veggie flower garden as can cheese and fruit. Sushi rice or a boiled egg can be moulded into shapes using fairly inexpensive plastic moulds.
In June Yumbox sent me one of their fantastic bento-style lunch boxes to try out. More correctly, they sent it to DD who was so delighted when the parcel arrived she wrote out a list of exactly what she wanted to be included in her box for the next day. She even got up early in the morning and packed it herself!
Invented in America by two entrepreneur Mums Maia Neumann and Daniele Devitt to help children develop healthy eating habits, Yumbox is now available in the UK via Bouncy Jam, run by London mumtrepreneur Sarah Kerr.
The Yumbox is a stylish, award winning, sturdy BPA-Free, phthalates-free lunch box with an illustrated food tray divided into half-cup portions for the five key food groups: fruit, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy. It also has a little cup with room for a small sweet or dip. I really like the illustrations on the food tray; what a great way to teach young children the food groups. It does bug me when I see images of filled Yumboxes with the wrong food groups in the labelled compartments! Fruit does not ever belong in the dairy section!
The portion size is ideal for children from baby weaning age up to around the age of 10. Older children may not find the small size sufficient for their hungry growing appetites, but for my 7 year old it’s just perfect. For the first time since she started getting packed lunches her lunch box has consistently been returned empty. Win!
One of her favourite lunches includes these quick toasted sesame noodles. When it comes to feeding children simple is often best. This is an easy peasy recipe and any leftovers keep well for lunch the following day.
Toasted Sesame Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 nest medium egg noodles I used Sharwood
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds toasted lightly
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 spring onion finely sliced
- 25 grams carrot grated
Instructions
- Bring a small pan of water to the boil and cook noodles according to the packet instructions.
- If using for a lunch box, drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. If serving warm skip the cold water step.
- Toss with the remaining ingredients and serve.
Notes
Key Yumbox features:
• measures 22 x 15 x 5 cm and weighs 490 grams
• leak-proof! Pack your apple sauce next to your sandwich with no worries!
• child-friendly latch on the attached lid
• easy to clean
• encourages portion control and healthy eating
• fits neatly into standard thermal lunch totes
• eco-friendly: eliminates need for cling-film or plastic bags
• fun to pack!
Retailing at £24-99 plus P&P, it is rather on the dear side, but I think it’s worth every penny. It’s a very sturdy good quality lunch box and I will be buying one for our five year old who is due to start school at the end of the summer holidays.
The Yumbox is available in Framboise Pink (pictured above) and Pomme Green. New colours will be rolled out in September. The Yumbox will be available on Amazon very shortly, or you could visit them over at www.yumbox-uk.co.uk
Yumbox have offered one of my UK readers the opportunity to win a Yumbox of their very own, just scroll down to the bottom of this post and fill out the Rafflecopter form.
For more children’s lunch box inspiration see:
Bento Sushi Rice Shapes by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
Baby Egg Pies by Tinned Tomatoes
Spicy Tattie Puffs by Tinned Tomatoes
Gruyere and Caramelised Shallot Nests by Fab Food 4 All
Mini Quiches by Franglais Kitchen
Alternatively you could follow YumBoxUK on Twitter or Instagram where they regularly share Yumbox filling ideas.
Yumbox Giveaway
How to Enter
For your chance to win one Yumbox RRP £24-99 in the colour of your choice (subject to availability) enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Come back and tweet about the giveaway every day for more chances to win!
Terms & Conditions
This giveaway is open to UK entries only. Entrants must be age 18 or over. The winner will need to respond within 48 hours of being contacted; failure to do this may result in another winner being selected.
The prize is offered and provided by YumboxUK. The prize is one Yumbox in your colour choice (subject to availability). There is no cash alternative and the prize is not transferable.
If you need some help using Rafflecopter, here’s a quick clip to show you how. Rafflecopter will pick the winner at random from all the entries received. I will be verifying entries and any automated entries or those who have claimed they have made the mandatory blog post comment and really haven’t will be disqualified. It’s mandatory!
Closing date is midnight on Monday 1 September 2014 and the winner will be announced that day.
If you want to be kept up to date on my recipes, occasional craft tutorials, adventure stories and giveaways then please subscribe to my weekly newsletter; it gets sent out every Monday morning if there is new content. Your email address won’t be passed on to anyone, you will never be spammed and you are free to unsubscribe at any time, no questions asked.
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Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary was sent a Yumbox for review. All opinions expressed are our own. This is not a paid post.
Mum of three, daydream adventurer, OU Life Sciences graduate, occasional crafter, ex-pat Canadian & quite possibly Britain's most northerly food blogger.
Gul Choudhury says
Chocolate sandwiches!!
mrs sharron page says
chicken goujons or sausage rolls, bread sticks and blueberries
kay S says
anything savoury but mostly cheese
Leanne Bell says
Fairly boring but my Daughter loves ham sandwiches with a side of grapes.