Mighty Nest sent us reusable lunch gear to review, we were not otherwise compensated for this post. We were not obligated to write this post and per our review policies, we only review items we like.
We are so avid about packing our children’s lunches to take to school, that they actually consider it a treat to be allowed to buy lunch once in a while. It’s more work, but it’s cheaper and we know what they’re eating. It’s important to us that their lunch is packed in something reusable. We have actually gotten such that on the rare occasion that the school requests a completely disposable lunch because of a school trip, its tough for us to figure out what to pack! Gone are the days of brown bags and plastic baggies.
We started out sending our twins with with Ziploc and Gladware plastic containers to preschool. As we learn more about the negative affects of chemicals like BPA on our children and on the world around us, we have been trying to get away from plastic and use better and more durable things like stainless steel. We recently found a company that shares our goals, Mighty Nest sells products that are designed to be safe for your family, easy to use and durable.
Mighty Nest sent us some great reusable stuff to review and they are giving one of each of these to one of our lucky readers:
- PackiT insulated, freezer pack lunch bags – no freezer pack to lose, the lunch bag goes right into the freezer until you’re ready to use it
- Hydro Flask stainless steel insulated water bottles
- Snack Taxi snack bags to hold sandwiches or small snacks
- LunchBots stainless steel lunch containers.
We got 2 of each item as we have 8 year old twins who were the perfect age to put these items to the test.
PackiT
My daughter really liked the insulated freezer lunch bag because it “it kept all of my food cold and fresh.” She used it during the heat wave we had this summer, so it was extra helpful to have a chilled lunch to keep cool. We like that it doesn’t have pieces to loose. The bag goes into the freezer until you are ready to use it. The freezer pack lunch bag has an adjustable strap that can be used as a handle or put over your shoulder. The lunch bag is big enough to carry a big lunch for an 8 year old as well as a typical lunch for an adult too. Their site points out that if you keep it out of the freezer it keeps warm food warm, since it is insulated.
Hydro Flask
The water bottles are stainless steel, which means no concerns about plastics and chemicals leaching into your water. Stainless steel is also good about not absorbing flavors, so it’s reasonable to use them for different beverages. These bottles are also insulated and our daughter really appreciated that it keeps her water cold, and there is actually ice left that she can add more water too. She also really appreciated that it didn’t get condensation on the outside. Different people like different things in water bottles, and I really like the wide mouths to drink the water from. My son really liked that it wouldn’t break!
Snack Taxi
The snack bags they sent us are the Snack Taxi brand. Bags like this are a great replacement to plastic bags for sandwiches and bread. I know a lot of people use them for things like goldfish and pretzels as well. They come in a large assortment of fabric designs and Mighty Nest carries ones that have “gluten free” and “nut free” labels on them as well. They are lined with nylon, so they can go in the wash if they get dirty, and they are BPA, PVC and phthalate free. Some of the varieties come in both snack and sandwich sizes.
LunchBots
Stainless steel lunch containers are an interesting item. We really aren’t thrilled about sending our kids’ food in plastic containers, but who wants to send a child with glass? Actually, some people do – I’m really curious if anyone has experience with that? Metal is much safer, but is not microwaveable. We usually send our children with hot food in insulated metal containers, but I take my food in glass containers so I can microwave it. The LunchBots are not water tight. We received two different style, one with a divider and one without. The one with the divider works well for half a sandwich with some fruit slices or veggies on the side. The one without the divider can hold a full sandwich which won’t get crushed inside a busy kid’s bag. The lids should be hand washed, but it’s pretty easy. The base is dishwasher safe which is a requirement in our house. Besides being safe for our kids, the stainless steel is completely recyclable.
Mighty Nest has so much reusable lunch gear that it’s really hard to choose what to get! They also have a program where you can raise money for your school – if you select your preferred school, they will donate 15% of your purchases to the school you select.
Enter to win a set in our Green Your Lunch Giveaway sponsored by Might Nest (ends Aug 27th).
Happy Greening,
Alicia
Ooh, I hadn’t seen the owl pack-it! How cool! 🙂
Reusable lunch gear is actually my new favorite obsession and I’m really loving these items from Mighty Nest. The PackIt is such a nifty little thing – definitely gotta get me one of those! 🙂
We have a few of the Pack It freezer bags and love them!
I like the freezable bag idea! Ingenious.
Another wonderful thing about the Hydro Flask bottles – they keep liquids warm, as well. I put coffee in mine, and it’s still warm enough that I enjoy drinking it six to eight hours later. 🙂