Go-To Weeknight Dish: Pasta with Rosemary, Sausage & Tomatoes

Tip: Fill a thermos container with hot water for at least 10 minutes before filling it with food. It will help keep the contents warmer longer. We spring a little extra for the vacuum insulated thermos food jars. They keep the food hot longer and never leak. 

Sliced apple trick from The Kitchn

Tip: Apple corer/slicer will be your best friend. Core and slice an apple and then assemble it back together and hold together with an elastic band. It will help keep the slices from browning!

Our favorite steel cut oatmeal brand (it's the uniformity of granulation!)

Tip: Soak steel cut oats the night before. You’ll have perfect oats the next morning when you are packing their lunches. Just add your mix-ins, reheat in the microwave and pack in a thermos container.

Easylunchbox compartments make it easy to pack lunch quickly

Tip: I save small condiment containers whenever we order takeout. They are perfect for holding dips/sauces, dressings and usually fit neatly right in the Easylunchbox.
 

Pizza from Pizzeria Bianco: not your everyday hot lunch (but sure wish it was)

Tip: Give yourself (and your kids) a break and let your kids buy hot lunch at school periodically. My son looks forward to Fridays when he can buy lunch (which happens to be Pizza Day at school).
 

So here we are, almost halfway through the school year, and I can confidently say packing lunch for my boys is going pretty well. We are definitely in a routine and our thermos, lunchboxes and canteens are being put through their paces. I won't lie - Fridays are particularly nice since we let our oldest buy lunch at school (pizza). I get in a lunch-rut like so many others. Until our Easy Lunchboxes finally arrived the other day.

I would describe an Easy Lunchbox as a Lazy Man's (or woman's) bento box - perfect for someone like me who is 1) lazy and 2) intimidated by bento boxes. It has three good-sized compartments with a single-lid. My oldest gets less than 30 minutes to eat lunch, so having one container to open does save time. It's surprisingly super durable (unlike the flimsy take-and-toss food containers you get at the supermarket), space-saving (nesting), BPA-free and eco-friendly.

apple & maple chicken sausage, roasted red potatoes w/ketchup, green beans, grapes and Joe Joe

It is pretty affordable compared to other "systems" out there (a set of four containers is $13.95). The only drawback is finding the right-sized cooler bag. I've found that the cooler bags from LL Bean work well, except there is no room for anything else. You can purchase the cooler bag from Easy Lunchboxes (we actually got one for free as a way of saying thank you since they were on back order when I placed my order), but they are sort of bulky for me.

just the right size - and fits in my kid's backpack

Overall, we love them! And from reading some of the other reviews by other parents out there, I think you will be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't like them.

What are some time-saving strategies for packing lunch? What is your kid's favorite lunch?