How To Keep Macaroni and Cheese Warm Until Lunchtime

'Tis the season that calls for warm foods. Nikolai loves macaroni and cheese especially when it's paired with chicken nuggets or meatballs. We have several thermos and other food warming jars but those do not work well when having both mac & cheese with nuggets together. You'll end up having the nuggets above the mac & cheese and I'm pretty sure that it would be all soggy by lunch time, and not as he'd hoped it would be. So, I've been using our insulated lunch bags whenever I pack these combo lunches. Of course the Thermos will be used when we pack soup, stew, just macaroni and cheese, or other such foods. It all depends on what you are packing.

In an earlier post I've shared how I packed chicken nuggets and how to keep them warm until lunch time. You can find the post HERE.

All of the macaroni and cheese lunches below are Annie's brand homegrown organic Mac & Cheese and the chicken nuggets are organic and nitrate free. Also, his sides of fruits, veggies, and snacks are not pictured. I find that whenever I pack a hot lunch, I'm always in a hurry to take the pictures so that the lunch is not being exposed to cool air. The other items, which are expected to be cool was sent in a separate container.

Shown in the photos below are some lunches which Nikolai enjoyed during cooler days here in FL. These lunches were packed in our Lunchbots Duo. We've owned this stainless steel lunchbox for perhaps 7 years, and it's still in perfect condition!

Cute cheese cut-outs, or simply adding baran or picks can make your child's lunch extra special.

For this first bento lunch I combined chicken nuggets with mac & cheese to which I added a cute bear face cut from a slice of provolone cheese. I used my CuteZCute bear cutter for that.

For the second lunch I again have macaroni and cheese with chicken nuggets but used baran sheets to make it cheerful.

For the third bento lunch I have meatballs with macaroni and cheese to which I have added a couple of eye picks, hand cut a bit of nori and some provolone cheese to create a cute face. I think it looks like a bear face.

Last for this collection are chicken nuggets with some cute picks with macaroni & cheese.

What are your kids favorite hot lunches?

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WarmKeeper System Review

A nice warm lunch is always welcome, but especially at this time of year. With that thought in mind, I am excited to introduce you all to the WarmKeeper System! This great kit is perfect for keeping foods such as leftovers, meatballs, pasta, chicken nuggets, pizza, fried rice, and more warm, which kids and adults alike prefer.

It is made of a modern Neoprene high tech fabric which has a fashionable appearance while effectively insulating and keeping foods warm for about 4-6 hours. You may purchase just the HotSleeve separately or get the entire package with a messenger style lunch bag which is highly insulated as well.

The WarmKeeper Sleeve is available in two sizes. The one shown here measures approximately 8 inches by 7 inches and fits the Junior Messenger Bag. These sleeves and bags are made in the USA using highest quality Neoprene, and are machine washable in cold water.
The included food storage container measures 4" x 4" x 2" and is BPA free, microwave and dishwasher safe, and made in Canada. It will hold 16 oz. of food, or you can use your own container, as long as it fits nicely in the WarmKeeper sleeve.

Our son loves a warm lunch especially on a chilly or rainy day, and it is a great feeling for me to know that with WarmKeeper he will have a warm lunch waiting for him. WarmKeeper is truly fantastic for other times as well! Its size also makes it quite handy for work, traveling, visiting theme parks, or for taking along for short trips on the weekends.

First, let me show you, in the photo below, what comes with the WarmKeeper junior system. While the items are also available separately from the WarmKeeper site, they really do work so well together.

•  Messenger style bag of high tech neoprene fabric with a great look.
•  A matching sleeve with hook and loop style closure.
•  A food storage container.
•  Two cherry pit filled cotton packs. (These work GREAT!) 

It is easy to use these to great effect. First you fill your container with hot food. The container provided can be used in a microwave, so you can heat your lunch right in the container. If you use another, check first of course. Make sure the food is thoroughly heated. Place the container into the sleeve. Place the bags of cherry pits in a bowl or on a paper towel and put them into the microwave to heat for 30 to 90 seconds. Test and shake the bags in 30 second intervals. You will want them fairly hot to the touch, but don't burn them! Hot? Good; now put them into the sleeve with the food container and seal the end. Lastly, put the sleeve into the WarmKeeper messenger bag, or another good quality bag of your choice, and it is ready for taking to school or work. One feature I especially like about this messenger bag is that the sleeve fits flat in the bottom, so normally the lunch will remain pretty much as it was packed earlier.

The Photos above show:

1. The lunch I wanted to keep warm by lunch time. I packed this leftovers nitrate free chicken nuggets and organic pasta in our Lunchbots Duo (this container measures 6" x 5" x 1.75" and works great with the WarmKeeper). I heated the leftovers in a microwave safe plate before transferring them into the lunchbox.
2. Fitting it into the sleeve.
3. Adding the cherry pit bags.
4. Sealing them inside the sleeve.

The photo below shows how nicely the sleeve fits flat into the bottom of the bag. The trick I use is to hold the sleeve horizontal as I fit the bag around it.

Even with the sleeve inside, there is room for other tasty foods or snacks you might like to add.

There is this that I would also like to share with you about this company, and it gives me a great feeling: WarmKeeper is an American company and they employ local high school youth giving them an opportunity to learn the challenges and joys of business as it should be. I hope you will visit their site to learn more. While you are enjoying their site you will have an opportunity to sign up for their newsletter which is both informative, with occasional discount offers, and entertaining with kitchen stories and recipes.

This system truly works! For an extra bonus, you can use use the promo code '40%' at checkout on WarmKeeper site, and get 40% off your purchase!

You can also find this WarmKeeper System available at Amazon. Please note that the promo code is not valid on Amazon.

Disclosure: WarmKeeper generously provided me with the products for review without cost to me. All opinions are my own.

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Brighten Up Your Lunches With Food Picks

Food picks are one of my favorite bento accessories. Many are so cute that I LOVE them myself! In fact, I've just ordered a bunch of new picks, not yet sure if it's for Nikolai's lunches or for my own viewing pleasure, lol. Lately, especially on days when my lunch packing mojo is on holiday, I've been using food picks to brighten up his lunches.

When I first started out bento-ing or packing lunches for Nikolai, one early consideration was his picky eating. Yes, he is a picky eater. I'm not one to be overly critical or assign lables, but initially I had some difficulty packing lunches that he would actually eat. I thought that cute food picks and rings might be great ways to brighten up his lunches. The first bento accessories I purchased were food picks from Bento USA (they have so many choices with reasonable prices so I purchased a huge collection).

Cute food picks and rings really are great ways to brighten up any simple lunch and I noticed that he would eat up most of his lunches when I included those cute picks or rings. We also acquired many more food picks/ rings by saving them after we devoured cupcakes at a party or just by buying them from the store. Enjoy the cupcakes and save the cute picks for later, how convenient is that! :)

I've included food picks or rings in most of Nikolai's past lunches and below are just a few.

Bento lunch 1: A sandwich cut into half which I included a bee cupcake pick. Sides were organic granola bar cut into half, cheddar crackers, string cheese slices, cucumber slices and apple slices with a smaller bee pick. This lunch was packed in a leak-proof Yumbox.

Bento lunch 2: This lunch was sent warm in our Warm and Tote bag. It was all natural chicken nuggets with cute picks and organic popcorn. He also had a side of fruits which are not in picture. This lunch was packed in a Planetbox shuttle.

Bento lunch 3: This lunch was packed towards the end of last school year when I'd lost my lunch packing mojo. String cheese with a soccer ball cupcake ring, yogurt covered stars, a sandwich with a soccer ball cupcake pick, brownie for a treat and green grapes. Packed in a Planetbox rover.

Bento lunch 4: I attempted to free hand cut a sweet shape from smoked Gouda cheese, topped it on a Hawaiian sweet bun. His sides were organic apple sauce with a sweet pick, yogurt covered fruits and organic baby carrots. This lunch was packed in a leak-proof Yumbox.

Bento lunch 5: This simple lunch was packed in a Lunchbots duo and sent warm in our Warm and Tote bag. It contains chicken nuggets, a cereal bar with a star pick and cheddar crackers. Sides are fruits and veggies which are sent cold, not pictured.

Bento lunch 6: A ladybug pick on a sandwich, a couple of flower shaped watermelon slices on green grapes, yogurt covered fruit snacks, a Babybel cheese, cheese crackers and yogurt covered star. This lunch was packed in a Planetbox rover.

Here are the supplies that I used to create and pack these lunches.

 

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How To Pack Warm Chicken Nuggets For School Lunch

Most kids including Nikolai, love chicken nuggets. I've previously sent chicken nuggets with him to be eaten at room temp, but he told me that he would prefer them warm. Therefore, I've to address a couple of things while packing nuggets for lunch; one is how to keep them warm till lunch time and another is how to keep them from getting soggy!

We are thankful that we own several insulated lunch bags which allows us to pack hot lunches in some of our lunchboxes and the lunches remained warm till lunch time.

Let's talk about thermos...I've read the pros and cons about sending chicken nuggets in thermos, some mentioned that the nuggets were soggy and some said not! So, I very reluctantly tried the thermos idea. I followed some instructions which I read on other blogs, put them on a paper towel before you microwave them and also use a paper towel at the bottom of the thermos to absorb the moisture. I also had to boil some water, pour the hot water in the thermos, let it sit for a minute or so, dump the water out, quickly dry the inside of the thermos. Then only place the nuggets inside and close the lid. That is way too many steps for me, not to mention time consuming compared with using our insulated lunch bag! I don't mind packing mac & cheese, soups or stew in our thermos, these all worked fine, but  according to Nikolai, the chicken nuggets were soggy and not quite appealing, he would rather eat room temperature nuggets than ones that are soggy.

Here are a few lunches in which I packed chicken nuggets. The ones packed in lunchboxes are also with mac & cheese or with couscous. I don't think that he would like the nuggets to be on top of mac & cheese as they would be if I were to use a thermos! I personally would not like that. He also had sides of fruits, veggies and snacks (ice pack included with these) which are not in picture.

Bento lunch 1: All natural whole grain chicken nuggets, Parmesan couscous topped with a baran sheet. This lunch was packed in a Planetbox Shuttle.

Bento lunch 2: All natural whole grain chicken nuggets with a couple of picks and Annie's organic pasta. This lunch was packed in a Planetbox Shuttle.

Bento lunch 3: Annie's organic pasta in a large silicone cup with a Mickey pick and all natural whole grain chicken nuggets. This lunch was packed in our leak-proof blue water Ecolunchbox.

Bento lunch 4: All natural whole grain chicken nuggets in a thermos and I had to quickly clean the water seen on the mouth of the jar before sending this with Nikolai.

Do your kids love chicken nuggets? My older kid, I mean my husband, loves chicken nuggets as well, LOL.

Here are the supplies that I used to create and pack these lunches.

 

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