How To Pack Hot Leftovers For Lunch & 30 Ideas For Thermos

Happy New Year 2020! It has been a couple of weeks of back to school action since the holidays. We enjoyed them and I hope you did also. Nikolai has requested some warm, comforting lunches especially this time of year, thus, leftovers in a thermos is the ticket.

Here is how I prep in the mornings when I need to send him a hot meal:

• First I fill his thermos with boiling water, close the lid, place it on the counter with the lid on and let it sit for 5 minutes or more while I'm assembling his side dishes such as fruits, veggies and a little snack.
• Heat the hot portion of the meal to piping hot. 
• Then I pour out the hot water and fill the thermos with the hot heated up food. 
• Secure lid tight and it's ready to go. 
• Don't forget to add a fork or spoon into your kids lunchbag.

For non-liquid food such as chicken nuggets or pizza, I add an extra step to my prep. After I dump the boiling water out of the thermos, I lay a piece of folded paper towel in the bottom of the thermos to absorb any moisture while keeping the food hot.
Insulated containers are great for leftovers which are mainly dinner foods! We have also packed breakfast for lunch such as pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausages.

We have several insulated jars which we love, and rotate their use quite often. They are our Lunchbots Thermal, Thermos stainless steel insulated jar and U Konserve insulated food jar. We also still have our Thermos Foogo and Thermos Funtainer which Nikolai used quite often when he was younger, and we still use occasionally.

Here are 30 Hot Lunch Ideas for Thermos:

1. Pasta
2. Mac and Cheese
3. Soup
4. Grilled Cheese
5. Pizza (cut to fit)
6. Chicken Nuggets
7. Bagel Bites
8. Mashed Potatoes 
9. Ravioli
10. Meatballs
11. Chili
12. Gyoza
13. French Toast Sticks
14. Leftovers like Casserole, Steak, Chicken, BBQ Pork, etc
15. Fish Sticks
16. Scrambled Eggs
17. Pancakes
18. Sausages
19. Taco Meat (include tortilla wraps or taco shells on the side)
20. Fried Rice
21. Fried Noodles
22. Pot Roast
23. Quesadilla
24. Spaghetti
25. Jambalaya
26. Red beans or black beans and rice
27. Gumbo
28. Chicken Curry
29. Tortellini 
30. Ramen noodles and more

Here are just a few hot lunches of which I managed to snap pictures. I always include sides with them such as fruits, veggies and snacks in another container (not pictured).

Leftover curry chicken with potatoes, carrots and basmati rice is in the insulated container. I heated the curry and rice in a microwave safe plate and transferred them to his preheated insulated container.

Leftover pasta with ground beef and spinach is in the insulated container. I heated the pasta in a microwave safe bowl and transferred it to his preheated insulated container.

This was packed by dad. Leftover macaroni and cheese is in the insulated container with pieces of baked ham. 

Here is leftover steak and mashed potatoes in the insulated container. I heated the steak and potatoes in a microwave safe plate and then transferred them to his preheated insulated container.

Leftover stir fry vermicelli / mei fun is in the insulated container. I heated it in a microwave safe bowl and transferred it to his preheated insulated container.

Leftover tri-color bow tie pasta with ground beef is in the insulated container. I heated it in a microwave safe plate and transferred it to his preheated insulated container.

There are probably lots of other children that enjoy hot lunches. What hot lunches do you send with your kids?

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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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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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Review: Warmables Lunchbox Kit

I am very pleased that the nice people over at Warmables generously presented me the opportunity to review their lunchbox kit. Like many other parents, I'm sure, I like to have the choice regarding what my child has for his lunch. Many would choose a warm lunch and the Warmables Lunch Box Kit is, I believe, the solution for which so many have been looking.

Being able to send our son to school with some of his favorite foods for lunch is a great feeling for me. Warmables had made this not only possible but also Eco-friendly and easy to use. The lunch kit keeps food warm for 4 to 6 hours.

The Warmables Lunch Box Kit contains an insulated pouch, two cherry pit bags, which store the heat, and a BPA-free food storage container which is dishwasher safe.

Using the kit is easy. Fill the container with hot food then heat the cherry pit bags for 30 to 90 seconds (depending on microwave) removing them at 30 second intervals to test for temperature after a gentle shaking to even the heat. Then put the cherry pit bags along with the food container into the pouch and put the pouch into an insulated lunch bag. Hours later your child will be able to enjoy his or her lunch warm and tasty just like he or she desired and you intended!

The above photo shows the food storage container with the cherry pit bags in the insulated pouch. Below is a photo of the pouch and its contents fit into an insulated lunch bag ready to be zipped up.

I found the kit to be of excellent quality and superb workmanship, but most importantly I got great reports from our son. I'm sure that having a warm lunch on a cold or rainy day is a comfort for him. The time span from when I pack his lunch until the time he opens it is five hours. Warmables is truly amazing! It would also be great for traveling or outdoor events.

This handy kit is great for keeping warm such foods as pizza, pasta, nuggets, fried rice, meatballs, leftovers, and more. Here are a few of the lunches I've sent in the Warmables Lunchbox Kit:

  Shells and white cheddar with meatballs

I cooked some Annie's homegrown organic pasta in the morning, heated some frozen meatballs and packed them in our Warmables lunchbox.

Curry Couscous 

Couscous is one of Nikolai's favorite foods, and if you've tried it I'm confident that you would agree that it is very much nicer when served hot. With this lunch I was able to test out the Warmables cherry pit bags and pouch with one of our other containers. There is a limit to the size that you can use, but many will fit nicely.

Pancakes and sausage Breakfast for Lunch

Nikolai often asks for breakfast for lunch and this is an excellent example of how nice it is to have a Warmables Lunchbox Kit. I sent along some pure maple syrup in the small blue container. He said that it was so great to have it warm at lunchtime.

All of these lunches were sent warm with sides which are not in the pictures. His sides are usually fruits, veggies and snacks. It's easier and quicker for me just to snap the pic of the warm lunch and pack it. Though not clearly shown in the photo, his lunch bag has two sections, the upper one I used for Warmables and the other I used for another box which contained his sides with an ice pack.

Lately, the weather has been cooler, raining daily and rather gloomy when I packed these lunches. Nikolai was so happy and grateful that he had warm lunches at lunchtime and I was happy to know that he enjoyed his lunches warm.

I'm sure I'll be using  Warmables very often and experimenting with my collection of lunchboxes. They have another size available for smaller appetites which you can find if you visit their site where they also have a nice selection of pouches.

The kit I used above has these dimensions:
          Food container measurements: 6 x 7 x 3in
          Lunch pouch measurements: 10 x 10in.

You can also find this Warmables Lunchbox Kit available at Amazon.

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

Fill provided plastic container with food(heat it up) Yes!! (or you can use your own container)

Heat the cherry pit bags without burning the pits,so about 45-90 seconds in the microwave.Heat in 30 second intervals,shake and repeat until hot.

Put plastic container and cherry pit bags inside the Warmables pouch, then seal it!

Put the pouch inside insulated lunch box. And voila...warm, homemade food. Fresh and hot for my baby! 

- See more at: http://www.everythingforana.com/2014/08/review-warmables-lunch-kit-to-keep-your.html#sthash.R7YkkPlt.dpuf

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6 Fun and Easy Lunchbox Ideas

Happy New Year 2016! I wish you all a New Year filled with Happiness, Health and Prosperity!
We have had a fantastic Christmas and enjoyed our long holidays very much. They have been great fun with lots of food, the company of our wonderful family and visiting with great friends. Now, however, it's back to basics time and I'll start by posting some fun and easy lunches which Nikolai enjoyed months ago. All of these lunches were packed in our Easylunchboxes. For this week, I'll begin by packing something similar to these, which are simple, quick and easy.

Here are 6 Fun and Easy Lunchbox Ideas.

Bento lunch 1: DIY Lunchables. Main compartment of ham roll-ups in a square silicone cup, crackers, seedless green grapes, string cheese slices and organic granola bar. Top left are some organic baby carrots and top right are slices of organic apple.

Bento lunch 2: This was a cute lunch which I packed for Nikolai's field trip. I used my new bear cutter/stamper for the sandwiches. He also had an organic granola bar along with baby carrots, some dip in the small container and seedless red and green grapes with a cute bear pick.

Bento lunch 3: Leftover ham and Annie's organic mac & cheese. He had this lunch warm and I packed it in my Warm&Tote lunch-bag which kept this lunch warm till his lunch time. His sides were some fruits and veggies (not pictured)  as I packed them in a snack box with an ice pack.

Bento lunch 4: Freezer pizza bites which I baked in the morning while we were having breakfast. His sides were organic granola bar, a Babybel cheese, organic baby carrots, seedless red and green grapes.

Bento lunch 5: Stamped sandwich. This was an easy one, I stamped the top of the bread with my Mickey stamper, ranch in the Mickey container, organic apple slices and cucumber slices and their Mickey picks completed this lunch.

Bento lunch 6: Annie's organic mac & cheese in a silicone cup are along with whole grain all natural chicken nuggets in the main section with some music note picks. Baby carrots and grapes are in the smaller sections.

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

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Squirrel Sammies and Pasta Lunch

I've been so occupied with the upcoming holidays, or rather enjoying a cheerful holiday mood, and haven't been blogging as much as I had planned. Whenever we have a long weekend, we are mostly out of town and as there are so many fun activities this time of year, especially during the weekends, we are mostly out and about. It's all fun though, and I am sure that things will slow down somewhat early next year when hopefully I'll be able to pick up and blog more often.

Here again are a couple of lunches which I prepared for Nikolai awhile back. Both of these lunches were packed in his Planetbox Rover.

Bento lunch 1: I used my new set of cutters/stampers for the squirrel sandwiches. His sides were grapes with a squirrel pick, yogurt star, Annie's organic snacks, baby carrots and celery sticks.

Bento lunch 2: Organic ditalini pasta with leftover turkey or chicken pieces (it's been so long and I can't remember) topped with fish shaped cheddar cheese, seedless grapes, yogurt star, organic baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, goldfish crackers and some dip in the small dipper.

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

 

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Minion Bento Lunches

We had the previous two Monday's off from school, and it was quite difficult for me to wake up this morning wishing that today is a holiday as well. One of our occasional tropical storms was approaching and it was rather stormy the mornings when I made these couple of Minion themed lunches several weeks ago. The first one was of bread and the other one pasta.

Bento lunch 1: This Minion was free hand cut out of bread, its basic shape was rather easy to make. I made the goggles, grin, and hair from organic fruit leather, the circles for the goggles, which were made with a cutter, were stacked to give the proper depth and the rest was free hand cut. His sides were orange slices, seedless red grapes and crinkle cut cucumber slices. Far right is a cloth napkin. This lunch was packed in his bentology bento box.

Bento lunch 2: This Minion face was made from  Annie's organic pasta with nori goggles, hair, and smile with mozzarella cheese and nori eyes all of which were freehand cut. Alongside he had organic apple pieces, Despicable me honey grahams, babybel cheese with the letter M cutout using my alphabet cookie cutter, organic baby carrots and grape tomatoes. This lunch was packed in a Planetbox rover.

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Review: Ecolunchboxes Blue Water Bento Splash Box Kit

The nice people over at Ecolunchboxes generously offered us the opportunity to test their Ecolunchboxes Blue Water Bento Splash Box Kit. Since it's uncommon to find a leak proof and stainless steel container, I was eager to give it a try. We have both their Ecolunchboxes Solo Cube and Solo Rectangle and have used them for a couple of years now. We love them, and I have also written a review about them which you can find here.

Leak-proof may be a parent's favorite keyword search term, but let's just say it is really important when packing lunches which include such things as tomato sauce, apple sauce, yogurt, jello, salad dressing, and more. If you don't have a proper container available, it's difficult to consider packing these. I am quite pleased to report that indeed the Splash Box sealed perfectly for us. It was also easy to open, which is especially nice for those small hands. Its size is quite adequate measuring 6 1/2 by 4 3/4 inches and 2 inches high, and the Splash Box Kit includes a very nice lunch bag and a spork. As for clean-up, all parts are dishwasher safe. The quality of this lunch box is excellent and I am sure that it will last for many years with proper care.

Below is a photo of the Splash Box Kit with the leak-proof silicone seal in place. The bag is made of organic cotton and is available in three designs, the whale is shown here, the dolphin and seahorse versions can be seen here.

Below is a photo of a pasta lunch I packed in the Splash Box Kit. On the right side is multi colored pasta with spinach and leftover grilled chicken with a couple of cheese stars decorated with nori. On the left in a silicone cup are some green grapes and some cherry tomatoes on picks which give the appearance of balloons on strings.

This second bento lunch is a simple sandwich stamped with the likeness of Darth Vader alongside some cucumber slices and grapes topped with a Star Wars storm trooper pick.

All in all, we love our new Ecolunchboxes blue water splash box and I am sure we will be using this box frequently.

Disclosure: ECOlunchboxes generously provided me with the products for review without cost to me. Other than receiving the products, I have not received any compensation to write this review.

Disclosure: EOClunchbox generously provided me with the products for review without cost to me. Other than receiving the products, I have not received any compensation to write this review. - See more at: http://www.bentoschoollunches.com/2013/08/review-ecolunchbox-solo-cube-and-solo.html#sthash.QwBSisFq.dpuf

What we have here is a plastic-free, no-leak, stainless steel container topped with a silicone lid and made without toxic materials like BPA, PVC and phthalates…Ahhh, yes! Music to my ears. Since it’s so uncommon to find a leak-proof AND plastic-free food container, I decided to give it the Saville Family Test; a rigorous evaluation that not many products have survived (wink, wink). I’m proud to say it passed with flying colors! It’s leak-proofness comes from a special lip and groove inside the silicone lid that grabs onto the edge of the stainless steel container. N.I.C.E. - See more at: http://thesoftlanding.com/ecolunchbox-plastic-free-splash-box-for-kids-is-leak-proof/#sthash.9GQGKTV9.dpuf

What we have here is a plastic-free, no-leak, stainless steel container topped with a silicone lid and made without toxic materials like BPA, PVC and phthalates…Ahhh, yes! Music to my ears. Since it’s so uncommon to find a leak-proof AND plastic-free food container, I decided to give it the Saville Family Test; a rigorous evaluation that not many products have survived (wink, wink). I’m proud to say it passed with flying colors! It’s leak-proofness comes from a special lip and groove inside the silicone lid that grabs onto the edge of the stainless steel container. N.I.C.E. - See more at: http://thesoftlanding.com/ecolunchbox-plastic-free-splash-box-for-kids-is-leak-proof/#sthash.9GQGKTV9.dpuf

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