In a lunch rut? We were too, until I discovered Yumboxes. These multi-compartment bento-inspired boxes are leakproof, so you can even pack ranch dip, salsa or yogurt without a big mess come lunchtime. Added bonus: these aren’t just for kids! I plan on using Yumboxes for our next plane trip, since the hard case will protect food from getting squished in my carry-on bag. The portion control is nice too.
Cheez-Its, peanut butter, celery and honeycrisp apple slices. Pack a plastic knife for spreading peanut butter.
The little compartments just cry out for creativity, so now I actually look forward to making lunches. True, it’s still September, so we’ll see how long this “fun” lasts. In the meantime, here are some of the lunches I’ve packed. Note that there are no fancy food skills on display here. What do you expect at 6 a.m.?? But the surprise of what’s going to be in the little compartments each day is enough to keep the kids excited about lunch.
Turkey sandwich with grapes, carrots and ranch dip.
Triscuits, salami slices, cross-cut string cheese, walnuts and blackberries. And a toothpick for spearing.
Cold (leftover) cheese tortellini, parmesan cheese chunks, cherry tomatoes, pasta sauce and salami slices. UPDATE: The pasta sauce was harder to clean off, and stained the soft rubber top a little.
More leftovers (see post “Smashing Peanut Noodles” for recipe): Cold spaghetti with peanut sauce and chopped peanuts; grilled chicken; salad greens with edamame; carrot sticks
Peanut butter sandwich cut “fancy” in fingers, goldfish crackers, apple slices and marshmallow spread for dipping (and fun). (Gelato spoon for spreading/scooping.)
Taco salad: leftover rotisserie chicken, lettuce, cheese, beans and salsa. Send some soft tortillas or tortilla chips in a separate baggie.
The hard case Yumbox slides right into lunch boxes. (Still room for a drink and separate snack.)
The Yumbox has a clear plastic compartment insert that pops out easily for cleaning, and though it’s supposed to be top-shelf dishwasher safe, I’ve been washing them by hand after school. Initially I thought the boxes seemed way too small, but the kids haven’t complained. I usually send along a baggie of something for snack time (elementary) or the long bus ride home (middle school).
Believe it or not, this is not a sponsored post: I paid full price for my Yumboxes. I just really like them! However, if you’d like to buy your own and use these Amazon links, I’ll get a little portion of the sale.
Or, click here to check out the Yumbox website.
I also wrote about these lunch ideas the ShopRite Potluck blog. You can click on the shopping bag to the right, or find it here.
Happy Lunching!
Subee's Kitchen 
Thanks for this awesome idea!!! I just bought one for my daughter at the YumBox website. the biggest feature with this brand seems to be that it it leak proof versus other one out there.