» Weelicious Founder, Catherine McCord’s A-list of LunchBox Essentials

Mini and Me

Weelicious Founder, Catherine McCord’s A-list of LunchBox Essentials

Catherine Celebrates The Release Of Her New Cookbook With This "Not-For-Kids-Only" Lunchtime Round-up

ELAINE SAYS: Yup...summer is actually winding down and that transition into fall has for many, already begun. Translation...it's a great time of year to get re-organized and the perfect time to give your kids' lunch-packing routine [and/or your own eating-on-the-go routine] its annual overhaul. Most of us agree...We want our kids to eat a good variety of healthy food, in safe and re-useable containers, while somehow also streamlining the stressed-out, morning rush. The key? Planning, organization and duh...a great list! So, I called on my friend, the lovely Catherine McCord, Weelcious Founder and bonafide "mealtime maven," to create a not-for-kids-only list of essentials for a well collected lunchbox and a well-oiled morning routine. We even finished the job with a bonus list of 6 WEELICIOUS LUNCH IDEAS THAT WE LOVE! More than 6 ideas needed? No worries....we've got that covered as well. Catherine's new cookbook [In stores on 9.18 but available for pre-order now], "Weelicious: One Family. One Meal," is packed with 150 Fast, Fresh and Easy Recipes that are sure to re-grease those mommy wheels just in time for the first day of school. PS: Grown-ups, I repeat...his is for you too. Take my advice and order whichever of Catherine's favorites work for you. Packing up your own lunches will make you feel organized and will keep you nourished, healthy and thinking clearly throughout the day!

Posted on August 20th, 2012

Eat/Drink + Celebrate

Kids

Catherine McCord's List of Lunchtime Essentials [For Kids & On The Go Grown-Ups Too!]

For The Office or the Playground: Black+Blum Lunch Pot | SHOP I recently discovered this Britain based company and their line of meal containers. They're all quite chic in design, but the Lunch Pots will definitely have people asking where you got it. The two pots have an ingenious watertight locking seal so you can carry 2 seperate containers filled with anything from chili and crackers, yogurt and granola or if my son had his way, a big bowl of cereal with milk on the top!
Remedy For Mix-Up Madness: Wawabots Photo Water Bottle | SHOP [plus exclusive discount code] What kid wouldn't want a picture of themselves on their water bottle. When I first showed my kids the Wawabot's BPA free water bottles with their mugs wrapped around the stainless steal containers they both exclaimed "that's me"! No getting these bottles mixed up with their friends. And thanks to Catherine, Wawabots is generously offering readers 25% off purchase. Just enter the following code at checkout: LC25OFF
For Modern Mini's: Oots Lunchbox | SHOP How good looking are these Oots LunchBoxes? I love the vibrant colors and all the stackable containers. The lunchbox is shaped to keep the water bottle under the strap and has a modern vet classic vibe to it!
Out Of This World: PlanetBox Lunchbox | SHOP I've been using PlanetBox for my son's school lunch for years. I love that it's easy for him to open and he can immediately see all the choices I've put in his bento style box. The best part is that all I have to do is toss it in the dishwasher at the end of the day to clean and refill the next morning! P.S. Teachers love bento boxes because the don't have to help keep track of tons of tops and containers.
Tech CRUNCH: LapTop Lunches | SHOP My daughter is way into the container color choices that LapTop Lunches uses in their boxes. They're so bright, fun and just the right size of food whether I'm sending it off with my 3 year old or my husband. Yes, he uses a LapTop Box too!
A Natural Solution: Graze Organics | SHOP A friend turned me on to Graze organics bags when I saw her carrying her makeup in one! They're cloth napkins and lunch totes are perfect for everyday, but their organic reusable sandwich and snack bags, made right in California are my life saver. I put everything from fruit, to dry snacks to sandwiches even to make up in them and they're still in perfect condition 100 plus machine washes later!
Layer-Em-On: Zojirushi Stackable Containers | SHOP If you have a child that really enjoys warm food then these Zojirushi lunch jars are for them. They keep lunch at the perfect temperature hours after packing it in these really easy to carry thermoses and open stackable containers.
A Leak-Proof Lunch: Containers By LunchBots | SHOP Once in a while I like to send my kids to school with lunches that are outside the realm of the pb&j. I'm talking chicken and rice or spaghetti with red sauce or something that's got a nice sauce that would probably drip out of many containers. These new LunchBots Leak Proof containers take all that worry away and leave you with a tightly sealed container that will hopefully come home empty!
Ice Pack Alternative: Ella's Kitchen Pouches | SHOP It's important to toss an ice pack in your child's lunch box to make sure it stays the right temperature, but I can't tell you how many never made it home this past year. Instead I got in the habit of adding an Ella's Kitchen pouch. I buy 10 every two weeks and just toss them in the freezer, so by the time the kids eat their lunch they're defrosted and lunch is nice and cool.
You're Losing It! : Emily Press Labels | SHOP How many of your kids things do they accidentally lose on a weekly basis? Thank goodness for my sets of Emily Press Labels. I stick them to everything from water bottles to back packs, shoes and so on with the kids names and a cute design on them. I've cleaned our water bottles 100 plus times, the labels are still stuck on nice and tight and we haven't lost them… yet!