WFLW - Autumn - ECO Lunchbox

I never got around to doing this week's Muffin Tin Monday, which had a "Trees, Leaves, Harvest" theme, since I didn't have any inspirations on what to do, and I was busy with Halloween. So I decided to make this week's What's For Lunch Wednesday bento an Autumn/Harvest theme instead. I just got my new ECO Lunchbox from CSN Stores, plus the extra one I ordered to give away! Really quick turnaround, considering I first posted about it on 10/25, ordered them on 10/26 and my package arrived 11/1! FIVE DAYS, including a weekend! (technically 6 days, but I ordered it in the afternoon, and it arrived in the morning, so I'm not counting them as 2 full days.)

Top section, left to right: Pear leaves, cherry tomatoes, Ranch cup, carrot flowers.
Bottom: Acorn PBJs, mozzarella leaves.

In the little separate container, I sliced up a pear (lengthwise) and used some leaf cookie cutters to make shapes. I sloshed them and the leftovers in some apple juice to prevent browning.

I sliced up a carrot and used my veggie shaper from Daiso to make them into cherry blossom shapes, and used a silicone muffin liner to keep them together. I put some Ranch dressing into a Tupperware Smidget for dipping and tossed in a few cherry tomatoes too, as they're starting to get wrinkly and soft. I need to finish them off quickly.

I used graduated acorn cutters to make 3 little PBJs. I can't stack 2 halves of a sandwich in the bottom half of this box, since the upper segment comes down into it a little. I might be able to on the top half, but I had already filled it and didn't want to take it all out and try. Probably could, actually, with maybe a little bit of squishing, but no worse than the Easy Lunchboxes.
My Colby Jack is getting a little moldy, so I opted for mozzarella instead and made 6 leaves out of 2 slices off the end. (The cheese we get is more of a large flat rectangle, rather than a stretched cube, like Tillamook and other brands. So 2 slices is just a little larger than a regular square slice.) I used a plastic grass baran to keep the cheese separated from the PBJ.

"I doan wanna neef peers. Jyoo eaddem."

She ate some carrots and dip, and 2 cheese leaves. I ate the tomatoes and the largest and smallest sandwich. She ate the middle one in order to get a tootsie roll from her Halloween stash. She shoved the pears at me right from the start, and refused to try any for the hour we dinked around after gym class. So I ate them. She did eat a box of raisins that I found in the diaper bag, so we got some good fruits in there at least.

ECO-Lunchbox Review and...

My VERY FIRST Giveaway!

It was a little harder to unlatch than I thought. I was able to open one side just using one hand, but I had to grab the box with both hands and cuss make a manly sound to open the other latch. One reviewer I had read said that her preschooler was able to open it himself. I doubt Z can, but we'll try.

All the reviews I read said that it's very durable and still stays nice after months of uses and washes. Mine probably won't be shiny after the first wash, because we get water spots like nobody's business! I hated touching it, since it looked so shiny and pretty! I didn't want to smudge it up. But it still looked good after packing this lunch in it, and I know I had pear and apple juice, carrot, cheese and PBJ all over my fingers as I was handling it! But it buffed up nicely with a quick swipe from a paper towel.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the little separate compartment came with it, as everywhere I found it, it was called a 3-piece set, which, for most products, includes the lids. This is actually a 5-piece, 3 compartment set. It was in the pictures, so I was assuming it came with, but nothing in the descriptions mentioned it.

To win one of your very own ECO-Lunchboxes, there are several ways to enter! [Contest ends 11:59PM on 11/15/2010, although I may take my sweet time forget about generating the random number to select the winning entry right away.]

• Follow my blog, and comment on this post letting me know that you did. (If you are already a follower, just comment that you are!) - 1 entry
• 'Like' my Facebook page and comment below (same as above if you already 'like' me!) - 1 entry
• (Read and) Comment on any of my other posts between now and midnight 11/15/10 and comment below letting me know you did so - 1 entry per comment, limit 3. 

Comment separately for each entry. And (unless I already know how to contact you) either leave your email address or Facebook link on at least one of your comments, or follow up to see if you won and click on my profile, and the 'Contact Me' button to let me know where to send it! [I see people type their emails as "myemail (at) wherever (dot) com" which might help prevent spammers. *shrug*]


**I was compensated for the review of this product in the form of a $35 credit at CSN Stores. I chose an  ECO-Lunchbox for myself to review, and another to give away.**

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I had 35 entries on my giveaway post and went to Random.org to generate the winning number! #13! Congratulations Leesa!

I sent you an email, so get back to me on where to send it! Congrats again! And thanks everyone for entering!

We are loving our ECO Lunchbox, and they aren't terribly expensive. $15.99 through Amazon (plus $6.50 shipping, but you may save if you get multiples) so $22.50, or $16.60 plus $5.95 shipping through CSN Stores for a total of $22.55 (and you definitely save on shipping for multiples, plus you receive it lightning fast! Everywhere else (including the manufacturer website!) it costs more than $20 before shipping.

I just received my new KidsKonserve round food containers that I ordered when Jasmere.com (a group-buy deal site) was having a deal (I paid $13 for a $32 code to spend on their products... actually I bought 2 codes!) I'll try and use the containers soon so I can tell you if they're worth it!