EasyLunchBoxes - These Bento Lunch Boxes Aren't JUST for Packing School Lunches!

Unless you've been reading my blog with your eyes closed, by now you're probably all aware of my extreme love for EasyLunchboxes. And they're great for packing a lunch or dinner, or whatever, instead of stopping somewhere for fast food or a sit-down restaurant.
But did you know, they're also good for fast food and sit-down restaurants? Oh, even yesser!

I know I've mentioned at least a few times *cough cough* how EasyLunchboxes are my favorite lunchbox for mess-free (or at least low-mess!) eating in the car. They fit well on a toddler/preschooler lap, are large enough they stay put on said lap, are small enough they fit between the armrests on the carseat, and don't have a lot of little fiddly parts to get dropped/lost in the car. But I haven't really advertised the fact that I try to keep empty ones in my car at all times. "What?" you gasp. "Empty ones? Why?" Well, I'll tell you. For eating out! That's right!
For a while I was making a 90-minute road trip to and from my sister's house to visit overnight every week. So to make my life easier, we'd get fast food on the drive there and back. But it was hard for the Podling to juggle nuggets, apples, fries (I'd share some of mine,) plus Ranch and ketchup for dipping, all on her own back there. In fact, it was impossible to let her use dips. But I had packed some EasyLunchBoxes in the car to use at my sister's house, to show her how awesome they were for her kids' lunches after preschool. So I started putting Z's Happy Meal in one.

Nuggets, the Ranch cup, and fries in the big compartment; apples in the medium, and some ketchup in the smallest. It made the whole process so much easier! Easier for her to eat. Easier for me to refill (she and I can hand the ELB back and forth while I'm driving, in case she needs more of my fries, or more ketchup, or whatever.) And less mess! No more top-half-of-nugget-box tipping over to dump ketchup or Ranch in her lap. No more spilling of fry bag into dark corners of car seat. no more Happy Meal box tipping off of lap to dump entire meal on less-than-pristine car floor.

In fact, it worked so well, I was getting jealous that SHE got ketchup for her fries, but I had to eat mine plain. So I started using an ELB for my fast food too! Ketchup in one of the smaller compartments, dump the fries out into the large one. It rests perfectly on top of my parking brake (mine's a lever between the front seats) and is at a convenient reach for me. For those of you with longer legs, you could probably put it on your lap. But my legs are so shrimpy my belly almost touches the steering wheel.

But wait, there's more! Have you ever gone to a sit-down restaurant, shelled out $50 or more for food, then had the leftovers leak all over the bag (or your lap!) on the way home? Guess what? EasyLunchboxes are GREAT for taking home leftovers in! Not only can you keep the food separated, but if you're super clever, you can divvy them up into little meal portions and have them already packed into your EasyLunchboxes to reheat for lunch the next day! Know what else? ELBs can be microwaved too! How perfect is that! No more warped take-out container! No more melted styrofoam clamshell! And the ELBs stack nicely in the fridge until you're ready for your leftovers, unlike the various-sized and -shaped containers from the restaurants that may be building up in your fridge. Not to mention all that garbage you'll be throwing out later!

And while we don't have any food allergy issues (thank goodness!) I read a comment on EasyLunchboxes' Facebook page that had a great suggestion for avoiding allergy issues at holiday get-togethers and parties. One mom packs her own allergy-safe meal in her EasyLunchBoxes for her and her son to take to the event. That way it's easy to tell which food is theirs, so it doesn't accidentally get all eaten up by everyone else, as could be the case with a shared dish. And they're sure to get enough to eat, since she packed a whole meal. And if there are other dishes at the party that are safe, great. But if not, no problem! What a fantastic solution to a potentially serious problem!

Another fun (and unconventional) use for them is as gift boxes! Instead of a paper plate filled with baked goods for a teacher, why not put them in a reusable lunchbox? What teacher/coach/bus driver/neighbor wouldn't want an easy way to take a healthy lunch to work?

photo credit

In fact, the gift-giving possibilities are endless! Craft kits, a box for travel-sized bath and body gifts (lotions, hand sanitizers, etc,) play-doh kits (especially home-made! Put two different colors of dough in the smaller compartments, and some cookie cutters and tools in the larger!) Home-made S'mores kits (graham crackers in the large compartment, marshmallow cream in the medium, and chocolates in the small!) I'm sure you can think up more cleverer ideas too! Maybe even some back-to-school supplies? How perfect would THAT be? Either way, next Christmas our preschool teachers will be getting ELBs with scented lotion and hand sanitizers, with a loving note: "You need to eat better. And you stink. :)"

You can even use them for non-food purposes for travel. Pack some small games, toys, activities, etc into the boxes, and store them in the lunch bag! One box for each kid, or different themed activities in each box!

Or, like me, you can just use them as intended: for packing waste-free bento box lunches. Check out my meals featuring EasyLunchboxes!
If you're wanting to give them a try, you can buy them on Amazon (and get free shipping [US only] with Amazon Mom, Amazon Prime, or a $25 minimum order,) or direct from EasyLunchBoxes.com.

I will warn you - because the lids are easy for kids to open and close on their own, they aren't water tight. So they're definitely not for liquids or runny food. There are some tips for preventing stuff from leaking, but you want to be sure they're in a bag that allows them to lay flat (horizontal.) The EasyLunchboxes cooler bag is perfect for this. In fact, you can fit up to three of the containers in one of their cooler bags if you're packing for a long day.
If you think these are a product you'll love, order at least 2 sets. Trust me. Four boxes seem like a lot, until you're using more than one a day. Plus you'll want extras to keep in the car!

~OR~ Enter to win a set! Wahoo! When I contacted Kelly to ask if I could shamelessly steal showcase some of her photos, she offered to let me give a set of these babies away to my fantastic readers! (Pssst! That's you guys! Squeee!)

Prize: One container set and one lunch bag (you choose the color!) Retail value: $21.90. Contest ends midnight PST, 1/22/12 (Baby E's one-month-iversary!)

Mandatory entry:  Visit EasyLunchBoxes.com, then come back here and leave a comment stating something you like about these products!
Bonus entries: 
Like EasyLunchboxes on Facebook and leave a comment here.
Follow EasyLunchboxes on Twitter and leave a comment here.
Subscribe to EasyLunchboxes.TV (on YouTube) and leave a comment here.
If you already like/follow/subscribe, that works too. Just be sure to leave a comment here for each, letting me know!

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.
I will be choosing a random winner using Random.org sometime after midnight, January 22, 2012. Check back on this post for the winner to be announced!

Please make sure I can contact you by either contacting me after I've announced the winner, or not being "Anonymous"! If I don't hear from you within a week after I announce the winner or try contacting you, I reserve the right to pick a new winner!

This giveaway is offered to US residents only. Please do not enter this giveaway if you have won or received free product from EasyLunchboxes within the past 3 months.


Update: Winner, comment #72 - Patwaldau. Please contact me at LudicrousMama@gmail.com with your name, shipping address and desired bag color!
Another Update: First winner never contacted me, so I re-drew! Congrats to Vicki with comment #52!