Easter Egg Hunt Lunch

I decided to pack a festive lunch for my big girl, and what better way to pack a super-simple but fun Easter lunch than by packing it in Easter hunt eggs? I used Eco-Egg brand because they're about as food-safe as food-safe can be! And since Z wouldn't have her usual lunchbox to push her food around in, I also sent our new Matkins portable cloth place mat to keep everything off the table.

To make it more fun, I packed some "grass" (paper packing material shreds) in an eggish-shaped lunch bag. I was even able to fit in her water bottle!

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Udi's GF Brownie Bite, organic carrots and apples, Crunchmaster GF crackers, Earth Balance PB Coconut Spread 

I happened to have a sample pack of Earth Balance Coconut and Peanut Spread that fit perfectly in one of the eggs. None of my other PB packets would fit. I thought about putting some peanut butter in a silicone cup, then jamming that inside the egg to make clean-up easier, but this worked out okay.

I was sent the Matkins Enchanted Forest portable reusable place mat for review, and this was our first time trying it out. 

So pretty! The back side of the Matkin matches the border and pocket on the front, which has a layer of BPA-PVC-phthalate-free water-resistant fabric to keep foods from seeping through. Yay! So far I think these are a fun and brilliant idea, but I'll be replacing the napkin. It's 100% polyester so as far as I can tell, is only good for pushing crumbs and such around, rather than soaking up messes or wiping off faces. But the mat is gorgeous! And washer- and dryer-safe! Woop!

Eco-Eggs are a 100% plant-based (even the colors are natural!) and reusable eco-friendly "plastic" Easter eggs. So I don't have to worry about any chemicals leeching into the food. What's that? Aren't plastic eggs "food safe?" Not really. BPA plastics are still considered "food safe" by the FDA, except for plastics meant for infants, so you can't assume that something is safe just because your food is served in it! Canned foods are almost all lined in a BPA plastic, and Plastic #6, commonly found in hot and cold disposable drink lids (I'm looking at YOU, Starbucks!) is one of the plastics known to release BPA. But even some BPA-free plastics are found to leech similar estrogen-mimicking chemicals that are just as bad - or worse - but didn't get all the bad press, so no one is worried about them. Yet. 

So the only way to truly be safe is to avoid plastics you aren't sure about. You think that for those 12/$1 plastic eggs, the manufacturers are going to use the finest, safest plastics? Me neither.