PlanetBox Lunchboxes

I knew this summer I wanted to make packing the kids lunches more of a priority this school year.  I love eating together as a family, and since that's not an option when they are at school, I wanted their lunch to be like a little love note from me.

About a year ago I started following a lunchbox company on Instagram called PlanetBox.  There were so many well thought out, colorful, healthy lunches with literally thousands and thousands of ideas online.  I entered numerous give-a-ways hoping to win one of these little investments, but no luck.  And I say investments because they aren't cheap!  They also seem to never go on sale, which made me question whether or not they were worth the big price tag.  I told Kevin, if we could, I'd like to set aside some money so we could order them before school started.  I kept waiting..... and waiting.... because I had a hard time justifying the purchase.  Right at the end of July, they offered a 10% off promo + free shipping.  It gave me the little push I needed to order them.

Not only did I get the rover box (that holds the food), I ordered the lunchbox, thermos, and ice packs too.  Each lunchbox comes with a free set of magnets that make it more fun and colorful.  (I'm hoping to order the Christmas set this year too!)  I like that I can change the magnets as their interests change.  Allie got unicorns and Hayden got dinosaurs. 

Top Left :  Each box comes with a "big dipper" and "little dipper".  they have a plastic ring around the top of the lid to prevent leaks.  Top Right:  The ice pack.  Bottom Left:  The thermos lid.  It all comes apart to ensure it stays clean!  Bottom Right:  I love that front pocket.  It holds notes, napkins, and utensils.

It seems like with our old lunchboxes, if I used a bigger container for a salad, there was no room for anything else.  We also dealt with smashed sandwiches or leaky drinks.  These new lunchboxes seemed to really think of everything. I should also mention they ship lightening fast!  One other perk:  they are dishwasher safe!  Most days I just hand wash them but every few days I like to put them in the dishwasher :)

Before school started I made a list of main courses, sides, and desserts the kids liked.  It's taken some thinking out of the lunch packing process in the mornings.

This was the first week of school lunches.  The little fish at the center is a chocolate :)