Lunchbox food
Product reviews from our eco-conscious couple John & Jennifer Burkhart
Whether you’re packing a school lunch, work lunch, or a quick snack at home, we all appreciate a bit of convenience to make the job easier. We’ll admit that many convenient snack foods have way too much packaging, but at least we don’t have to sacrifice nutrition with all of the options out there. Here are a few that we tried.
Wee Sprout – Stainless Steel Bento Box
He said: Bento, the ancient Japanese art of not letting your food touch. This box had good capacity and nice dividers that kept all but the sauciest foods separated. I wasn’t too confident about the lid, so I slapped a rubber band on there, and the silicone lid for liquids is tricky. I wouldn’t really recommend this one for younger kids. 4 stars.
She said: This eco-friendly lunchbox is big enough for a sandwich and two sides. It isn’t leak-proof, but at least the dividers go up to the lid to keep the food separate. The cute little dressing container worked great to contain liquids, but you gotta squish it down firmly. It was easy for me and our 8-year-old to use. 4 stars.
Gimme Organic – Roasted Seaweed, Teriyaki
He said: I love these little teriyaki ocean paper bites. The flavor reminded me a lot of spam musubi. They had a sweet and salty taste upfront with a green, fishy aftertaste. They’re not for everyone, but if your kids are anything like ours, they will dig ’em. 4 stars.
She said: Seaweed seems to be all the rage with the kiddos these days, which is great! Who doesn’t love a healthy sea snack with vitamins and minerals? Me, apparently. I appreciated the zesty tang of the gluten-free teriyaki flavor, but even that can’t hide the fact that I felt like I was eating salty fish cellophane. 2 stars.
Lorissa’s Kitchen – 100% Grass-fed Beef Stick, Original
He said: Macho man Randy Savage can shout about beef sticks all day, but I will never be a fan of them. Lorissa’s Kitchen sticks, like all beef sticks, taste like they’re made of 50% seasoned meat and 50% solidified grease. I’ll take a piece of naturally dried beef jerky over one of these any day of the week. 2 stars.
She said: Yum! My 8-year-old hovered over me like a vulture when I opened this. We are big fans of jerky, and both loved this beef stick too. It was soft, but not mushy, and had a nice peppery flavor with just a hint of sweetness. 5 stars.
Kashi by Kids – Organic Superfood Bites, Chocolate
He said: Man, you put chocolate on anything and my kids will eat it. These little nuggets taste like a piece of chocolate that had rolled around on a bakery floor, picking up whole wheat flour and drying out. Our kids loved them, so that goes a long way, but I won’t be eating these again anytime soon. 3 stars.
She said: Kids will love the little pillow shapes, and of course, the chocolate filling. I thought they were like a dry, less flavorful Fig Newton. But hey, at least it’s a fun, sweet way to sneak in chickpea, sweet potato, and flax seeds. 3 stars.
Stonyfield Organic – Pear, Spinach, Mango Yogurt
He said: It’s funny how putting something in a squeeze tube makes it taste better. This yogurt pouch was sweet and creamy with a nice pear taste. But I guarantee if I put this in a bowl it would taste worse. Our boys go crazy for these things. 4 stars.
She said: Admittedly, these single-serve pouches are the most package-heavy way to eat yogurt (Terracycle to the rescue!), and at 3.5 ounces, they’re best for preschoolers. However, if you need them, they are super portable, and taste like sweet pears without too much added sugar (4g). Don’t worry, you won’t taste the spinach! 5 stars.
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