Free Insulated Lunchbox

8 safety tips for bagged lunches

Packing your kids lunches for school is one way to make sure that they are eating the foods you want them to eat. It's good to pack a nutritious, waste-free lunch, but it's even better to make sure that the lunch is safe from anything that might make your kids sick. Lunches that sit around for hours in a room temperature locker or cubby need a little extra care.

Here are seven tips to packing a safer lunch:

1. Use a nontoxic insulated lunch bag. It will help keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot.

2. Buy a BPA-free reusable beverage bottle. If a reusable plastic bottle doesn't say BPA-free somewhere on its packaging, don't purchase it.

3. Pack an ice pack with cold foods like sandwiches, yogurts and fruits. (If bringing gel packs to and from school isn't practical, you can slip a frozen juice box into a lunch box or sack lunch. By the time lunch rolls around, the juice should be thawed enough to drink, but the food should still be cool.)

4. Use a nontoxic insulated thermos for hot foods. You'll get the most out of your thermos if you fill it with boiling water and let it stand for a few minutes before emptying it and putting in the hot soup, chili, etc.

5. The cooler or hotter a food starts out in a lunchbox, the better. A sandwich prepared the night before and stored in the refrigerator until right before it's time to leave for school will be cooler than a sandwich made and put in a lunchbox an hour before leaving for school. It also means that hot foods should be heated up as to as high a temperature as possible and immediately be put in a thermos right before leaving for school. The timing can be tricky on a hectic school morning, but it's worth it.

6. Throw away all perishable uneaten food that comes home in the lunchbox. Don't try to save it for tomorrow. By the end of the school day, even an ice pack or an insulated thermos will have lost its effectiveness.

7. Wash the lunch bag and all containers after each use with hot, soapy water.

8. Aviva Goldfarb, author of the "The Six O'Clock Scramble" cookbook, packs lunches while making or cleaning up from dinner. She recommends doing the non-perishable items such as crackers and cookies during the weekend to make things that much easier.

-- Robin Shreeves blogs about finding eco-friendly food options at www.mnn.

Personal Care Online Store EasyLunchboxes Insulated Lunch Box ...

Use with EasyLunchboxes compartmentalized food containers for an affordable and green lunch box solution. You'll have plenty of room for your lunch, a drink, ice block, whole fruit and extra snack. No more struggling to fit your menu to your bag. Our sleek and functional, zip-shut insulated cooler will hold even a whole day's worth of food and keep it fresh. Great for work, school, and travel! **Roomy enough to hold up to three of our containers** The EasyLunchbox System makes it simple to organize, and quickly pack healthy lunches. You get (4) BPA-free, bento-style, 3-compartment food containers and a sleek cooler bag. Packing on-the-go meals will be fast, affordable and waste-free! Sized right for kids and adults. Great for school, work, travel, and family outings. PLEASE NOTE: Lids are NOT tight fitting and we recommend carrying them upright in our cooler bags. **NOT LEAKPROOF** Container lids stay on but are easily removed by little fingers. Make homemade "Lunchables®" your kids will love. Almost any menu can fit into the compartments. Foods don't "touch" and just one lid covers all. No more time wasted looking for the right size container & lid or baggie for every item you pack. And EasyLunchboxes make portion control easy - just the right amount of food, without having to weigh or measure your meals. You'll love using the container(s) with our cooler bag for maximum ease and functionality when packing meals to go. The cooler holds everything you need for a great meal - conveniently carry our container(s), water bottle, ice block, extra snacks, even a thermos. You'll be able to easily pack your lunch, a drink, ice block, whole fruit and extra snack. No more wasteful baggies, mismatched containers, or struggles to fit your meal in one bag. The containers are long lasting, reusable, and of much heavier quality than similar 'take and toss' products. The sleek and functional, zip-shut insulated cooler will hold even a whole day's worth of food and keep it fresh. Roomy enough for up to three of our containers.

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