Our grocery budget was unprepared when my oldest daughter was diagnosed with Celiac disease three years ago.
At the time, I was caught off-guard – I didn’t know anyone who had Celiac disease who could give us advice, and the grocery stores were filled with brightly colored gluten-free packaged foods that seemed like necessities (they weren’t).
My first shopping trip post-diagnosis was a total failure. I spent my entire monthly budget for food on one week of groceries! How could a family who had heavily relied on pastas, breads, and tortillas survive financially when the gluten-free counterparts were triple the cost?
We didn’t plan well and overspent immediately after her diagnosis; however, we have finally figured it out, and now our grocery budget (and our family) is healthier than ever!
Here are the 7 main ways we have lowered our grocery bill while eating gluten-free:
1. We use naturally gluten-free foods.
We plan our meals and snacks around foods that are naturally gluten-free like meats, eggs, dairy, vegetables, rice, quinoa, fruit, and nuts. We used to buy Goldfish crackers and granola bars, but my kids are just as happy with cheese sticks, almonds, and sliced veggies – which are a fraction of the cost!
2. We don’t buy pre-packaged gluten-free “replacement” foods.
Instead of pricey packages of gluten-free substitutes for pasta, tortillas, bread, and desserts, we substitute spaghetti squash, regular corn tortillas, and the kids’ favorite ice cream.
3. We buy in bulk.
We buy gluten-free flour in bulk when we find it at a decent price.
Most gluten-free foods are full of ingredients that aren’t very good for you, and gluten-free flours are no exception. But my daughter has cravings for yummy, homemade bread (and I don’t blame her!) so we stock up on gluten-free flour and make it as a special treat from time to time.
4. We don’t waste!
When we do make gluten-free bread, we use the heel ends or leftovers to make croutons or crackers.
5. We avoid more expensive “natural” stores.
If we do need to buy gluten-free, we make sure to buy online or at the local grocery store.
We’ve compared prices multiple times over the years and discovered that the staples can be found at Kroger or Trader Joe’s for a far better price than a specialty store known for gluten-free foods.
6. We buy regular cereals instead of specialty cereal.
My kids love cereal, and while we used to have to buy a separate box for my daughter because it was so expensive, now many cereals that have coupons available are going gluten-free. We can buy Chex, Cheerios, and several others without breaking the bank.
7. We research specially labeled “gluten-free” products before we buy them.
Some products (pure vanilla extract, for one) are naturally gluten-free – but some are marketed as a gluten-free product unnecessarily. A quick Google search revealed that most, if not all, pure vanilla extracts are completely gluten-free and there is no reason for me to spend an extra $4 on a specially-marked bottle.
These are just 7 ways we’ve saved money as a gluten-free family.
Have you cut out gluten? How do you save money?
Jen is a work-at-home homeschooling mom who works part-time on her website, workingathomeschool.com, part-time for a non-profit ministry, and full-time wrangling her 5 young kids. Jen writes passionately about Bible-based homeschooling, organization, healthy gluten-free food, and meal planning. While acknowledging that meal planning is an incredibly boring hobby to have, she is thankful that it works to the benefit of her readers as she provides monthly free printable healthy menus, meal plans, and shopping lists.
Original article and pictures take moneysavingmom.com site
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
If I’ve packed over 1,000 lunches in bento boxes, do I get to be an expert yet?
That’s five years straight for one child plus three more years for another one, plus many odd days for summer camp, road trips traveling with the whole family, and excursions like zoo trips and baseball games (and seven days packing for three kids, if anyone is counting – and by the way, three is SO much more to juggle than two! It’s crazy how often we’re running out of containers all of a sudden!).
It feels like a lot of lunches, and I have some pretty strong opinions about the bento style lunch boxes, both stainless steel and plastic, that I’ve been able to run through the gauntlet the past few years.
Pack a healthy lunch with the best bento boxes - containers that make taking lunch to school easier on everyone! I've reviewed a lot and used them many years and I know what works...
Bento Lunch Box Container Reviews – Seeking Only the Best!
When I first posted my initial bento style lunch box review six years ago, I got crabby about the fact that one of them wasn’t quite tall enough to fit a large, stacked sandwich made with my thick and inflexible homemade sourdough bread – so I think it’s pretty ironic that I never have bread in the house anymore and don’t really “do” sandwiches. The box is now perfect for us.
This comprehensive review takes pieces from my write-ups three and six years ago, with notes and new items added now.
I’m listing these more or less in order of preference, favorite to least favorite. I’ve had enough years packing that I KNOW what I like – the best bento lunchboxes share some qualities:
Simplicity: Only a few pieces, not a zillion little boxes to juggle
Easy to wash: All the parts should be dishwasher safe IMO.
Easy to open and close: That’s key for kids enjoying their lunch, and for avoiding nasty leakage on the way home.
Squares: I just love ’em. I’m constantly saying that it’s easier to pack in a few squareshttp://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2016/08/09/easy-tips-packing-real-food-lunches/ than one big box or many baggies.
The right size: This changes by the child and age, but sometimes there are boxes that simply never are a good fit for the amount my kids have time to eat.
Lightweight: You just can’t send glass containers to school, even if the school allows it. They’re just too heavy!
Number One Best Bento Lunch Box: Lunchbots
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Price: 2017 price estimate ~$17-26, larger versions are ~$36-$41
Material: 18/8 stainless steel
Number of compartments: 1-5; we have used the trio (pictured above, linked to Amazon) and quad, 20 fl. oz. or 600 mL, for many years, and we added the LARGE trio when my oldest got to fourth grade and was just hungrier!
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
How it works:
Stainless steel is fastened together (soldered?) to make dividers in these rounded rectangular boxes. The lid fits on tightly, but not watertight, and I’m sure if you dropped the whole thing it would go flying off (we luckily haven’t had that problem yet). I find it hard to decide sometimes between the two larger sections in the trio and having one more section numerically with the quad.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Advantages:
No plastic at all
Longevity – ours are still in perfect shape, as nice as when we started using them six years ago (or three years ago, depending on which one you’re looking at).
Dishwasher safe – why I would choose the stainless lid without paint, every time (the paint coming off is the only sign of wear, and now that’s it’s completely gone I’m actually happier)
I enjoy the structure of having a certain number of boxes to fill and actually really like when they’re all the same (no decisions on which is the better place for which food)
Very easy to open and close fully
Fits well in many shapes and sizes of lunch box
Deep enough to fit a whole muffin
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Disadvantages:
Liquids or liquid-y things like mustard, juicy tomatoes, etc. run under the divider walls, which are not soldered to the floor of the box.
They don’t “nest” in the cupboard (although with lids on they stack nicely)
Not much flexibility in size of compartment if you just have one box (but this does not bother me, hardly ever! I like four squares…)
Of course, once we got the “large” version, shown below next to the normal trio, we had lots more options:
comparing two sizes of bento lunch boxes from Lunchbots
Star Feature: Uncomplicated eco-friendly option, just the right size for my K-3rd graders with a yogurt on the side, and then kids can graduate to the larger one, which is ample and has room to grow for our 11-year-old. He rarely packs it completely full.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Major Drawback? Not being water tight would bug some people, and the inner corners can be tough to clean with some foods, but the dishwasher does a pretty good job.
Bento Style Lunch Box: ECOlunchboxes 3-in-1
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Number of compartments: 3 (1/2 cup in the smaller container, and the whole thing is 4 x 5.5 x 2.5″)
How it works:
There’s one large rectangular compartment on the bottom and a matching size on top, then an optional small rectangular box with a lid that can fit in the top compartment (but not the bottom). The top is the lid for the bottom, and its lid is secured in place by two large clips on either side that hold the whole thing together.
Funny story: my new kindergartner got this box for the first time at lunch and came home with it all in shambles, not put back together. He said that he would try really hard to find the lid he lost the next day and was sure the lunch ladies probably had it; they were looking for him.
I shrieked, “Oh no, you lost a lid already!?!” This was only about the 5th day of school.
Trying to stay calm, I thought I’d better assemble the box to see what was missing…and that’s when I realized he just didn’t get the part about how the top box is the bottom box’s lid. He only thought he lost a lid, but really it was right there. Whoops!
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Advantages:
Eco-friendly material, no plastic at all
Dishwasher safe
Longevity – after 6 long years of lots of use, everything still is going great. We had a scare after a few years: one of the clips fell right off. I just about freaked out, but it slid right back in and seems to be in fine shape now, years later – woo hoo!
Super easy to open, except the little box is sometimes tough for small fingers. Kids also know with 100% certainty when it’s closed properly, so no leaks in the lunch box between lunchtime and home.
Flexibility – you can use just the large top portion, just the small box, both of those together, just the top and bottom, or all three. That’s cool and very handy sometimes. I’ve sent quite a few little snacks in the small container alone.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Disadvantages:
The bottom of the top compartment has been the lid for the base during the travel to school…so it can be messy to set aside on the table.
It drives me nuts sometimes when I realize I put something in the bottom that would go well with the little box and then it won’t fit. If I could redesign it, I’d give the base another half inch to allow the extra box container to fit in either top or bottom.
Doesn’t quite fit humongous sandwiches on homemade bread – but that doesn’t really matter to me anymore around here!
Not leakproof, although darn close. I trust the small box with applesauce or dip.
Lots of pieces to keep together and store; don’t “nest.”
Can be tricky for the littlest of students to figure out how to close – too many parts to juggle.
Star Feature: Flexibility of sizes, no plastic, and knowing for sure that it’s closed all the way
Major Drawback? Can be a little tall for flat lunch boxes (but still fits fine), the gooey bottom thing. Somewhat pricey.
Note: You can also buy other styles (not stacking) and even the little rectangular inserts a la carte. It would be very handy to have more of those around, come to think of it…
Looking for ideas to fill your bento boxes and wish you knew what was in all those yummy pictures? I gathered up 45 recipes that are NOT sandwiches and are perfect for any age! Whether you are gluten-free or simply looking to get out of the PB&J rut, you’ll find something for the kids, spouse, or even yourself. Having grab-and-go lunches is perfect for summer outings, too!
Get the whole premium package with bonus printables and Kindle/Nook files right HERE.
Bento Style Lunch Box: Planetbox Shuttle
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Price: 2017 price estimate ~$40-45 (~$45-55 with the bag)
Material: stainless steel
Number of compartments: two plus a round “dip” container with a lid
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
How it works:
The bottom is all one piece of stainless steel with a hinged lid that adds a bit of headroom to each compartment (which are not watertight from each other or the exterior). The dip container fits in either space and has a lid with a silicone seal. A large clip keeps the whole thing closed, and it comes with an insulated bag and magnets for the top.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Advantages:
Safe materials, no plastic
Easy to open and close (except the dip container can be tricky)
Dip container can be super handy!
Dishwasher safe, but a bit tricky to fit sometimes because the lid is attached (not dip container lid)
Disadvantages:
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Size – the Shuttle is Planetbox’s “snack” size, and it really doesn’t measure up for lunches, although I’ve been able to use it for my kindergartner with a yogurt on the side. I wouldn’t recommend this size though, and the larger size is holy-cow-expensive. Note: After three more years, I do find that I use this one more than others, simply because it’s easy. Not so many parts! But we don’t bother with the bag or magnets, ever. The size is nice for a larger main course serving, some raw veggies on the side and dip, and a yogurt in a separate container.
Price
The carry case is cute and insulated, BUT there’s not really room in it for anything else, and who needs an insulated snack bag only? If you do, Planetbox is perfect, but I need room for an ice pack, a drink, and more food!
The magnets are distracting – they go under the clip a bit, which isn’t attractive, they’re not exactly fun to play with, and you have to take them off to wash and then keep track of them to store. I’d like to see a Planetbox with no magnets and no case and see if it competes better with the Lunchbot, which I would choose hands down over this version anytime. I’d also love to try the larger Planetbox to see if I like it better – it does have a leakproof container that fits right in, so it may be the perfect all-in-one solution, but man, is it pricey! I hope the longevity of the hinge would be acceptable, but I can’t be sure…
We realized that water can get under the silicone seal of the dip container while washing, and although at least you can take it out to dry, it’s one more little piece to bother with while hand-washing things.
Star Feature: Safe material, easy to open and close
Major Drawback? Too small, too expensive – the next size up can be purchased for ~$55-$70 (2017 price estimate) (or on Amazon, prices vary)…but that’s still pricey in my book.
Bento Lunch Box: Ziploc Divided Containers
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Found at: Amazon, Target, other retailers
Ziploc seems to have discontinued this line, but they’re very similar to these EasyLunchboxes (2 for $15-20) However, they are NOT leakproof! Yuck!
Material: BPA-free polypropylene plastic
Number of compartments: 3 (small 4 fl. oz/100mL, medium 6 fl. oz/175 mL, and large 22 fl. oz./650 mL)
How it works: Classic Ziploc container lid, but all three compartments are individually leak-proof – unique among the containers I tested!
I picked these up at Target last month because folks reminded me that not everyone can afford the up front investment of stainless steel, and I wanted to see how they compared.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Advantages:
3 leak-proof compartments
Very roomy
Easy enough for even kindergarten fingers to open
Dishwasher safe (top rack)
Only two pieces – simple to put together and anyone can put them away without being confused
Stack nicely in the cupboard “nested”
UPDATE: Reader notes that they’re inexpensive enough to replace if kids (or, ahem, husband) forget to bring them home. Good point!
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Holding the egg salad are a small Kids Konserve stainless steel container on top and the ECOlunchbox insert on bottom.
Disadvantages:
Plastic
I question the longevity – in my experience with Ziploc containers, within a year to a few years, the lid will start to crack. Dropping can be a disaster. UPDATE: My 5-year-old daughter, who is an incredibly careful little girl, came home with a big chunk missing from the main compartment one day. That was 2/3 of the way through the first school year, and I’d estimate that I use these only once every 2 weeks. Not a good track record!!
Cleaning – they might be dishwasher safe, but they take up a lot of space and always come out wet, so you have to hand dry or find a place to air dry anyway. We generally default to hand-washing plastics to prolong their life.
A bit large for all 4 lunch boxes we happen to own (but this is obviously debatable depending on your lunch box style) – readers say they fit in most standard kids’ lunch boxes perfectly.
Bento Lunch Boxes for review - stainless steel and plastic
You can see relative size of the Ziploc container here: it’s about as big as the Planetbox Shuttle plus its open lid (right column center) – meaning total space for food is about twice as much.
The way we pack lunches, with a yogurt always included, makes these a two-edged sword: on the one hand, it’s so cool to be able to put the yogurt right in the box. On the other hand, it’s harder to make yogurts for a few days “assembly line style” because these are so huge, and also there’s only two compartments left after the yogurt takes one, which kind of cramps my style. Silicone dividers(found on Amazon) for the big section are handy if you’re not packing a sandwich.
That said, this format is WAS still my favorite after the two stainless ones I enjoy most.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Star Feature: The leakproof compartments can’t be understated. Price is great.
Major Drawback? Longevity and size. And of course, the fact that you CANNOT get these at all anymore!
Other “Bento Boxes”
After a few years of packing lunches and sharing occasional photos and ideas, people began to ask me this summer if I would do an official comprehensive bento box review. I contacted a few companies that came up when I searched for other “bento boxes,” and I got some new lunch kits and bento boxes to test out.
A friend was visiting soon after I received all the goodies, and I spread them out and showed them off. After every one, she came to the conclusion: I don’t see how they’re any better than the hinged lunch boxes with the thermos inside that we used to use in elementary school!
And she was right. With all of these, you still have to find a place for your drink outside the box. You still need an additional carrying case for most of them, one that will fit an ice pack and a drink. If you had little containers to populate the old-school lunch boxes, lunch would actually be more contained in one box and still just as “reusable.”
Sometime, new and improved/eco-friendly isn’t always actually better. I’m not crazy about any of these styles – even though they’re just fine as lunch boxes go – but I really have to list them randomly because I’m not sure any are above the others. UPDATE: Readers disagreed with me about one in particular; see the comments for more discussion!
Let’s take a look:
Bento Style Lunch Box: Leaflet Tight Box
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Number of compartments: 3, removable (500 mL total)
How it works:
The box has 3 small dishes that can only go in one way but are removable. The lid has two flaps that click down on the sides, and the box itself is watertight – I just tested it to make sure – but each individual cup would not be.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Advantages:
Easy to open and close
Watertight – if you wanted a small rectangle box for something fluid (but not with the inserts)
Fairly easy to clean – dishwasher safe top rack, although we don’t wash the lid
Disadvantages:
So small! Notice that this has less capacity than just the one large compartment of the Ziploc container. It’s just perfect for my 2-year-old, but comes close to inadequate even for my kindergartner with a yogurt on the side.
Plastic is always a concern over stainless steel. The lid is made of ABS, which is an acronym for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, a copolymer thermoplastic manufactured from the polymerization of Styrene and Acrylonitrile in the presence of Polybutadiene. Hmmmm. The Wiki article on it never mentions food uses. Not crazy about that.
Lots of pieces to wash and keep track of; won’t nest but will stack for storage.
The boxes only fit in exactly one way because of the rounded edges, so it’s just not as quick to put together for storage as it could be.
I worry about the longevity of the moving parts on the lid. When I chatted with Shaina of Food for my Family after reading her lunch reviews with interest, she mentioned that her kids had easily broken a few lids of that style. Although ours has lasted well for 3-4 years, and it does get occasional use when we travel as a family. It really couldn’t be a more perfect size for toddlers and young preschoolers.
Comes with a fabric bag that is next to useless for actual lunch packing – we need an insulated lunch box and room for a drink, at least, if not supplemental containers.
Star Feature: The locking lid is nice.
Major Drawback? Did I mention this is too small for anyone over 3 or 4 years old? If I wanted a box that had 3 compartments, I’d go with Lunchbots stainless steel in a second.
Note: Allthingsforsale.com (Bento USA) has quite a number of other options, including some stainless steel versions that I would have preferred to test out over the plastic box I received, and this plastic one or this one (affordable plastic version of the Lunchbot in my estimation) would negate most of my negative reviews of the small one while retaining the positives. Between that and the fun accessories, it’s worth browsing.
Looking for something to label all your containers and bottles so that if they get left behind they find their way back to you? Look no further than Mabel’s Labels. While I did receive a sample to test, I’m now a believer! After three years of near-daily use in lunches and through the dishwasher, the labels look the same as the day I put them on. I think I’ll need more as each kid enters school!
Blue Water Bento by Ecolunchboxes
We’ve had this one from the same company as the 3-in-1 for a few years and I just don’t use it very often at all. It really underscores to me that I don’t know what to do with large containers with no sections. I think it would be great for those talllll sandwiches that I initially picked on Ecolunchboxes for, but not a whole lot else.
Bento Style Lunch Box: Laptop Lunches (Name has changed to Bentology)
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Number of compartments: 5 (volumes: 1.25 cup, 1.67 cup, .75 cup and .67 cup, tiny dip container, 1/8 cup)
How it works:
One large rectangular lunch box holds four small compartments of various sizes, two of which have lids and two don’t, plus a smaller dip container with a lid. There’s a slot along the edge for utensils but nowhere for a drink. The lid is hinged and latches by sliding one piece of plastic under another strip of plastic until it hooks together.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Advantages:
Leakproof compartments (the 2 with lids)
Can move containers in different layouts
Dishwasher safe, top rack only
Lots of space for food
Easy to stack if you have multiples
Microwave safe if you need that for work – but mic’ing plastic still is not okay in my book! I always sent 2-cup Pyrex glass containers with my husband.
Note: I am only surmising based on computer redirects that Laptop Lunches has become Bentology. The products look exactly the same and have the precise dimensions of each cup.
Disadvantages:
Plastic
You have to stay on top of which lids go with which containers so you don’t pour yogurt into one that doesn’t have a lid.
Very difficult for young children to open the outside container: We had a training session where my 8yo taught my 5yo how to open the box. After many tries she finally got it, but she still couldn’t open the box once she got to school with it. The inside containers can be tricky too.
I worry that the plastic hinge on the exterior box won’t last very long, but I don’t have anything to back that up. It just looks sensitive and thin. I stand corrected! Multiple readers in the comments let me know that their Laptop Lunches have lasted a very long time – that’s great!
Coming out of the dishwasher, everything is wet and needs to be laid out to air dry anyway – all potentially EIGHT pieces of interior containers and lids, plus you already have to wash the outer box separately since it would take up far too much space in the dishwasher.
Lots of pieces to keep track of and no nesting possible. Corrected by readers again – you can nest if you have more than one. Great!
Large box but still no room for a drink or ice pack, so you still need an insulated lunch box, and a big one at that. Laptop Lunches does sell a few styles of lunch boxes that will fit a drink and ice pack with the box.
After having this one around for over three years, I can say that we almost never use it.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Star Feature: The volume/space for food is nice and big, and the four compartments are good sizes and easy to use – although not appropriate for sandwich packing.
Major Drawback? If you’re going to store and wash all those plastic pieces anyway, you might as well have a lunch box that can hold your beverage, so I’d just use a bunch of plastic Ziploc or Glad containers and a big lunch box instead. UPDATE: Readers totally disagreed with me on this because Laptop Lunches does sell great lunchboxes that hold the drink, and folks really like them especially for adults and older kids. That makes a lot of sense since my kids were still younger when I posted the initial review, so perhaps that’s why I liked the other options better. If you’re cool with plastic, you might really like Laptop Lunches.
Bento Box: Rubbermaid LunchBlox® Sandwich Kit and Fasten+Go™
Plastic bento box from Rubbermaid - not bad, but not our fav
Number of compartments: 4 each (volumes: 2.6 cups, 1.2 cups, (2) 1/2 cup)
How it works:
Both of these products are formatted very similarly, although the LunchBlox is intended for kids and has an ice pack that clicks in between the layers, and the Fasten+Go is designed for adults who can carry it outside of a lunch box and place it in a refrigerator upon arriving to work.
They are the same size and shape, with the LunchBlox being transparent and the Fasten+Go opaque:
Choose the best bento box for you - this one has too many pieces for our family
All the piece click gently together – you can see the dents on the lids, and the bases of the other containers just snap right in. It is easy for kids to get them together and apart, although opening the lids themselves is only for kids with stronger fingers and dexterity. (My kindergartner was hit and miss on them.)
The Fasten+Go really has some lovely aesthetics going on, and both of them are nice with lots of compartments. Because the largest compartment is sandwich-sized, it’s going to be perfect for many families but is too large for what we usually do, at least with those other sides included. And the smallest side dish that you see yogurt pictured in above is a bit smaller serving that we often serve yogurt, while the medium-sized container is way too big.
Whether you love this one or not will depend on what you like to pack – and your tolerance for many little pieces floating around!
Rubbermaid Fasten+go -- a neat lunchbox for adults, somewhat bento style
Advantages:
BPA free
Dishwasher safe (with a caveat)
Lots of containers and flexibility (we’ve actually been using the littlest containers a lot for snacks like dried fruit and nuts)
The design is attractive and the built-in ice pack is cool (pun intended)
Leak-proof! Huge!
Nice budget option
Disadvantages:
Soooo many pieces…
Plastics always stay wet in our dishwasher, so they have to be shaken out and allowed to dry separately
I can’t decide if the snapping together is a truly helpful feature or just something cute that takes more time to do in the morning and after lunch…
Any plastic gives me pause
Longevity question: will they last as long as stainless steel? The plastic does seem quite heavy duty, so I have hopes…
Star Feature: Cute, cute, cute! And leak proof.
Major Drawback: Did I mention all the pieces? I cringe when my kids ask for them (and the kids love them, but they don’t do dishes yet)
Bento Style Lunch Box: Monbento
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Number of compartments: 2, one with a divider (34 fl. oz. total/1 L)
How it works:
Two long rectangular compartments, each with its own lid, stack on top of each other with one final lid on top and an elastic band around the whole thing. There’s a small divider that you can put anywhere you like in either of the compartments to create a second space to separate the food.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Advantages:
Big enough to suffice
Cool set up with the stacking
Microwave-safe with vents, if you need that for work (but mic’ing plastic is NOT on my list of okay activities!)
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Disadvantages:
Plastic
Difficult to open lids, even for me as an adult
Lots of parts to keep track of; not all that easy to stack with the top lid being rounded (unless you store that one separately)
Can be rather tall for some lunch boxes
Mine has French words on the top – for kids for whom appearances are important, this one is pretty dated. BUT most of the styles are the same price and are solid colors, very attractive.
Pricey
Star Feature: Roomy, unique stacking
Major Drawback? Plastic and hard to open; mostly I just don’t see a reason to go with this one over some of the others.
Options for Yogurt on the Side
As I’ve mentioned above, we have a homemade yogurt in the lunch box just about every day. Other than Laptop Lunches and the Ziploc containers, all the boxes need a little help sending something fluid like yogurt. Here are some we’ve used:
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't. Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Life Without Plasticsmall stainless steel containers, shown above: Our ultimate favorite. They never leak, anyone can open them, and they’re just the right size. The bowl is dishwasher safe and the lid isn’t hard to wash.
I used the same one almost every day for my son for 3 years, and then I added six more (some in a larger size) because my husband was sick of the one-cup glass containers leaking in his lunch. Now that we have 3 kids packing lunches and six total 8cm size, we are constantly low when I wish I could pack two days of yogurt! Time to get some more, me thinks. These things are worth it, dude, they really LAST.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Pyrex or Anchor Hocking Glass One-Cup Containers (top left and right): These work okay, but every so often they leak and they’re certainly heavier than stainless steel. The lids will only last a few years before getting cracks in them, even without much dishwasher cleaning. They’re also quite difficult for a child to open the lid and often would urp yogurt out during the opening process. My son requested “no more!”
The newer Anchor lids (green, below) which I ordered from Mighty Nest are better, a bit easier to open and close. I would look for a stack of 4 of them at a local store, since the prices for a singleton online seem exorbitant! BUT, that said, I don’t think glass is appropriate for school, really, so this is just for adults.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Ziploc one-cup Plastic containers: Pretty much the same performance as glass containers but lighter and the lids break faster. Plastic is always a slight concern, even though it’s BPA-free. You just never know what will be the next issue discovered in plastics. These twist-on lids seem like they would cause fewer problems, if plastic is the best option for you.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Squooshis: I reviewed Squooshis HERE, and they’re really fun for my kids to have in their lunches. We freeze yogurt/fruit smoothies in them. (Also pictured above in the Laptop Lunches and Planetbox sections) Amazon carries a number of reusable food pouches nowadays.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
Kinderville silicone popsicle molds: Frozen yogurt smoothies are great in these, easy to eat, the kids can get them open (and closed, thankfully!), and they fit – just barely – inside a Ziploc divided container. My review is here. (Another brand many use: Norpro, found on Amazon)
Bento Accessories
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
I never thought I would enjoy having cutesy accessories for lunch packing, which already seems to take too long and be such a chore. My husband’s first comment was, “Looks like more dishes to wash to me!”
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
To some extent, he’s right. On the other hand, I’ve found I really appreciate having the little silicone cups, although the medium sized ones I reviewed are not a great size. The tiny ones are nice for dips but can still get a mess on the lids. I’d rather have something slightly larger to really separate foods. Having a package on hand will add a lot of versatility to whatever box you choose.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
I enjoy the tiny cookie cutters and simply rinse and air dry, so they’re not much more work, although I do have to think about using them. I have these and these.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
The food picks and toppers are fun and cute, and my 5yo daughter loves using them like a fork. (Here they are on Amazon.)We also coordinated the colors with the “color days” in kindergarten as they practiced their colors, a nice connection to the school curriculum.
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
I’m sad to admit that I haven’t used the CuteZCute Food Deco Cutter (found on Amazon) even though it is incredibly cute and looks fun. I forgot about it the few times I packed pancakes, rarely have cheese big enough, and really don’t do sandwiches. However, the reviews on Amazon are pretty positive, so if being cute is your thing – this is a fun indulgence to have on hand. (I did use the bear shape to separate foods in a bento box, so it’s still getting some use!)
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
What About Hot Food?
We do have a couple thermoses around and send a lot of soup in the winter. My son used this one all last year and my husband uses this one, which is bigger. The Kids Konserve brand is great for little hands because it’s so narrow:
Want to know the best bento lunch box for kids or adults? Stainless steel or plastic? I reviewed 7 brands and packed over 400 lunches. The down and dirty on what I loved and didn't.
I discuss a lot more about properly prepping the thermos and how to heat the food so it really stays warm in The Healthy Lunch Box along with tips on keeping food cold all day.
The Healthy Lunch Box - packed with lunch ideas to go!
Packing healthy lunches when you’re short on time and out of bread is mind-boggling. Is there such a thing as a lunch without a sandwich? Is it possible for it to be healthy too?
The Healthy Lunch Box: Sandwich-free Secrets to Packing a Real Food Lunch is loaded with strategies to streamline your packing process, stock your pantry with emergency backups for your backups, and send healthy, delicious food in the lunch box, no matter how old your eater is. Read more and start packing healthier, processed-free lunches today.
The Winners: What Bento Boxes Would I Actually Buy?
If I was starting from scratch, I’d get a Lunchbots brand or two for sure and a few Life Without Plastic containers for yogurt. .
For fun, I would consider some food picks, one set of stainless steel food cutters, and silicone muffin cups, probably as stocking stuffers because I always need more little stocking stuffer ideas that aren’t completely junky.
You can survive with one box and one airtight yogurt container, but having two per child is a lot easier so you don’t have to rush to get the dishes done every day AND so you can bulk pack or pack the next day’s lunch while the child is still at school.
Are expensive gadgets and specialty foods really worth the cost? Read these super-thorough reviews to see if the item you have your eye on passed the KS tests and truly lives up to the hype.
Disclosure: I received some of these boxes free for review for the purposes of this post, although no money changed hands. Some were three years ago, and the Lunchbot trio and Ziploc boxes I purchased. A few links in this post are affiliate links, from which I will earn commission if you make a purchase, but it doesn’t cost you any more: ECOlunchboxes, Lunchbot, Monbento, Mabel’s Labels and Amazon. See my full disclosure statement here.
Original article and pictures take www.kitchenstewardship.com site
See All How I Healed My Gut and Balanced My Hormones Naturally - Modern Alternative Mama How I worked to heal my gut and balance my hormones, through pregnancy, and have a positive and healthier postpartum. With details! modernalternativemama.com Original article and pictures take static.xx.fbcdn.net site
