Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Out of the “School Lunch” Box Ideas

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Are you already in a bit of a lunch box rut, like I am? School has been back in session for 3 weeks now, and I’m running out of ideas, fast! Don’t fret…I actually have a few fun posts this week on the topic of different school lunch ideas, and today I’m happy to share two new finds with you, courtesy of CrispRoot and lunchskins2.

Cassava Chips

So first up, I’ve got a VERY unique take on the classic potato chip. Cassava root (which you might have heard called yuca root) is a vegetable that is not very popular in the United States (yet!) but that is VERY popular in many parts of the world…and for good reason! It has twice the fiber of potatoes! The innovative company CrispRoot has turned this vegetable superstar into a crisp chip that has 30% LESS fat than a standard potato chip. That’s what I’m talking about! Everyone in my family, including Darah, has enjoyed munching on these yummy chips. They come in 4 fun flavors: original, thai ginger, bbq bliss, and our favorite, sea salt! Want to try them for your next lunch? Click here to find your nearest retailer, or you can get them on Amazon.

CrispRoot Cassava chips

lunchskins2

And since even the small bags of CrispRoot chips are too big for a 4-year-old, I’ve been tucking them away in lunchskins2 reusable sandwich and snack bags. These are such an economical, eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags, and they are MUCH cuter, too! They come in coordinating sets and can be found at Target. Their sizes are generous; here I’ve fit 1/2 of a banana in the snack bag and a whole bagel sandwich in the larger bag (though I’d cut it in half for serving to Darah…but a whole sandwich can definitely fit!). You can pick up these awesome, adorable bags at Target in a wide variety of prints!

lunchskins reusable sandwich bag

These are just two suggestions I have for switching up the routine a bit during the lunch hour. What are you munchin’ on these days? Any cool new finds? 

The Best Reusable Snack Bags to Green Your Lunch

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Have you tried out reusable snack bags? If not, you totally should! This is one more great way to reduce the amount of plastic you use and throw away, and it is a great way to save some money!

As reusable bags for food become more popular, the options just get better and better (and cuter and cuter!). Today I’m bringing you a fabulous brand that I think has the best reusable snack bags called ReUsies. There is a poem on their website that is a playful, yet still serious reminder about why ceasing to use plastic bags is so important. It reads,
They stick to our fences

Alight in our trees

Drift down our sidewalks

And swirl into our seas

They’re a pollutant on which our sea creatures feed

They are plastic bags

Our urban tumbleweeds!

best reusable snack bags in pink and green ReUsies are 100% cotton bags on the outside, lined with leak-resistant nylon and secured with Velcro closures. They come in two sizes (sandwich and snack) and in a terrific variety of colors.

I have used our ReUsies reusable snack bags several times now, and I’m impressed with how well they hold their contents (I put Wheat Thins in my sandwich bag, and I fully expected some of them to fall out, but they didn’t!). I usually just throw them into the washing machine (because there’s ALWAYS a load going around here), but they can also be washed in the dishwasher after they have been washed a few times in the washing machine. You don’t want to put them in the dishwasher right away because they super hot water could cause the fabric to bleed if it has never been washed before.

Overall, I found ReUsies bags to be super cute, beautifully stitched, roomy and well-designed to hold their contents. Sandwich bags can be purchased for $8.75 and snack bags are $6.95. Also, ReUsies is having a special deal where if you buy 3 or more bags, shipping is free!
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need Reader will win a sandwich and snack bag set in your choice of fabric! The contest will run until July 29th at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize before it is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Limit one entrant per household, please. Open to residents of the United States.
Mandatory entry: Tell me the ReUsies fabric you love the most (and choose wisely, as you will get what you select for this entry).

Additional entries:
1. Follow ReUsies on Twitter
2. “Like” ReUsies on Facebook
3. Subscriber to the ReUsies blog
4. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter
5. Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by RSS, email or Google Friend Connect (only one extra entry, even if you subscribe multiple ways)
6. If you are a blogger (posted something within the past 3 months) put my button on your blog and leave a url so that I can find it.

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways (listed on the sidebar of my home page)

Disclosure: I received complimentary reusable snack bag products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post may contain affiliate links at no cost to you. 

Who Knew Going Green Could Be So Lovely? (Reusable Bag GIVEAWAY!)

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EDIT: Giveaway CLOSED!

I consider myself to be an eco-friendly gal. I’ve greened my cleaning products, many of my personal care items, and even some of the food choices I make. But there’s one area where I have failed. I bring my lunch to work almost every single day. While bringing my lunch is very wallet-friendly and arguably good for the environment since I’m not motoring all over town to find some fast food, I make a crucial error when it comes to how I transport the food.

Almost every single day, I use plastic sandwich bags. And I don’t wash them and re-use them. I just throw them away. Frankly, I didn’t give that habit much thought at all until recently. But I realize now that I’m being totally inconsistent by breaking out my reusable totes for every grocery trip, where I proceed to buy more plastic bags to use and throw away.

There is another option, I am pleased to say. Did you know that reusable snack and sandwich bags are available? And even better, they are really cute! Bleu Roo is a shop that has the cutest reusable snack bags that you’ve ever seen!

Amanda is the brains behind Bleu Roo, where she combines a love of the environment with her crafty skills and her embroidery techniques! She sent me a reusable snack bag to try out, and I’ve been toting it with me to work every day since. The outside is a cotton and the inside is a waterproof and stain resistant nylon. The bag secures with velcro. I have already washed the bag after using it for my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and it held up beautifully in the wash. It also line-dried very quickly. The bags are large at 8×8, so they can hold enough food for kids and adults, alike. Overall, I found these snack bags to be excellent, and I only wish I had tried them out sooner!

Bleu Roo offers so many beautiful items. I’ve put the hand embroidered snack bag on my wish list for Mother’s Day, birthday or Christmas, and I also love the personalized totes that Amanda offers.

Buy It!: If you use ziploc bags for your own lunches or for your kids lunches, consider making the switch to reusable bags. They are so much more attractive than plastic, and they will pay for themselves in just a few months. Bleu Roo has a beautiful selection with prices starting at just $5.50!

Win It!: Bleu Roo is spreading the love by offering one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader one plain snack bag AND one embroidered snack bag of your choice so that you can go green in style! The contest will run until Sunday, May 9th at 7:59pm CST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Open to residents of the United States. Be sure to leave your email address in your comments or have it in your profile or else I can’t contact you to tell you that you won!

How to Enter:

Mandatory entry: Tell me the embroidered snack bag you want if you win (choose wisely, as this will be your bag if your number is drawn!)

Additional entries:

1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email (one extra entry total, even if you subscribe both ways)
2. Follow me through Google connect
3. Put my button on your blog (leave blog url)
4. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your TwitterID)
5. Subscriber to the Sampler Village Etsy Team blog (Bleu Roo is a member)
6. Subscriber to the Bleu Roo blog
7. Enter any other currently open giveaway on my site (one extra entry per giveaway that you enter)

current giveaways: Hen and Chicks cloth diaper (ends 4/30), Sugar Free Allstars children’s cd (ends 5/4), MAM pacifiers (ends 05/07)
Disclosure: I received a product sample for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.