Lava Lunch to the Rescue!
Mother of two Melissa Zimberg asked herself what she could do to try to give her kids a hot lunch when they were away from home, and she developed a very clever solution that I’m so excited to be sharing with you today! Her first son had some food intolerances, and she discovered how tricky it could be to accommodate his healthy diet while away from home. Packing things up in more traditional food storage containers could work for a short period of time, but bacteria will start to grow on food that is cooked after a few hours. Keeping food hot keeps that from happening, so it does serve a purpose even beyond the taste factor.
Well, Not only did she find a way to keep food hot in a lunchbox, but she also found a way to make it stylish, sustainable, kid and earth friendly. Moms are so awesome, you guys.
If you send your child anywhere with a packed lunch, then you definitely need to check out Lava Lunch. Lava Lunch will keep your food warm up to 6 hours, and it totally changes the landscape of what you can pack for your child to eat at school, on a car trip, or pretty much wherever!
How Lava Lunch Works
There are two heat maintaining elements in the Lava Lunchbox. The first is the “souped-up” insulation of the bag, itself, which is great, but not enough to keep food hot enough for 6 hours. That’s where the Lava Rocks come in. These are rocks that will absorb heat energy from the microwave. Once the inside of the lunch bag falls below a certain temperature, the Lava Rocks start to slowly release their heat in order to bring the interior of the bag back up to the temperature needed to keep everything hot.
Can I just pause for a second and state what we all are thinking? That is SO COOL!!!!!
But wait! There’s more! All this crazy technology that has come together to make this awesome product has also left room for the environment. It is made of organic, plant-based material. Additionally, it has a super smart design in that it cannot leak, even if the bag is punctured! I don’t even know how that’s possible, but there you go! It is meant to be used and reused thousands of time, which is a refreshing change from so many products on the market these days that seemed designed to break fairly quickly. I believe the term is “planned obsolescence,” and it is terrible for the environment and for consumers, but great for the companies, who get repeat business from folks replacing what has broken. This is not the business model for Lava Lunch, which is so nice!
What About Cold Stuff?
Ok, so what if you want a cold drink with your hot lunch? No problem! Lava Lunch has a side pocket for just that purpose. And if you’d like to have something that needs to be cold or even room temperature, just remove the lava rocks. Remember, the bag itself is insulated, so if what you put in is cold, then it is going to stay colder than it will in a non-insulated bag or box. It also has exterior pockets for utensils or snacks, as well as two interior pockets.
HUGE Savings
So get this: if you, your child or your significant other is away from home during lunch, and you typically purchase food, making the switch to bringing your lunch (without having to eat cold food every day) could save you LOTS of cash. A family of four could save us to $100,000 over 30 years. That’s enough to pay for college at a private school, or to pay for more than one college education if you go public and/or get scholarships! All from making a simple switch to bringing your own lunch.
Sharing With Others
Please take a moment to check out the 5-5-5 program through Lava Lunch as well. It seems to be this fantastically smart program designed to get folks sharing yummy recipes that are perfect for Lava Lunch, and in the process of doing so, providing funding for charities all over the world working on childhood hunger issues. When you shop with Lava Lunch, you can see how much heart goes not only into the concept and design of the product, but also into having a positive impact in the world. Love it!
Lunches Packed with Love and Lava
So at the end of the day, I just can’t get over how cool it is to tote around lava rocks to keep your food warm. Kind of sounds like something a super hero would use! 🙂 I’m also exited about the world of possibilities that get opened up for lunch options. Sometimes I feel like I feed my child the same 3 things for lunch because I just don’t know what else to send that can safely stay at room temperature or that tastes good when it is cold. If you feel the same way, definitely consider picking up a Lava Lunch. They are available for $29.99 and it will be the last lunchbox you’ll ever need!
Too keep up with the latest happenings, and with special promotions, be sure to follow Lava Lunch on Twitter and Facebook. And for some seriously yummy hot lunch ideas, check out their Pinterest board!