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My family goes a lot of places in the warm months. We go to the beach, playgrounds, parks, relative's houses, sports events... we're everywhere. It makes sense that we should bring our own lunches because eating out every day is pretty expensive. If we don't plan right, it takes up a lot of our gas budget and makes us have to cut back on things we want to do.
So I've been collecting lots of lunch containers that I can bring with us this year on our adventures. One of my most recent boxes is this healthy bento lunch box by LunchPal. There's a few things I love about it and a few things I don't so much, so let me tell you about it:
First of all, it's really cute. It's rounded and has an adorable two part fold out handle that's really comfortable to hold and adds to the look when folded down. I love that it has a handle, most lunch boxes don't.
I also love the pressure lock on the top. It holds the lid on tight when pressed down, and releases the lid when popped up. It helps keep it leak-proof and creates less opportunities for splatter when opening the lid while hot foods are in it.
One thing I'm on the fence about is the stainless steel part. Although it's healthy and easy to clean, it eliminates the possibility of microwaving, which is a pretty big con I think since the container itself doesn't keep foods hot. I placed hot food in it and an hour later it was barely warmer than luke warm. It was a bummer for sure. And since the outside is plastic, you can't place it in an oven either. So you're pretty screwed on that part.
Another bummer was that the lid never seemed to go on perfectly the first time. In order to lock it, I often have to adjust it just so, which can be a pain. But if you like cold lunches and are in the market for a new box, this one could be a great one for you.
To learn more, check out LunchPal on Amazon.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
February is ever so quickly approaching, and at the same time, it feels like it's taking forever to get here. Like a lot of Americans, I look forward to February. Why? Because that's when W2s come out and we can file our taxes. It's that time of year when I get to splurge and get something that I have wanted all year (or in this case for many years) and finally can afford. This year I am getting that treadmill that I keep saying I'm going to get. That, and a new camera because mine has had it.
I'm getting a treadmill so that I can get myself into a shape a little bit. Obviously the treadmill alone won;t be enough, I'll have to make some life changes, mostly regarding food. I usually opt for convenience because so much of my life on a daily basis is very inconvenient. Food is the one area I can really cut corners in to save myself some stress, so I do. But this next year will be a time for change. Starting with eating more veggies.
How will I cook these veggies? Lots of ways, I suppose. One of those ways will be baked in the oven. I've recently fallen in love with silicone kitchen items. Turns out they don't melt if you put them in the oven... just in case you thought they might. My newest help in the kitchen is from Bonjour Cuisine and is a set of two silicone baking mats and a silicone spatula.
I've tried silicone mats before and I love them. The food slides right off when the cooking is done and they are so easy to clean. Like this one, they usually fit nicely inside a regular cookie sheet. Cooking on them requires no oil or butter, nothing that you would normally use to prevent sticking.
So what makes this one different than others? Glad you asked. Two things stand out. First of all, it comes with a pretty cool bonus gift of the silicone spatula, which is great for icing cookies or getting the last of the batter out of the bowl.
Second, is that unlike other baking mats, these ones do NOT have angled corners, these corners are normal squared corners. I'm on the fence with my feelings on this, here's why: One one hand, I've had juices form chicken and veggies seep under the mat because the juices get into the corners and find a way under the mat. Now, that's not to say that it won;t eventually happen with these, but it's better on that front. On the other hand, having no angled part to grab makes it harder to get the mat back out of the cookie sheet, which can be frustrating.
So I guess it depends on your preference which you think would be better. Personally, I might like the full corners that these provide better. I tend to remove the food using a spatula anyway. So what do you think? Have you tried both? Which do you prefer?
To learn more, check out Bonjour Cuisine on Amazon.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
We're kind of in the middle of a big renovation of sorts in our home. We're rearranging all of the bedrooms and living room, as well as painting all the rooms. It's a huge project and along with it, I'm doing a HUGE purge. Getting rid of anything and everything that I can't see in a designated spot in the house. If it's a really cool end table, but no one needs one, it's going. If it's that roaster that isn't ever going to get used because it's nowhere near big enough for our family... it's out.
Another thing that's out: ALL tupperware lids. All of them. Why? Because I can never find a clean lid for the dish that needs one anyways, even the ones that fit sometimes are hard to put on, and they take up so much room. Organizing them is a hassle. I've tried dish drying racks and lid holders. I hate them. Hate them all.
The solution to that problem? Reliaseal Stretch N' Seal silicone lids. They stretch to fit every single bowl and tupperware dish I have. There are only six, as opposed to 40, and they can be rolled up or scrunched up, or even laid flat to take up almost no room at all! It frees up seriously at least half a cupboard of valuable kitchen space.
I tried them out and was really happy to see that they worked quite well. It was pretty easy to stretch over the bowls and created a nice seal on both round and squared containers. They can stretch to fit a variety of sizes ranging from about 3 3/4 to 11 inches.
The outside of the lid has several round tabs and one extra long one that helps not only to remove the lid, but also to put it on. They are also very strong, guaranteed not tear. If during the life of this product, it needs replacing, you can get that for free. I don;t think you'll need to though.
How much room would this save in your cupboards?
To learn more, check out Mod Family
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
One thing that makes me really happy as a mom is when my kids get excited about something that's good for them. It's even better when it's something I've introduced to them. It makes me feel like maybe I'm not failing as bad as I think I am. Like when Streaker got super excited about that pedometer I showed her and walked almost constantly until she lost it just so she could keep track of her steps. I'm totally getting another one for her. Or like when Punky and pretty much everyone else got super amped about fruit infused waters. The idea of fruit flavoring their waters was just too much awesome for them to handle.
And guess what's on every kid's wish list this year? Yup! Fruit infusion water bottles. And I am okay with that. So far I have two of the five I need. I might have to settle last minute and grab a few from Walmart last minute. They aren't as common as they should be. But I do have a few. One that I have for myself is this Fruit Infuser Water Bottle Bundle by MEK.
The bottle is made of Titan Plastic, so it doesn't shatter, only cracks if broken. It's a really nice feature. I have many bottles made of this plastic and only one has ever broken after being dropped many times. It's a 24 ounce bottle with a leak-proof cover. It's leak-proof because of the cool rubber button disc in the cover, it creates a suction seal inside the cover.
The inside has a fruit basket that sets inside the top of the bottle. The basket has a cover to it that screws on after filling the basket with whatever yummy fruit you feel like. It holds quite a bit of fruit and will definitely flavor your water.
The kit comes with a Neoprene sleeve for carrying the bottle. The sleeve has an adjustable shoulder strap. It also comes with a carabiner to clip the bottle to your belt if you wish. One other thing it comes with is a list of recipes and ingredients that you can try. It's laminated in a thick lamination sheet, I'm guessing 5mm.
This would make a great gift for someone who likes to live a healthy lifestyle. I definitely recommend it! To learn more, check out MEK (Made Easy Kit) on Amazon.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
It's been a little while since I've made home made meals as a go-to. We're usually either too busy or I'm just not up for it. So now that my kids are getting older and starting to act a bit better, I'm feeling a bit more like I'd like to start cooking again. Problem is, I'm pretty much down to just frying pans and cookie sheets. I don't have a whole lot that says to me "Hey! Cook something healthy with me!" I really should be working on that.
But I do no have a steamer, which I think is a great kitchen tool. It really does WANT you to cook healthy and it's also really easy to use.
The styeamer that I have is the Sunsella Vegetable Steamer. The part that most impressed me was how small it fold up. This steamer is so compact that it's ridiculous. Now, maybe I'm just completely naive when it comes to steamers because I've never really used one. But it folds up to 5 1/3", isn't that small!?
Granted, it is the smaller of the two sizes that they offer. My family of seven is a pretty big family for today's standards and I'm not sure if this would steam enough veggies for my whole family. But then, my husband would rather be thrown in the middle of the ocean than eat something green and my kids for the most part aren't huge on them, so maybe it would. It expands to 9 1/3", their larger size expands to 10 2/5".
The steamer sits on three feet that are about 7/8" and allow an inch to an inch and a half of water to sit in the bottom of the pan. I'll be honest here and say that part of me wishes that it sat a bit higher because I am terrible at getting things off the stove or out of the oven when I need to, so higher legs equals more water and less chance of mishaps. But the cool thing is that veggies should be done in under ten minutes, that might not even be enough time for ME to forget!
To help get the steamer out of the pot when the vegetables are done, it comes with a pretty cool removable center stem with a loop that lets you pull it up. And when you do pull it out, all the little holes in the sides and bottom strain the vegetables right into the pot. It's a pretty neat design, really. I think this is a great kitchen tool to have. It fits just about anywhere and is really useful, especially in the fight to eat better. Do you ever eat steamed veggies?
To learn more, check out Sunsella on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Amazon, or on their website, Sunsella.com.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
