Giveaway: $250 super-pack of MightyNest lunch gear
I will be the first to admit that Mazzy's lunches are less than inspired. I attribute this to the very limited amount of foods that Mazzy will allow in her mouth. But it's also possible that Mazzy has a very limited lunch repertoire because I have been giving her a very limited menu.
I guess it's a 'which came first, the chicken or the egg thing'.
I am willing to accept we are both to blame.
I've been packing Mazzy's lunch since she started camp this summer and it always contains the following very uninteresting items:
• 1 half turkey sandwich (initally I gave her a whole sandwich but it always came back half-eaten)
• 1 plastic baggie of vegetables (usually mini carrots since DUH they come pre-cut)
• 1 reusable plastic container of cut-up fruit
• 1 plastic baggie of crackers or pretzels
The reason for turkey sandwiches is because I can't find any other protein source that she will eat cold. She won't eat cheese, she won't eat roast beef, she won't eat ham or salami, she hates tuna fish (my mom's old lunchbox go-to) and for some reason she thinks peanutbutter and jelly is disgusting, even though she has never allowed it to touch her lips.
The camp leaves all the uneaten stuff in the lunchbox so you can see what your child is and isn't eating. Often the vegetable baggie is never opened, but I'm not going to be the kind of parent who sends her kid off for the day with no vegetables.
I also recognize I am wasting a lot of plastic, especially after my mother scolded me for sticking the supposedly reusable plastic containers in the dishwasher. That's a no-no. Something about releasing the plastic chemicals and then those chemicals leeching onto your food. If you want to know the full details, I'm sure there's a newspaper article my mother would love to send you in the mail.
A little over a week ago, MightyNest contacted me and asked if I was up for a "Lunchbox Challenge". It meant equipping Mazzy with the right tools for a healthy lunch, including environmentally friendly lunchbox gear and reusable sandwich and snackbags.
I took a look through all their colorful gear and creative storage containers (like the Lunchbot Bento boxes, the Lunchskins snackbags, the Din Din spoon and fork set and the stainless steel straw bottles) and began to think about packing lunch a little differently. Is it possible that in addition to being healthier for my kids and better for the environment, MightyNest might help the picky eating problem too?
Before I continue, I want to be clear that I am not someone who slaves over her childrens' meals. I am a big fan of doing things as easily and as quickly as possible. I find making lunches (and cooking in general) boring and a chore— especially since neither of my kids like eating them.
But the MightyNest lunch gear seemed like it could appeal to my creative side and make the food more fun for the kids. Plus, we weren't really talking about cooking or tons of prep work. Just more thought, a little cutting, and some careful arranging.
That sounded like my speed.
For starters, I ordered tons of lunch gear in pink— bento boxes, airtight containers, a thermos, a straw bottle, sandwich wraps, a giraffe lunch bag, etc. Surely, Mazzy would be more excited about her meal if she opened up her lunchbox to find her favorite color instead of a sea of clear plastic.
Secondly, I got some cookie cutters because I thought fun shapes might her boring turkey sandwich more appealing.
All last week, I made Mazzy's lunches as creative as possible without straying too far out of her (or my) comfort zone.
I can't show you the lunches I made without showing you what the camp returned uneaten. That would not be the whole story. So I'll say this— the process was mostly successful, but not entirely. I think we're going in the right direction, but Mazzy's picky eating is not something we are going to solve in one week.
MONDAY:
WHAT SHE BROUGHT BACK:
Mazzy ate all her turkey and left the bread. Which is fine. She said she didn't like the watermelon mixed together with the blueberries, which I had never done before. She did like the flower shaped watermelon, but complained of SEEDS. Oh, what I do for my children to just accept white watermelon seeds.
TUESDAY:
WHAT SHE BROUGHT BACK:
I used crackers to separate the tomatoes from the celery and since she didn't like Monday's bread, I rolled plain turkey and added a mini bagel with cream cheese on the side. I have never given Mazzy a bagel in her lunch box before and clearly this new development was something she chose not to acknowledge. But it was nice to know she liked the turkey rolls, something I would never have just stuck in a plastic baggie. And YAY for eating all her veggies!
WEDNESDAY:
WHAT SHE BROUGHT BACK:
Success! I packed all things I knew she liked, except a snuck in a tiny cheese sandwich shaped like a flower amongst the turkey. There is no fooling Mazzy. Initially, I was concerned that using the cookie cutters to make sandwiches would waste a lot of food, but then I realized you could roll up all the excess turkey scraps into sandwich sushi. Yes, sandwich sushi.
THURSDAY:
WHAT SHE BROUGHT BACK:
Apparently, Mazzy was not as thrilled with sandwich sushi as I was. But I was encouraged that she at least tried one. I then had a long discussion with her about how tortilla bread was still bread, just flattened bread. Maybe I should have explained it to her before camp.
FRIDAY:
WHAT SHE BROUGHT BACK:
She didn't touch any of her turkey sandwiches (not even to eat the turkey out) which was confusing until I found out Friday is pizza day at camp. Apparently, most of the parents forgo bringing a lunch on Friday and let their kids get the hot lunch. I guess that's what I will be doing next week.
The plums were a brand new thing so I am not surprised she didn't try them, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up. One thing that is great about packing a bento lunch is you can introduce new things in small ways.
So here's what I learned from the MightyNest Lunchbox Challenge:
1) I love packing bento boxes. It was fun to figure out simple ways to present new and old items. Plus, knowing I was posting pics on the blog helped me try to make things look different and exciting.
2) Packing bento boxes made me think about color as I tried to do something different in each quadrant. This lent itself easily to variety and a broader range of nutrients than Mazzy would usually get in one day.
3) Packing smaller portions of more things helped me as well. Usually I load up a whole baggie full of one thing, which always leads to a lot more waste. It also opens up opportunities to stick in something new without it throwing off her whole lunch.
4) Packing one bento box instead of packing several plastic bags guarantees that Mazzy opens and sees everything, as opposed to leaving an entire bag of veggies unopened. The veggies were the thing she seemed to eat the most, which was not the case before.
5) Using less plastic bags is not only healthier for your child and the environment, it's ultimately a money-saver. I can continue to use my new gear for years to come instead of buying box after box of baggies and disposable containers.
I'm not saying my relationship with Ziploc is over for good (I use them for tons of stuff besides food), but MightyNest's challenge ended up being way less of a challenge than I thought. Two of my friends who happened to witness what I was doing this week immediately said they were going to try it out too. Who knew I would turn into an evangelist for bento boxes?? It really is a very easy change to make with a lot of positive outcomes.
In addition to selling products for healthy living, MightyNest has a place on their site that gives ideas on how to institute healthy changes for your family. They ask people to sign up for pledges, like the pledge to only use reusable snack and sandwich bags. They also have a great resource which shows the different lunchboxes they carry with a guide as to what gear you can fit inside. And to top it all off, MightyNest donates 15% of every purchase to your local school with a goal to raise $1,000,000 for schools this coming year.
What I would really love, as a lot of our kids go off to kindergarten for the first time this year, is that we take the Lunchbox Challenge together. If you sign up through the widget below, you will be entered to win a $250 super-pack of lunch gear from MightyNest similar to all the gear I used in this post. Don't worry— I don't think you need to get all the pink!
FYI- this giveaway is only open to Mommy Shorts readers.
In order for me to continue with the challenge, I'd love for you to share meal ideas in the comments, especially meals that might broaden Mazzy's eating habits. In my next post, I'll take some of your ideas and test them out on my very picky four-year-old and perhaps I'll try to rehab my even pickier one-year-old too.
I need as many ideas as possible! Maybe my next challenge should be called: Breaking out of the Turkey Sandwich Rut?
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This post was sponsored by MightyNest but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
So happy to see this post! I am packing lunch for my picky 3-year-old for the first time and realized by day two that she only eats about 10 things. Taking in all of these ideas to get her to try new tastes and textures – thank you!!
Elizabeth – Do you cook the beans first or just give them out of the can (rinsed)? I’ve never thought of that before!
I wish I could post pictures here – It’s really easy to make a mushroom from Mario Bros from a radish.
My guy (he’s 2) likes almonds in his lunch.
Also have you looked at food-grade paint pens? http://www.inkedibles.com/yummyart-edible-pen-ink-marker-black-fine-tip–p-200.html?gclid=CjwKEAjw9qafBRCRiYrL4-fpuFkSJACvocQ1VuLQLjEZW8Fa6sCqeHTjap9g8pOZL40BIsoUdeQ-txoCm-Lw_wcB
Would Mazzy eat a sandwich with her name in pink on it???
My son (2 1/2) is obsessed with “applecados” – which is what he calls both sliced apples and sliced avocado.
http://justbento.com/handbook/bento-decoration-techniques/fun-japanese-egg-molds
Bento egg molds – just boil the egg, peel, and stick in the mold in the fridge and then when you pack the lunch it’s a cool shape!!
I am working on eating more healthily myself and would LOVE to be able to pack both of our lunches at the same time!
Check out http://www.justbento.com
Mine likes the frozen yogurt tubes but they are SO sugary. I bought some resealable food pouches and freeze healthier yogurt in them to thaw by lunch. 🙂
Mine is obsessed with fruit salad on skewers since they did it on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood!!
Is she a Daniel Tiger’s neighborhood fan? My 2 1/2 is more willing to try new foods if you sing the song from the “be a vegetable taster” episode. (“We’ve gotta try new food cause it might taste good!”)
Reading through these posts, I realize that I am VERY fortunate that my guy will try ANYTHING that isn’t the texture of baby food or mashed potatoes.
Husband is actually the pickiest eater in my household, followed by me (but only because I am allergic to most fruits.)
Glad I’m not the only one struggling with a picky eater
I don’t have any meal ideas, as our first child is still in the gestation stage (but only for 2 more weeks, yikes!), but I just wanted to say how much I LOVE LunchBots. We have a set that I use to pack my and my husband’s lunch (well, I used to, when I had the energy to pack us lunch in the morning). They’re super convenient, easy to clean, and don’t get stained and worn like plastic. Which I still put in the dishwasher, so you might want to have your mom start a PSA campaign for sure 🙂
oh, maybe let her “make” almond butter at whole foods so she can see how its just nuts all smashed up!
Might have to try to find that episode and have her watch it 50 times 🙂
Savory muffins is an AMAZING idea. My 3 year old thinks anything that comes out of a muffin tin is dessert, so I will totally try this.
My daughter is a very picky eater too! Have you tried cold pasta salad? I was surprised when my daughter liked this and it would be a new way to incorporate her turkey. Also my daughter liked hummus and veggies. Since she won’t eat peanut butter maybe you could try another butter like cashew or almond butter. The texture is a little bit different and maybe the taste would appeal to her more. Also some small grilled or baked chunks of cold chicken have gone over well with my little one. I pack a container of her favorite dipping sauce and it is a hit! I hope this helps!
My husband and I do not have chidlren yet, but I can definitely see how this could be very helpful. On the other hand, I might try this for myself…minus the flower-shaped sandwiches, of course.
I have a desk job, so big lunches don’t sit well with me and I avoid the cafeteria as much as possible. But I like the idea of small snacks and the creative mixture!
Thanks!
We use Easylunchboxes too. Tons of great ideas on IG with the hashtag #easylunchboxes and on their Pinterest page too. We usually forgo the bread and do turkey or ham rolled up, Babybel (good source of protein!) or cheese string, crackers, a fruit and a veggie (the squeezeable applesauce are a big hit), yogurt (yogurt tubes are great), and a treat. If we’re not doing meat, we do Wowbutter and honey or jam (no PB allowed), a mini bagel with cream cheese, quesadillas, mini waffles with chocolate cream cheese and a banana slice (kind of a sandwich), leftover mac and cheese or pizza.
My almost 7 year old daughter will be entering first grade this year which means I will be packing lunches for the first time ever
I remember my mother putting notes in my lunchbox. It is such a great memory of mine still to do this day. I think every mother should do this for their child. It is just another boost of reminder to let them know how loved and treasured they are.
Edemame is always a go to for my daughter’s school lunches. You can buy the frozen and put it in their box. By the time lunch rolls around they are defrosted perfectly. Also does Mazzy like rice? I bought these cute Cutezcute Animal Friends Food Cutter and Stamp Kit. I take Sushi Rice and belnd other things in like Edemame, Corn, Peas. My daughter loves them. Also the CuteZCute Panda Rice Mold Kit is super cute, and I even got my daughter to eat seaweed using the puncher for the Panda features. My daughter is even pickier than Mazzy so you’ve given me hope!
Use the cookie cutters on cucumber slices! They would be cute as little flowers. I’m going to try that one on my toddler because vegetables are a continual challenge.
Pita wedges with hummus.
Turkey rolls with hummus or lettuce.
Apple with almond or sunbutter dip.
Mini zucchini or sweet potato muffins.
My son doesn’t like bread getting soggy or mushy so I barely use sandwich bread. But he likes toasted pita. Maybe it’s a texture thing. Crunchy vs mushy.
I am obsessed with bento boxes and love this post. My older son couldn’t use one because he would lose his head if it wasn’t secured to his body. I am going to try this year with my younger son. Ideas: edamame, celery, salami he loves, and that’s about all I got. I am going to go order some boxes now!!
Since she enjoys turkey try adding a thin piece of ham to the turkey sandwich.
Have you tried salami roll ups? My children enjoy these with the herb creme cheese.
My son likes pepperoni rolls-we buy gluten free packages though
Roll turkey, with her favorite condiment (or a thin sliced piece of cheese), and use pretty tooth picks to hold shut until time to eat.
Do the crakers get soggy being in with the other food? and do you need to use an ice pack with meats?
Thank you thank you thank you for posting these pictures! My daughter is 4 and severly delayed in eating due to prematurity and chronic vomiting. We are challenged with getting her to eat orally (she has a g-tube to make up calories) seeing what other “regular” “normal” full-“term” kids eat at these young ages gives me such peace that I’m not alone, because her delay can make us feel SOOO alone and abnormal. I could cry when I see this or hear my friends tell how their kids don’t eat great everyday etc THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!
My son is also picky. Sometimes if I label a food creatively, he’ll be more apt to try it. For example, he loves zucchini “cake” even though he wouldn’t eat zucchini bread. Have you already tried hummus? Lots of good veggies go well with it. Pretzels too.
I use LunchBots too, I love them! I have a duo, the leakproof container set, and some dipping containers.
I haven’t read thru the comments, so maybe someone else suggested this, but I use silicone cupcake liners to separate stuff in the LunchBots. They work really well. Amazon has a ton of colors & shapes!
My kid loves deli meat wrapped around pickle spears, we call them “pickle wraps.” She also loves leftovers (to my surprise!) She’s not a big sandwich person unless the sandwich is freshly made, so meat rollups usually do the trick. THe trouble we have here is that my kid will try something new, decide she likes it, eat only that for 2 weeks, then never touch it again. Sigh. Nom Nom Paleo has some GREAT ideas on her site for packing lunches in a LunchBot! (Yes, they are paleo, but you can supplement/trade items at will.) Good luck!
Quesadilla’s are amazing – they are quick to make the night before with whatever we have at dinner such as leftover chicken or beef, or veggies, or sometimes if I have nothing I melt the cheese and throw some spinach on top. You can cut them into cute shapes and they fit perfectly in the Lunchbots!
These are my new favorites. They’re a little pricier than the tubes marketed to children but so much healthier. I’ve also been able to find them on sale just about every week. And, they are delicious.
http://siggisdairy.com/products/detail/tubes/blueberry/231/#sthash.pMJNjjN6.dpbs
“I think there was a seed in my bread.”
I have to believe that at some point their survival instincts will kick in and they’ll understand the biological need to ingest food.
And I LOLed at Thursday.
My 4yo loves loves LOVES cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches. She is also a big fan of chicken salad, on bread or with crackers. She usually eats yogurt in a tube or some babybel cheese if we pack that.
I know you mentioned that she doesn’t like peanut butter and jelly together, but what about peanut butter and bananas? You could try the sushi rolls again, but this time with flattened sandwich bread, peanut butter, and bananas. Skippy also makes a super tasty dark chocolate peanut butter that is natural.
Banana carrot zucchini muffins are also a great source of veggies. I make mine with very little sugar and no butter or oil.
I love my LunchBot box for my son – but I am so glad to see some other kid’s lunch comes back basically the way it was packed. I’m going to keep trying, but its discouraging. Sometimes he’ll eat something for a week or so (there was that 4 weeks of ham and cheese sandwiches every day, but that came to a close too) and I do cut them into fun shapes and whatnot, but it’s still hit and miss. The one I have is divided in 2, I’d love two more – dividing in 4, and divided in 3. He, too, has a thing about food touching other food. (sigh).
My girls love anything stuffed into grape tomatoes (actually the ones that are a tad bigger, can’t think of the name). Just get seeds out by cutting the top like carving a pumpkin. We’ve done tuna, eggsalad, turkey, ham/cheese…you get the picture. 🙂
Eh. My 4-year-old’s fussy eating is about as painful as Mazzy’s, by the sound of it. She will eat cheese, but ONLY in the form of a Kroger’s brand cheese stick. If I try and sneak in a different brand, unpeeled and all, SHE CAN TASTE THE DIFFERENCE. Ugh. Jam sandwiches and chopped up fruit are about it for lunch. Does my head in…
Coconut yogurt with apple slices, granola, and graham crackers.
We are gluten free so we do hard boiled eggs, meat and cheese rollups or threaded with gf pretzels, pickles, hummus with GF pretzels, salsa and corn chips, grapes, oranges, cream cheese sandwiches, chicken legs, beans(I most times make a meatless chili and serve the beans like that but cold), chips, cukes, tomatoes, celery, carrots, crisp lettuce, peppers and some kind of dip, hot dogs with ketchup 🙂
Thanks!
Egg Salad is Mimi’s favorite. She asks for it each day.
I gave Mimi your bento box lunch last week, and she came home with an empty bento box each day.
Yes, I am the first person to not have a picky four year old.
I know there will be many difficulties and challenges but I am determined to do it. If it fails then it will also be a lesson for me.
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