When I was a kid, lunchboxes came with Thermoses. Now, lunchboxes are insulated, but beverage containers, if they come with one, never are. The weather is getting colder, and I have been thinking of investing in Thermoses for the girls.
With fall weather, the girls have started wanting hot food at all meals. Oatmeal's good for breakfast, and dinner I can handle, but peanut butter and jelly in the lunchbox is not hot. School lunch always is, which has been making it even more desirable than usual for them. So, the time to acquire Thermoses is upon us. I have looked before and been SHOCKED at how expensive they are. Sure, you can get a cheap plastic one, but I wanted one that I can rely on for the kids and potentially use for a long time. I'm talking about an investment. Today, I went out not just to browse, but to buy. At $19.99, these little babies were not cheap, although they were "buy one, get one half off" at my local Fred Meyer. One of my concerns has been finding one that will fit in their existing lunchboxes, but as I looked today I noticed some cute (bigger) insulated lunch "totes" - aimed at the female office worker, I'm sure, but whatever. They were on clearance!
They even have this perfect little Thermos-hugger strap that will keep the Thermos from falling over.
When I was young, my mom used to pack my milk in my Thermos and on VERY special days, she'd heat up a can of Spaghettio's and throw them in. It really was a treat! When I showed the girls their new lunch gear, they were excited, except about the fact that the black and stainless Thermoses were "boy colors." Maggie is thrilled at the idea of taking warmed up leftovers - soup, chili, etc. - to school for lunch. And, as an added bonus, her best friend Lauren already has a Thermos, so it must be socially acceptable! I'm really looking forward to giving it a try, and so are the kids. The lunch possibilities have just expanded exponentially, and the thought of using leftovers means an easy morning in the kitchen for me!
The Thermos website just brought tears to my eyes - in a good way. They have a sliding timeline of lunchboxes, and you can choose a time period and scroll through to find your old lunchbox! I found my very first lunchbox - the one Mom used to put the Spaghettio's in! - The Polly Pal. If you want to know the year, you'll have to go look for it. Do you remember yours? Go look for it!
On a final note, as all of us who have our ServSafe certificates can attest, food safety is a big concern with foods that need to be kept hot or cold for an extended period of time. Here is a link to a Good Housekeeping article that reviews hot and cold food storage containers. Fortunately, the ones I bought are the same size as the Funtainer Food Jar, which is good for hot foods. For cold foods, I just count on the insulated lunch box and a frozen lunch box cold pack. Admittedly, I have never taken a thermometer to the kids' lunches. Have a great week - and keep it out of the Time and Temperature Danger Zone. (If you're looking for some extra fun this weekend or just want to review, here's a great list of ServSafe Q&A on food safety! Really!)
Wow, that's really interesting. I can't believe how expensive thermoses have gotten, but it's definitely worth it to get some hot soup, especially with winter and cold weather coming. I might have to invest in one myself for long days on campus. I remember hating never having something hot for lunch, and that's why I always wanted to buy my lunch when I was a kid. Good, solid research!
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