‘On the search for a way to pack HOT healthy school lunches for your kids? Check out this review on the Lava Lunch Box system!’
If you look through the school lunches I give my daughter, you will see leftovers… A LOT of leftovers! When it comes to dinner the night before, I’m not only thinking about what we are eating that night, but usually making a couple of extra portions for my daughter and husbands lunches for the following day. This is cost effective, efficient, and takes the guess work (and headache) out of prep for the following day. It also provides a nice change from the typical school lunch PB&J’s everyone else seems to have, nearly every. single. day.
One of the most frequent questions I get in regards to my ‘Fit Kids Make Ahead Breakfast & Lunch‘ series is “Corina, what do you suggest for keeping lunches warm? My kid will NOT eat cold leftovers!” Fear not friends. Although my daughter couldn’t care less about eating cold food (I’m the same way, the husband and son despise cold food), some kids & adults just can’t do it. They say it looks unappetizing, flavor is totally lost, and ultimately it just doesn’t make for a good eating experience. Fortunately this year I stumbled upon a lunch box system that has worked perfectly for us!
Let me introduce you to…
I first saw these being advertised on Facebook as a sponsored post. Now I don’t know about you, but I typically HATE seeing sales things like this in my feed because most are scams where you buy and don’t receive your item for 4-8 weeks (if you’re lucky), it comes from China, and isn’t at all like you expected.
You know what I’m talking about…
Anyways, when it first popped up in my feed I was intrigued. Not so much for my daughter mind you, but mainly because of that same darn question I get asked over and over and over again on my social media and blog about how to keep lunches warm for their kids. I decided to take the “sponsored” Facebook post risk and hope for the best!
When my order arrived within a few days, I knew this was definitely legit. No scams or waiting a couple of months for anything that you ordered. Quality is TOP NOTCH… seriously, the neoprene material of the lunch box itself is so thick. Stitching details, craftsmanship, and sturdiness are amazing. I could definitely see a rambunctious little child tossing this thing around, dropping it, kicking it, playing keep away with it, and STILL bringing it home in one piece! I was already pleased and we hadn’t even tested it out yet!
Some key features:
- keeps food hot for up to 5 hours
- great size for elementary and perhaps even junior high kiddos
- reusable
- BPA free
- phalate free
- non toxic materials
Picking the color was a no brainer. My daughter is so into tribal prints right now, there wasn’t even a question which one to get! I really need to show you her room. We just redid it and its FILLED with tribals and arrows!
So the lunch box itself… the outside is made of a thick neoprene material and the insides are also lined with a super-insulation metallic material. Yes, it will keep foods warm but it will also keep foods cold! Since there are two separate sections to the lunch box, you can store packed snacks and small juice/water packs in the top area (even with a ice pack if you like) and the bottom container will hold the heat sources and container with the food.
In addition to the bag itself, it also comes with a vented tupperware container and the heating “system”. The two flat, hard, orange plates are actually made of lava rocks! The rocks themselves are coated with a hard plastic material so when you heat them in the microwave, you don’t necessarily burn your hands pulling them out and placing them into the lunch box. By nature, lava rocks are able to retain a ton of heat which is how/why the food is able to stay warm for up to 5 hours!
While the container is small and wouldn’t be anywhere close to my eating portion (I eat really big meals, none of this eating small meals 6-8 times a day stuff for me), its the PERFECT size for kids. We’ve been using the Lava Lunch box for almost 8 months now and I have never thought to myself “I wish this was bigger for Makena”. Great size for young kids ages 5-12!
Clear heating instructions… I pop the lava plates into the microwave and heat on high for 2 minutes, then turn them over and heat for an additional 2 minutes. Once the food is heated and the plates are heated, you are ready to stack!
Plate one down.
Food/container down.
Plate two down.
This method allows the food to be even more insulated and heated from top to bottom! I love how neat and tidy it all fits together!
Then you just pack the snacks, mini water bottle into the top portion, and your kid is off! I love having the ability to keep cold AND hot foods together in the same lunch box. Like I said, we have been using ours now for over 8 months and haven’t had any problems whatsoever. The ONLY downside or negative comment I have about the lunch box system is that it can be kind of heavy for young young kiddos. They can manage fine carrying it in addition to their backpacks, but the weight of those lava rocks isn’t exactly a featherweight material! If I had to guess an amount for a full sized lunch (lava rocks, lunch box, snacks, small water bottle, and filled container of food)… I’d estimate about 8 pounds maybe? Definitely won’t slow your kid down too much, just something to consider for the little little ones (ages 4-6)!!!
And if you rather not buy direct from Lava Lunch, I suggest going through AMAZON… you can barely ever go wrong with AMAZON right? You can find this Black & White Tribal one HERE. Or if you want something very basic, stick with the BLACK one! Hope this helps and answers some questions I get about storing & packing HOT lunches!!! The Lava Lunch is a wonderful option. Versatility in your kids lunches and virtually no prep or thinking about what to pack when you can use leftovers!
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