It’s no secret that we’re big Yumbox fans at my house. It’s definitely the #1 box my older daughter goes for when I ask her to pack her own lunch. In today’s sponsored post, I’m excited to share what we like about the Yumbox and also a list of lunchbox ideas to pack in it.
What We Like About Yumbox
- Yumbox’s pre-portioned trays (with cute little pictures) helps you pack healthy lunches without having to think too hard! They come in two options – 4 or 6 compartments with small images showing what to put where, which helps even the littlest ones assist in packing their own meals.
- They alleviate the need for plastic baggies or multiple containers, which means they are good for our earth (AND leave us with fewer containers to wash).
- They are leakproof! So go ahead and grab that yogurt or applesauce because there are no worries about leakage or spillover from one compartment to the next.
Lunchbox Ideas
Whether your kids pack their own lunches or you’re the one doing it, here’s a list of real food ideas to help. These categories match up with the 6-compartment Yumbox labels.
Fruits
- Apple slices
- Banana slices
- Mini-oranges/clementines
- Pear slices
- Frozen strawberries
- Frozen blueberries
- Frozen cherries
- Applesauce
- Baked apples
- Dried apple rings
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Pomegranate seeds
- Mango pieces
- Avocado slices
- Grapes
- Kiwi
- Cantaloupe
- Pineapple
- Watermelon
Vegetables
- Cherry tomatoes
- Carrot sticks
- Celery sticks
- Ants on a log (celery with nut butter and raisins)
- Roasted vegetables
- Frozen corn
- Frozen peas
- Brussels sprouts
- Mixed greens
- Cucumber slices
- Sweet potato cubes
- Pepper slices
- Olives
- Zucchini chips
- Sugar snap peas
- Steamed broccoli
Grains
- Muffins
- Waffles
- Crackers
- Oatmeal
- Rice
- Quinoa/Quinoa salad
- Tortillas/wraps
- Waffle sandwich
- Granola bar
- Power balls
- Mini pizzas
- Mac-n-cheese
- Cinnamon raisin bread
Protein
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Organic, nitrate-free deli meat
- Refried beans
- Bean salad
- Leftover pulled pork
- Homemade chicken nuggets
- Chicken salad
- Chicken leg or other pieces from roasted or slow cooked chicken
- Deviled eggs
- Egg casserole bites
- Egg salad
- Trail mix
- Nuts
- Seeds/Seed mix
- Tofu
- Nut butters
- Lentils
- Bacon
- Quiche
Dairy
- String cheese
- Cheese cubes
- Sliced cheese (to go with crackers)
- Plain yogurt (sweetened with a little maple syrup or honey)
- Cream cheese spread (to go on other item in box)
What did we miss? What do you like to pack in your Yumbox?
How to do Food Prep for the Week
How do you keep it cold? I find these don’t fit easily in other lunch boxes and are hard to keep cold.
I put the box in an insulated lunch box along with an ice pack.
We use a PackIt lunch bag. The Yumbox fits perfectly inside, with enough room for a milk, silverware, napkin, etc. The icepacks are built into it, so you just throw it in the freezer the night before. And it keeps food cold well past lunch time.
Definitely going to look into these. I’ve been having issues with my current lunch containers, and there’s definitely something appealing about being able to bring yogurt or jello and not have to put it in a separate container!
We love our boxes and have one compartment for each child and I got both the 4 and 6 sizes to interchange. Unfortunately they do leak when you add applesauce or yogurt into other compartments. We have tried numerous times and it doesn’t work. Oh well!
My son loves salami, so I usually put a few slices of that in. I have also cut up leftover pizza so that it fits in multiple sections. These are all good ideas. It’s halfway through the year and I’m running out of ideas.
I would love to use these, but they don’t fit in Pottery Barn lunch boxes. Pottery Barn lunch boxes and book bags are too durable for me to give them up for this.
I only have the four compartment kind, but I love mine! My kids are pretty little, so they have a hard time opening other containers without making a mess, but not these. And I have never had anything leak. They fit well into Lands End EZ wipe lunch boxes with room for ice packs. Today there lunch didn’t need to be cold, so there was even room for a banana.
My daughter got a Yumbox for Christmas (she actually asked for one!) and we both absolutely love it. It seals up so well, and you can tell it’s high quality. I want to get her another one because it’s always in the dishwasher!
Highly recommend.
We have both a four and a six compartment and my daughter and I both LOVE our Yumboxes. I don’t find they leak at all between compartments unless you mix up the trays. Coming up with food my picky eater will put in them is another story. Thanks for this list Lisa!
I love this post! Thank you for making my life easier Lisa!
Thank you for this post! Do the Yum boxes fit in the Land’s End soft sided insulated lunch boxes you listed in a previous (from way back) post about the supplies you use?
Yes! Those are the lunchboxes we use (and I believe Lisa’s girls use, too). They fit perfectly, with extra room for ice packs.
Yes, they fit great in those.
We have the 4 compartment ones and love them! I often put cheese quesadillas with salsa in the round compartment. My kids love them. Also, just a side note, we never have trouble with them leaking, whether its salsa, salad dressing, yogurt or applesauce.
Can you put these in the dishwasher?
Top rack only!
Our old one got warped in the bottom.
Yes, on the top rack. http://www.yumboxlunch.com/faq/
Yes! The plastic divider piece comes out and you can pop both into the dishwasher.
It is the thing< I was looking for. thanx.
I need to find this lunch box right now! Haha! Thanks for sharing :)
Wow really great Recipe :)
Some of our staples are cottage cheese, apple sauce and raisins. We LOVE this lunchbox, it makes lunch prep so easy and my preschooler doesn’t have to mess with bags or keeping track of lids or spills.
your blog is best i will follow this….
For another dairy: Cottage Cheese. My son loves it topped with fresh fruit. It dosn’t leak in the yum box.
I love my Yum Box. I often pack garden salad, chicken salad, pasta salad, fresh fruit, cheese, cottage cheese, sandwiches or just cheese / meat roll ups, pretzels, Almonds. Hard boiled eggs, thick dressing. It’s hard to pick just 4! So easy and you would be surprised how many quick left over items you have in the fridge!
I love my Yum Box. I often pack garden salad, chicken salad, pasta salad, fresh fruit, cheese, cottage cheese, sandwiches or just cheese / meat roll ups, pretzels, Almonds. Hard boiled eggs, thick dressing. It’s hard to pick just 4! So easy and you would be surprised how many quick left over items you have in the fridge!