One of the reasons I started mummybakesdairyfree was to encourage me to be creative with the food I was giving little one. In many ways being an allergy mum (and wife) has made me be more adventurous with the food I make and take a lot more time thinking about everything that I out on a plate. I love looking up what other food bloggers are making and eating, and researching different ingredients and kitchen utensils. I saw the Yumbox lunch box on Instagram and it was love at first sight (oh dear! I really do need to get our more)! The outer shell comes is a range of vibrant colours, whilst the food tray is divided to help you with portion control. I purchased the child (recommended toddler to age 8) food tray as it has more sections than the adult one. With a leakproof lid I can happily pack a lunch with dairy free yoghurt next to a sandwich and not worry about cross contamination. It is dishwasher safe (which would be handy if I had one) and is easy to clean. Yumbox advertise that it has a child-proof latch, which I am sure it is however my little one is a master locksmith so quite happily opens it and helps herself!!
One of my favourite things about the Yumbox is that it continues to encourage me to vary little one’s meals. I bought it as a late birthday present as at £25 it is quite expensive and originally intended to use it when we had lunch on the go. Recently, however, I have been using it for most lunches even if we are at home. There are a couple of reasons for this:
1. It means little one has more variety rather than just sandwiches.
2. The Yumbox keeps anything not eaten at lunch fresh and little one enjoys snacking on the leftovers throughout the afternoon.
3. It was £25 so I want to get my money’s worth!!
This week’s recipe is more a collection of little one’s lunches. You can find the recipes for items included in the lunches on earlier posts on my blog.
Suggestions for Yumbox lunches:
Dairy free cheese sticks, hummus, chopped fruit, dairy free yoghurts, raw vegetables, cooked vegetables, sandwiches, tortilla wraps, vegetable crisps, popcorn, rice cakes, tuna chucks, ham, roast chicken, dried fruit, thick fruit smoothies, scones, falafel, fishcakes, sausages, salad, pasta, rice …
Presentation
Using the Yumbox has made me think about how to present food differently I have started grating raw vegetables like carrots and courgettes which make the lunch texturally as well as aesthetically more interesting. Grated food and small pieces such as sweetcorn are great for baby led weaning and developing fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. I have also started to retry to vary the colour of the food to make it more exciting. Bright raw pepper and vibrant orange carrot, definitely seems to encourage little one to eat a wider range of food.
I’m really enjoying creating different lunches for little one using the Yumbox and it may be a coincidence however little one is eating more at lunch! I definitely think I need to get myself one, but what colour?! I look forward to seeing what everyone else puts in their Yumboxes!
Important bit
I purchased the Yumbox and have not been paid or compensated to review the product.
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