Juice in the Box Review and Giveaway!

If you've been following on Instagram and reading the blog this week you may have noticed these clever little drink boxes popping up. 

Boardwalk Imports was kind enough to send me two Juice in the Box containers, two Ice on the Box cooler sleeves and one spare parts set for Juice in the Box to review. Read through to the end of this post for details of how you could win a single Juice in the Box starter pack for yourself!

I took a video of the unpacking, but my microphone wasn't working very well :-(

What do you think? Pretty nifty right?

We've been using them to take all sort of drinks to school and daycare. Some of the things we've packed so far include iced tea, juice, homemade smoothies, homemade lemon cordial and milk. I love that we get to choose what goes in to the box and how much!

Well, up to the 240mL fill line anyway. Mind you, I don't think we've actually filled it to capacity any day. Depending on what's being packed I don't mind skimping a bit on the serving. Something more than water is a welcome relief come lunchtime in Queensland, even in the middle of winter! (Where is still gets to 26 degrees o.O)

Now, doing some quick Mummy-math, bear with me here. . . 

Juice poppers (250mLx8pk = 2L juice) usually go on special for $3, thereabouts, right?

And the 1L tetra usually goes on special for $1

So right there you're saving 50c/L (or 12.5c/popper)! Without even considering changing the volume served, that saving's going to start stacking up after 40 weeks of 5 days at school!

Now let's try with milk. . .

I like to send the longlife plain milk poppers generally speaking, and they're about $3.50 for a 6 pack of 200mL (1.2L total = $2.91/L)

At home we have the $1/L full cream milk - check out that saving! Almost a third of the price! So if I were to send 200mL of our regular house milk in place of the poppers it would only take about 43 serves to save the cost of a Juice in the Box (RRP $17.95) Considering there are 50 days in a school term that's pretty good going I think! Not to mention the environmental impact or the health impact either!

Want to see how the size of the Juice in the Box stacks up against the poppers in my pantry? Check out this little YouTube video I made to help illustrate.

As you can see the Juice in the Box is a bit taller than your regular popper. If you're using a cooler bag this probably won't impact you much at all. If, however you tend to pack your juice box *inside* your lunchbox then you may run into some difficulties. As you know I have quite the selection of lunch boxes so I tried quite a few combinations trying to find the perfect fit. While it does squeeze into some boxes, there was only one that was a comfortable fit - the Nude Food Movers Lunch Pack. And it just so happens that Miss M asked for that box *every day* for the last week of school. Here's what she took those days:

And how it all packs into the box

Want to see how the Juice in the Box fits into your lunchbox? I may have a version amongst the collection I tested. 

But what about those days when you're not accessing a fridge like my girls? Well, Miss M has had holiday school this past week while I've been working and she was more than happy to test run the Ice on the Box for me! For her first day I actually froze the Juice in the Box as well as the Ice on the Box, and sent her lunch with a frozen yoghurt pouch as well in a cooler bag. The yoghurt and juice were still mostly frozen at lunch time! Oops! Since then I've sent the frozen Ice on the Box and frozen yoghurt pouch with refrigerate juice and other lunch contents in an insulated bag. This seems to be the perfect combination for her.

So, time for the nitty gritty of the review!

Loving:

• Easy clean (dishwasher safe, although I don't own one to test that - hint hint Santa!) A bottle brush works well
• Easy click open - even Honey (not quite 2) can open by herself
• Versatile when it comes to what and how much you choose to pack
• Leakproof (with the lid closed, although Honey did make off with her full JIB one day and I found it laying on it's side, lid open, half empty - and not leaking!) 
• Translucent body so you can see what's left inside (including any nasties)
• Made from Tritan with a stainless steel hinge for extra sturdiness. Don't believe me? Check out this guy running it over with a bus!! 
• BPA & Phthalate free
• Hard box means no more accidental squirting!
• Super handy fill line

Loving a little less, but liveable:

• Too tall for my most commonly used boxes. This isn't generally an issue when using cooler bags or lunch bags
• The price can feel a bit expensive at first, but in the long run it is certainly justifiable.
• Now everyone wants one!!

Overall:

I have always sent a drink along with water with my girls every day and it's something I intend to continue with. I can definitely see our Juice in the Box getting quite the work out! I would like to see a shorter version that will fit into my lunch boxes, but it won't be long and we will be out of the classrooms with fridge access so will be using cooler bags anyway. I love Love LOVE being able to  choose what and how much to pack into these drink boxes. It means healthier choices and less waste, which means a happier Mummy!

Now for the fun part! You can win a Juice in the Box starter bundle for yourself! Boardwalk Imports is kindly giving away 4 - yes FOUR Juice in the Box starter kits, which include a Juice in the Box  Ice on the Box, and a Replacement parts pack. Just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter form below and make sure you complete all the mandatory criteria for your entry to be valid! The 'bonus' entries don't actually count as this is a game of skill, however I've included them as an easy option for following :-)

• As per Terms & Conditions you must complete all three mandatory entries to be eligible to win. It is highly recommended that you enter the giveaway with the same email address/ID you follow with, otherwise your entry can be difficult to verify.
• Open to Australian residents aged 18 & over
• Full Terms & Conditions can be found here

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Details of my tools & toys can be found on this page.

~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post and no monetary compensation was provided nor offered. This post was written for Loving Lunches and Boardwalk Imports who generously supplied me with a sample to review and the prize/s for this giveaway.  All opinions expressed are my own, based on my personal experience with the product. This post may contain affiliate links.

Vote and Win #52NewFoods (USA/Canada Only)

Have you been enjoying our experiments with the #52NewFoodscookbook? You can catch up on them here. And don't forget to check out some of the other fantastic recipes bloggers around the world have been coming up with too! The best of the best have been rounded up into an interactive list so you can vote for your favourites and compare with what your friends have chosen. If you live in the USA or Canada, you can win a copy of the cookbook simply by voting too! 

(Just in case I install this widget wrong, here's the direct link for voting ^-^)

I didn't make the cut, so here's my contribution to date.

Details of my tools & toys can be found on this page.

~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches & 52 New Foods Challenge who generously provided me with a copy of their book. All opinions expressed are my own, based on my personal experience with the product. This post may contain affiliate links.

Souper Review and Giveaway

If you have been following on Instagram you will have noticed I've been having a great time playing with my Kambrook Soup Simple Soup Maker. I've been making all sorts of soups, but you know me and repurposing - I've had a go at baby food, smoothies, mousse, cake batter, pancake batter and even jam! Today being my 'blogiversary' (two years, really?) the lovely folks at Kambrook decided to send a gift to you! Details for this Soup Simple giveaway at the end of this review.

You may be thinking, but soup's not that difficult to make. Do you really need a machine to do it for you? Well, when you are easily sidetracked (was that a squirrel . . . ) or if you get called away from the kitchen (cue crying baby) this little invention can be a lifesaver. Yes I have popped my ingredients in, hit the button and come back not 20 minutes later as planned, but almost a full hour, and still had a nice hot soup to enjoy - not a burnt thick charred mass of goo. In fact, the only time I've had issues with burning was the second time I used the unit thinking 'it's really only heating & blending - surely custard would work'.

Well, custard powder, sugar and milk produce . . .

this result. . . 

Which does get better after soaking.

And better again after scrubbing with a scourer and dishwashing liquid. But, like the instruction book says, Gumption is the go! It worked a treat :-) I also learned that the unit will switch off if it gets too hot, making you think that perhaps you forgot to press the start button. This is why I should read instructions.

I won't overwhelm you with all the recipes I've been posting using this one pot wonder. Instead you can see them all here. One recipe I haven't posted yet (because I haven't refined it enough) is Strawberry Jam. And being that each year I've started taking a strawberry photo with my girls (see last year's edition here), I thought this a great one to share.

Failures are good to share, right?

My first attempt I used 3 punnets of strawberries (hulled), a good squeeze of lemon juice, and 1 cup of water.

All tossed in the soup maker & set to 'Smooth'. Worried I might end up with sticky jam burnt to the bottom of my Soup Simple I stuck around. I also disregarded advice about fruit to sugar to water ratios when making jam and added zero sugar and extra water. About 2 minutes away from finishing the 21 minute 'Smooth' cycle, the unit beeped - my heart dropped. . .

But it wasn't a burning 'beep'. Instead it was a 'contents too low' beep. *Phew* No burnt residue, but also no jam. Instead I got some lovely Strawberry Sauce. Upon tasting I decided to stir in about half a cup of castor sugar which quickly dissolved into the still hot syrup.

My next attempt I used 4 punnets of strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar dissolved into 1/2 cup water. But I forgot the lemon juice. I'm not sure if that is why my second batch also need up as soup rather than jam and I had run out of enough strawberries to find out.

Right about now is where I would love to share the many things I've been making with my strawberry sauce, only my computer has had a hissy fit and it would seem I've lost quite a bit of data :-( So instead I will have to refer you to my Instagram feed. At least I have some accessible record of these delicious creations!

So. . . what do I think of the Kambrook Soup Simple?

Loving:

• Set and forget cooking
• Multi-function (smooth soup, chunky soup, blend, and pulse)
• Concealed element for a smooth internal wall and base
• Pour your soup straight from the Soup Simple
• Who doesn't love soup? 

Loving a little less, but liveable:

• It's not the easiest unit to clean. You can't pop it in the dishwasher (not that I have one). The main unit can't be submerged in water, which is what I naturally felt like doing. The top piece with the blades can also be tricky to get in around, although the provided brush does help.
• If you only want to make a single serve smoothie, this unit is not for you. The unit needs a minimum of 1300mL to operate, and even with Miss M, Honey and myself tackling a batch of smoothies, sometimes we struggle to finish. Mind you, there's nothing saying you couldn't save some for later or even freeze some of your leftovers.
• I would love a cover for the unit and a 'reheat' function so you could pop the whole lot in the fridge in-between servings, but then again there's never that much room in my fridge :-)
• I would also like a window or clear canister to see how the cooking/blending is coming along, but I'm just a sticky beak

Overall:
I am very happy to have this little helper in my kitchen, and as Honey grows and I start to think about shedding those 'bonus-baby-bulges' this will certainly come in handy. I tend to use it more for making grown up lunches (Mr Loving & I) and the size is good for us there. Three adult serves generally speaking. One lunch for the pair of us and one work 'lunch' for me. Occasionally I will stretch it out to four serves, it just depends on how hungry we are at the time :-) Honey will have some chunky soup but isn't terribly fond of the smooth unless it is served to her in a Sinchies food pouch. Miss M won't have a bar of it - even with crouton sticks. All the more for me!

So are you sold yet? Would you like a Kambrook Soup Simple for yourself? Simply follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter form below - Good Luck!

• As per Terms & Conditions you must complete all three mandatory entries to be eligible to win. It is highly recommended that you enter the giveaway with the same email address/ID you follow with, otherwise your entry can be difficult to verify.
• Open to Australian residents aged 18 & over, excluding NSW
• Full Terms & Conditions can be found here

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post and no monetary compensation was provided nor offered. This post was written for Loving Lunches and Kambrook Australia who generously provided me with a sample for review and the prize/s for this competition. All opinions expressed are my own, based on my personal experience with the product.

Back to Basics Blog Hop and Giveaway

Here in Australia we are almost half way our third term and preparing for the last blast of winter. Some of us are booking into school for next year, including our Miss M who is entering Prep (Pre-School) in 2015! Where has the time gone?!?

What better time to revisit some back to basics bento inspired lunch packing, and perhaps inspire some of you to jump on the Bento train ;-).

And I'm not the only one, the Bento Bloggers & Friends are celebrating with not only a blog hop, but a giant giveaway as well! Details at the end of this post.



When I think back to the first lunches I was packing for Miss M, she had quite the variety while I worked out a system of not only packing, but what her appetite would accommodate. It's no secret we were blessed with a brilliant eater in her. That and I would prefer to send too much rather than have her hungry, especially when she was spending a full day at daycare. With kindergarten this year I've had to learn to pack less, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I've learned that her basic successful lunch contains:
Sandwich
Yoghurt
Snack
Drink
and Water.

So how do you make it fun? Well to start I would recommend *not* buying anything special. Try playing with what you have and see how it suits you. Trust me, once you start down the bento pick yellow brick road there's no turning back. You'll be re-purposing all sorts of things! When I started I had a few cookie cutters in the back of my Tupperware cupboard, but one of the first 'large cutters' I used was an egg ring. And one of Miss M's favourite sandwiches was a 'Pingu' sandwich. I haven't made one for ages so thought it about time I did again. And this time I took step by step photos.

Who would have thought you could have so much fun with these simple tools?

Vegemite, large circle cutter (I replaced my egg ring ^-^), mini circle cutter, raw spaghetti and sultanas. (The mini circle cutter is actually from one of those Christmas-Tree-Made-From-Star-Cookies sets, you know the ones.)

They were all I needed to create this lunch.

Here's some other lunches I've made in the past using a large circle cutter. I'd love to see your creations!

Wow, when you see them all together, I guess I'm rather fond of my circle cutter.

Want to see what other Bento Bloggers think about Bento Basics? Hop on over to What's For Lunch at Our House by clicking the (white) button below. Before you go, don't forget your piece of the puzzle for the Bento Bloggers & Friends Back to School Giveaway. You need them all to enter and it's open worldwide! Did you know the grand prize voucher can be used towards shipping too?

Hop this Way

Your Codeword Piece

And if you've collected all the pieces, you can enter right here! Good Luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Details of my tools & toys can be found on this page.
~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post. I partially sponsored this giveaway. All opinions expressed are my own, based on personal experience with the product.