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Soup Saves the Day
Rated by 1 member
"Mom, can you pack me something new for lunch?" Julia asks one day after school.
The signs of lunch ennui are impossible to miss. Julia has been bringing home a lunch box heavy with uneaten food, then voraciously eating a snack the size of dinner.
Today as she happily devours a bowl of soup after school, she says, "I know! I can bring soup."
Julia loves soups, but when we tried packing it in her lunch in the past, we were always thwarted by a persistently leaky thermos. But, inspired and, frankly, desperate, for new lunch options, we're intent on finding a trusty little thermos for her to take back and forth to school.
After asking a few savvy parents, we learn that there's a new kid-friendly thermos called a Funcontainer (www.thermos.com) which is just the right size for soups and snacks.
Once our new thermos arrives, we give it the leak test by filling it and laying it on its side in a plastic bag for a couple of hours — it passes. Then I break out our favorite soup recipes.
For lunches I like to make soups with noodles so that they're filling enough to get Julia through a day at school. Embarrassingly, Julia loves ramen noodles the way Dave and I did in college, but they're light on nutrients and heavy with fat and unwanted chemicals. Instead I make a simple but delicious old-fashioned chicken soup with egg noodles.
I also stock up on ingredients for a few of our other favorite soup recipes from THE MOMS' GUIDE TO MEAL MAKEOVERS by Janice Bissex and Liz Weiss. It includes a list of ingredients to add to a basic can of soup to make it healthier. For a good last-minute soup option on very busy days, I buy packets of Sushi Chef brand white miso soup and some fresh tofu to add to it.
Member Comments On…
Soup Saves the Day
Our family loves to eat soup! We had 15 bean soup for dinner tonight. My three daughters love to take soup to school for lunch. We have the Funtainers and they are fantastic! To help keep the food hot until lunch, I "pre-heat" the thermos by filling with boiling water for about 15 minutes. Then dump the water and fill with the hot food. They have never complained of a cold lunch. Besides soup, they also love to take mac and cheese, leftover pasta or casseroles and franks and beans. Soups are also great to make for dinner on activity nights. I make the soup when my daughters are doing their homework after school, then we go to dance, soccer or fencing and when we return, there is a steaming pot of soup ready for us to eat.
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We have another of the Thermos food containers and it is great except for the size. This one looks perfect. btw, when you look for it it is actually called a Funtainer.
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My daughter likes smoothies for lunch but we have the leaking issue too. This thermos sounds like a great solution--we can't wait to try it.
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I love to make chicken noddle soup my babies love soup.
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I was wondering if the thermos keeps the soup warm until lunch or must your daughter reheat it in the lunchroom. I LOVE the idea of having them take soup - my youngest son will be so excited to try this.
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I have the Thermos containers with the wide mouth on top for soups, pasta. I think it's perfect. I was lucky enough to find them at Target some years ago - at back to school time (August). I also ordered another one for hot/cold drinks (Barbie style for my little girl). I think the soup stays better due to the hot liquid as opposed to the pastas. The teacher may have to help opening...! But that is very minor. I hope this helps.
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