If you're starting to plan for your back-to-school lunches, I've got the perfect thing to help - PackIt freezable lunch bags!
These bags have been one of my favorite gluten-free travel hacks for years. In this post, I'm sharing why I love them not just for traveling, but for back-to-school season too!
This post is sponsored by PackIt. Please see my disclosure/disclaimer page for more information about sponsored posts. Please note I only work with brands and companies that align with my celiac disease needs and that I use myself. Thank you for your understanding!
About This Blog Post with PackIt
One of the biggest challenges I've faced over the years with celiac disease is food storage.
I've struggled with keeping my meals and snacks cold on long travel days.
I've struggled to keep my lunches fresh as a teacher because the cafeteria cannot serve me anything that is celiac-safe.
And more recently, I worried about how to keep my breastmilk cold while pumping for my new baby at school.
Ice packs end up melting. Frozen water bottles would leak, explode, or not work. And often, I'd end up with a lunch bag that was wet, not cold, and food that had gone to waste.
Until I found PackIt!
And now, my food storage game is STRONG.
I decided to partner with PackIt to show you how they can help for not only gluten-free travel purposes but specifically, back-to-school season.
So whether you are a teacher like me preparing to head back to the classroom, or you're sending kiddos to school and you want to know their lunches will stay fresh and not go to waste, this post is for you!
Plus, I'll share some of my favorite gluten-free lunch ideas you can keep in these awesome freezable lunch bags too.
Back to School with PackIt
What is Packit?
PackIt is The Bag That's an Ice Pack™! It's a fantastic choice for packing a school lunch and keeps food cold for hours!
Think of it like a Fridge on the Go that is compact, portable, foldable, and collapsible. PackIt comes in all different sizes based on your food storage needs and has both bags and boxes.
The secret is their EcoFreeze® Technology: a patented cooling technology that’s built into the walls of the bag eliminating the need for ice or ice packs!
That's what makes this product so great for going back to school. It's the perfect way to have a fresh school lunch you know won't go bad in your child's backpack.
Plus, it's reusable! It's a one-time purchase you know you will use for lunches not only every day this school year, but for years to come. And all you have to do is freeze it!
Why I Love PackIt
It makes food storage easy.
The only thing I have to do to prepare this item is put it in the freezer. I usually do this the night before going to school. Then, the morning of, I can just pack my lunch right into it and walk out the door!
It keeps food & drinks cold for hours.
I bring my PackIt to school daily with my lunch inside. But I've also taken my PackIt bag on TransAtlantic flights, to concerts, and even to the beach on a hot summer day. The items inside were still cold, hours later.
It prevents food waste.
I hate food waste. It's why I've been composting for almost 5 years now. Bringing my food in a PackIt ensures it stays fresh so I don't end up throwing something out.
It's eco-friendly.
The PackIt can be reused over and over again! The original one I bought in 2021 is still going strong without any issues or malfunctions!
It's portable and easy to pack.
This is the perfect grab-and-go option, especially for teaching, traveling, or just for a new mom who needs her snacks. It fits easily into my work bag, but also fits into a beach tote, my suitcase, or even just in the car.
It serves multiple purposes.
I've used the PackIt to pack an entire lunch with me for school, to keep yogurt parfaits fresh for morning snacks during Professional Development days, and even to store breastmilk while pumping in my office. I've also brought it with me on airplanes, trains, and cars, and when out and about exploring a new city.
It's fun and comes in all different colors & designs.
While I opt for plain styles myself, the designs, patterns, and colors for the PackIt lunch boxes and bags are super fun! There's a variety of choices for both kids and adults to choose from.
PackIt Products Available For School Lunches
PackIt has multiple options available on their website and on Amazon. They have lunch boxes and bags, coolers, totes, as well as snack-sized boxes and bags. They also have a line of Bento-box-style containers for food but these do not contain their EcoFreeze technology.
Here's a great comparison chart on their website which details the subtle differences between their lunch boxes and bags:
Here are a few of the PackIt bags & boxes I have used!
The freezable lunch bag has a soft exterior, folds up nicely, and can fit an entire container of leftovers without issue, as well as a drink.
These are snack-style boxes, which you can freeze flat for better storage. It's obviously a lot smaller than the lunchbox and only fits a few small snacks, like a string cheese, a banana, or maybe a yogurt.
This is the snack-style bag, which is similar in size to the snack box. However, I think this bag does not pack food as easily as the box. My go-to is the snack box for having a quick food or drink on the go.
PackIt also has bento-style containers for food storage that you can use inside their freezable boxes and bags. They come with removable dividers and snap-on lids so you can organize different food items and prevent any spillage.
I really love these for bringing a mid-morning or afternoon snack to school with a variety of things I can choose from! Here I have baby carrots, gluten-free crackers, and cherries.
The styles of PackIt bags you see here are very plain as I prefer to keep my bags simple and unadorned. However, there are multiple fun patterns, colors, and designs available on the PackIt website that are perfect for kids of all ages. These include patterns like rainbows, space, tye-dye, camouflage, and more!
Why PackIt Is Great For School Lunches
Lunches are cold and ready to eat.
Keeping food cold at school can be a challenge for students AND teachers! Unless your child has access to a refrigerator, it's tough to make sure that the food you packed is cold and ready to eat when they get hungry. This ensures their food is ready whenever they decide to eat and prevents anything from going to waste or being thrown away in the trash can.
Less messes to clean up for parents.
With a PackIt, your child's snacks, meal, and drinks will stay cold for hours. You won't have to deal with melted ice or water in the lunch box or bag, with something leaking into their backpack, or having to throw away homework because the frozen water exploded!
Kids have safer food options because food stays cold.
Food safety is important for kids of all ages. This ensures that if you pack your child a healthy lunch you want them to eat, you know it will be in good condition when they open their bag to eat it during the school day.
Fun choices for kids to express themselves.
Because self-expression is important! It can be intimidating bringing your own lunch (heck, it made me nervous opening my lunchbox as a kid when I was in school!). Having a lunchbox in colors they like filled with fresh foods will make your child proud to eat their lunch.
Back to School Lunch Ideas with PackIt
Here are some great gluten-free school lunch ideas for kids you can keep right in a PackIt lunchbox or bag! All of these recipes come right from the blog and are gluten-free. The only thing they need is to stay cold, which is something the PackIt can do!
Chicken Salad Sandwich
This tasty chicken salad with cooked chicken, mayonnaise, dried cranberries, celery, and walnuts goes great with greens or in a sandwich. Make sure you check out my full gluten-free sandwich bread comparison to know which ones are worth buying!
Get the gluten-free chicken salad recipe here.
Gluten-Free Cobb Salad
Another salad idea - cobb salad! This one is super versatile and you can customize it with whatever vegetables, dressing, toppings, or combinations that you like. I like mine with a lot of protein to keep you full, especially during the school day!
Get the gluten-free cobb salad recipe here.
Gluten-Free Blueberry Streusel Muffins
Nothing like a mid-morning snack to keep you going! These gluten-free blueberry streusel muffins are the perfect way to add some fruit into your child's lunch, and the topping is optional, of course, but adds extra sweetness & crunch. These can also be made dairy-free!
Get the gluten-free blueberry muffin recipe here.
Peanut Butter Cups
And for another treat - peanut butter cups! To avoid issues with food allergies in schools, I highly suggest turning these into almond butter or sun butter cups instead, which are very easy to do. These are gluten and dairy-free, super easy, and have minimal ingredients. Plus they freeze great (and freezable food is a solid choice for a freezable lunchbag!)
Get the recipe for peanut butter cups here!
Final Thoughts: Back to School Lunches with Packit
You can learn more about PackIt lunch boxes & bags on their website, or find my favorite styles on my Amazon storefront here! I hope you find them useful to keep those back-to-school lunches cool & fresh for hours!
Have you ever tried a PackIt bag for back-to-school season?
Which of these bags is your favorite?
Let me know in the comments if you plan to try one of these!
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