Make Meal Time Personal With Drink In The Box + Bento Ideas

I received compensation for this post through my relationship with the Quality Blue Community. I also received a product for this review. All opinions are my own.

Momma Told Me: I don't care what it looks like, eat it!

I was a little spoiled growing up- Momma would make these extravagant lunches for me long before it was cool for 'modern' mothers to spend an afternoon whittling apples and molding rice. However, she did it out of love, and the need to fuel her creative side, rather than a need to convince me to eat a well rounded meal. I never had the luxury of deciding what I was and wasn't going to eat that is, if Momma put it on the plate (cut into stars, or straight from a can) I was to eat it without complaint. If course today's mothers not only desire to give their children a meal that is full of love, but also one that is more wholesome and nutritious. 'Custom' meals are an integral part of modern parenting, and the accompanying beverage should not be overlooked!

With the growing concern over high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, and general additives in children's beverages, modern Mommas as checking labels and pouring from their own pitchers.As a child Momma never gave me straight fruit juice (even up to age 12, it was always cut with purified water.) But, of course, part of drinking from the 'juice box' (or pouch) is the 'cool' act associated with drinking from the vessel, not so much a concern for the drink inside. What if you could make your child's drinks just as cool, while getting them excited over drinking the beverages you choose? Drink In The Box, featuring Eastman Tritan™ nearly indestructible plastic offers a colorful, reusable, drinking vessel with all the cool angles of a modern drink box, minus the additives and extras. Learn more about Eastman Tritan™ and their products on their Facebook page.

It couldn't be easier to get children excited about drinking healthier, refreshing, beverages. The Drink In A Box comes in 4 bright neon colors (Pink, Orange, Blue, and Green) so you'll never lose them in the car, purse, or travel bag- and they're entirely spill proof when closed, so you can bring your drinks on the go and sip all day long. This revolutionary snacking tool holds 8oz of your child's favorite beverage and can help cut out sugar dramatically when filled with fresh fruit and water, or even freshly squeezed homemade juice. Did you know the average 8oz child's disposable juice box has around 14 grams of sugar? Yuck! Kid's are sweet enough already, no? And, of course it's made with durable BPA free plastics.

It's no secret colorful plates and drinking containers, such as Drink In The Box made with Eastman Tritan™ plastic help get kids excited about eating healthier and eating more. It can be challenging to get children to step outside their comfort zone of 'accepted' foods and eat a more balanced meal so we like to prepare bento meals for the kids. Using smaller portions of 'indulgent' snacks alongside healthier vegetables and fruits in fun cutouts and shapes a bento meal can keep picky eaters munching to the last bite.

Right now we're pretty excited about a certain upcoming space character franchise releasing a 7th installment so we've been coming up with themed named for everyday snacks. I even put together the Bento you see below using rice cakes, a spinach tortilla quesadilla, some fruit punch outs, yogurt dipped pretzels and cinnamon bears. It's always fun to reconnect with a new generation about characters and stories from my own childhood- too bad Momma was never into 'that' series!

Of course planning cute meals and cutting food into fun shapes is fun- but it also gets us thinking more about the food we put on our plates and in our mouths. Every time I reach for the Drink In The Box I remember that I have a choice to serve something loaded with sugar, or genuinely hydrating. We like to compromise and put frozen fruit in the bottom to help keep water chilled longer- and the children love eating the fruit at the bottom when they're done. Of course the Drink In The Box seals pretty darn tight, so they have to practice their 'please' and 'thank you's to achieve that!

Whether you're trying to pack your little superheros in the car on the way to and from big brother's soccer practice, or simply helping to keep them fueled for another round of creative play in the backyard- smart serving choices make all the difference. You have a say what goes onto their plate, why not have a say as to what goes into their drink box? What do you like to fill your child's cup with? 

What Daughter Says: Have a say in what your child eats and drinks with healthier options in a cool disguise.

Not Even Close To Wordless, Wednesday: Comikaze 2012 Snapshots

This past weekend marked the second annual return of Stan Lee's Comikaze to the L.A. Convention Center. If you've never heard of it, don't feel bad- neither had I until we passed a billboard, a few weeks back, on our way to an Angels V. Red Sox game. I don't think I really try to hide my nerd side here, but I suppose it may come as a shock to see me deviate from tech and fashion to share a glimpse of my inner geek. In truth, I've always wanted to go to a larger convention, such as ComicCon but, let's face it, I can't seem to get my act together to get to BlogHer, let alone several days of pure recreation and spending in San Diego. So I donned my Converse, my favorite pair of jeans, and a Panda hood, and hopped in the car for an afternoon of nonsensical cosplay, mind bending panels, and over-priced merchandise.

Only in it's second year, Comikaze is Stan Lee's convention baby; and also a baby in the sense of convention size. Running just 2 days, this event filled one smaller wing of the L.A. convention center. I didn't mind, as I only have enough attention span for 4-5 hours anyhow, and the entrance fee was a modest $20. In fact, parking was near as much at $15, and the only grumble in terms of value. Those familiar with conventions know your average ticket will easily run you over $40, and the fact this was virtually in my backyard made it a no brainer. I had to attend.

Now, I wouldn't call myself a 'comic' enthusiast, but Comikaze was much more than graphic paper novel stars. In fact, it was co-chaired by Elvira, Mistress of The Night, promising some great sci-fi and even Horror integration. Even if you are not interested in the various celebrity panels, autograph station, 'live' Quidditch match, or otherwise, the $20 admission was well worth the experience of walking around. While I am certain some of the 'characters' we encountered were professionals for entertainment purposes (see Captain Jack), the majority was comprised of ordinary fans participating in Cosplay. Superhero imitators were everywhere, with some impressively professional costumes and accessories. It was entertaining to simply walk around and try to guess them all! Some of my favorite moments include the Jedi Elvis (who has his own website) posing with Xena and Friend, Nyan Cat, a Red Twi'lek, and live character of Dark Helmet (Spaceballs). Of course there were also multiple Storm Troopers and Lokis walking around too!

I was torn about the inclusion of Celebrity Autograph Stations, which highlighted classic actors such as Lou Ferrigno (of Hulk fame) and Richard Anderson (Six Million Dollar Man). Primarily, I found the classic sci-fi actors to be poorly targeted for the 20 something demographic in attendance. I actually was a little sad to see Mr. Anderson tucked away in a corner (between two merchandise booths), with no attention at all. And Mr. Ferrigno was charging $40 for a simple autograph, which tended to alienate those who actually did recognize him. I'd rather pay additional for a special program that permitted me to collect autographs free of charge, rather than see stars set their own self worth.

One of the cooler elements of Comikaze was the presence of the R2-D2 Builders Club, which meticulously creates operational and life size replicas of big screen animations. Wandering through the crowd was Wall-E, interacting with children and just plain adorable with those big, sad, eyes! Of course there were a few R2 units moving around as well.

Personally, the biggest highlight for me was the SyFy Face Off Station, where Season 2's finalists were hard at work on a cast of Batman characters. I just love the shot above, because you can see the Joker in the background, Orchid in the foreground, and Ivy to the right. (Ivy's face is covered in this shot, but more visible in the earlier shot. Honestly, I could watch these artists work all day, I find it simply fascinating, and getting to check back in on the progress throughout the afternoon was a real treat!

Of course there were plenty of vendors selling amazing collectibles and handmade wares. Surprisingly I didn't spend a dime! I did, however find one curiosity I couldn't live about and spent the remainder of that night guilting my boyfriend for letting me walk away without buying it.....No fear, I have acquired it on Amazon, and will be showing it off, here, very soon!

**Note: This post was in no way solicited. All opinions there in are mine and mine alone.