Weekday mornings are sadly rather rushed in the Little Eco household these days due to a long commute to work.

Given the morning chaos, I've been thankful for my waste-free lunch packing routine. On a Monday morning I boil five eggs; cut up some cheese, carrot and cucumber sticks; dish out five small containers of yoghurt, and sometimes hommus also; and make a few freezable sandwiches. Each morning I simply throw one of each in a lunch-box, add some fruit and Little Eco's lunch is made in only a few minutes.

I thought i'd share my love for two containers that make my mornings easier.

I use the Kids Konserve mini stainless steel containers (and have been for well over a year) for Little Eco's yoghurt.

They're the perfect size for little kids. They aren't leak-proof, but given that Little Eco's lunch box goes straight from her bag into a fridge at pre-school, we've never had a leak. I also use them to hold hummus, baked beans, dried fruit, and bean or rice salad.

Once she's a little older, and needs something leak proof and a little bigger, i'll probably switch to using the Kids Konserve containers with leak-proof lids.

I've also found the Kids Konserve stainless steel thermos solves one of my morning dilemmas.

I like to eat porridge for breakfast, but struggled to find the time to cook and eat it before having to race out the door. I've been saving time by using the thermos to cook my porridge for me, so that by the time I get to work my porridge is perfectly cooked and deliciously warm. I simply place all the ingredients in a pot, bring to the boil, and pour it into the thermos, leaving the heat to continue cooking the porridge. It takes me no more than five minutes. Here's the recipe:

Thermos Ayurvedic Oat Porridge

Serves one and fits perfectly in the Kids Konserve Thermos or any 10 oz/280 ml insulated food jars.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon of ghee
1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon and ginger powder
A pinch each of nutmeg and cardamon
1 tablespoon of raisins, sultanas or currants
2/3 cup milk

Soak the oats in 2/3 cup of water overnight.

In the morning, heat a small saucepan and melt the ghee, then add the soaked oats (including any water that hasn't been absorbed by the oats overnight) and stir for a minute or so before adding the remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, and place in the thermos, closing the lid promptly to trap the heat inside.

It's a simple as that. Within 30 minutes or so you will have a warm healthy breakfast that took only five minutes to make.

The Giveaway

Biome have generously offered to giveaway a set of Kids Konserve mini stainless steel containers and a Kids Konserve stainless steel thermos.

To enter, simply head on over to Biome, browse their stock, and head back here and leave a comment revealing which product tempts you the most and why (I'll share my current favourite - the urban chic Ecococoon stainless steel cup set because it would be perfect for camping trips and reminds me of the colourful metal cups of my childhood). If you have a preference for the mini containers or the thermos share that too.

Those of you reading this by email will need to head on over to the blog (by clicking on the title) to leave a comment.

One entry per person, please. Sorry, entries only open to those with Australian addresses.

Entries close midnight (Australian EST) Monday 4th July. The winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced here in this post on the Tuesday morning. I'll contact the winners directly by email.

The winners are number 7 Aussie Mum and number 45 Marky Mark. Congtratulations! I'll email you both tonight. Feel free to email me your postal details if you see this before then.

Thank you everyone for your entries.

{I received a set of the mini containers and a thermos courtesy of Biome for review.}