Oh, the Woes of Pesto!

As a "foodie mom" with "foodie kids", the issue of olive oil stains is a real one.  Not all parents understand the quandary some of us find ourselves in when dealing with that perfectly delectable Italian-style condiment: pesto.

Now there are all kinds of pesto, from olive-based Mediterranean style to the sinfully tasty sun-dried tomato pesto.  Regardless of the flavor, they all have one thing in common and that's OLIVE OIL.  While wonderful as pesto, this sneaky oil can slip through even the tiniest cracks in containers and has a way of lingering FOREVER.  For those of us whose children transport their food in a box within an insulated fabric bag of some sort, this can be troublesome.  Olive oil doesn't just rinse out, y'all.  It stays.  And stays and stays and stays.  Thankfully, pesto smells quite good, so it's not the end of the world, but it sure makes it look greasy!

With my PlanetBox, I soon discovered that not even this ingenious box with its nifty little metal container designed just for such "moist" dishes that might leak was enough to contain the pesto.  One of my girls' favorite things to take to school for lunch is three-cheese stuffed tortellini with our favorite brand of garlic pesto stirred into it.  It's the bomb.  We soon discovered that this dish would need special attention when one girl came home with a wet-looking lunchbox which I could quickly smell had been somewhat tainted by this treasured lunch item.  Bummer dude.

So the next time I packed it for them, I wised up.  When packing unpredictable foods such as those bathed in oil, I recommend wrapping the container holding it with some sort of napkin or paper towel.  In my situation, it's easy to secure as it's closed into a tightly fitting armored carrying case.  Nothing really moves in there.  However, if you are packing loose containers into a bag or box, you may want to throw a piece of Scotch tape on there for insurance.  Maybe wrap the napkin layer with a Saran wrap layer.  Whatever floats your boat and seals your juice.

The key here is prevention.  If you're a fabric bag person like myself, take my word for it.  Once that oil gets into the fabric, you're going to have to work way harder than you want to in order to expel it.  I hope this was helpful.  Enjoy your pasta!