Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Insulated Lunch Carriers on Special

Looking for an insulated carrier? They're on sale this week at www.laptoplunches.com

Only $15.99! (regularly $17.99)




This durable insulated carrier will keep your lunch fresh for hours!

Features:


  • a reusable water bottle

  • a velcro mesh pouch for ice pack (not included)

  • a front zippered pocket for additional items

  • a handle and adjustable/removable shoulder strap

  • a rubberized ID tag

  • an attractive neoprene front panel






Monday, October 26, 2009

Ghoulish Halloween Lunch

Here's a ghoulish Halloween lunch that caught our attention:



* Witchy fingers (recipe from Recipegirl.com) with gummi tarantula

* Apples with scary marshmallow teeth!

* Ghostly egg salad sandwiches with eyes made with black food marker

* Babybel cheese moon with bat ring (over baby carrots)

[FROM: http://www.kimdec.com/2009/10/halloween-laptop-lunch.html]

Monday, October 19, 2009

Arugula & Walnut Salad

This Week's Photo



Menu

* Arugula & Walnut Salad
* Garlic Lemon Dressing
* Apple Strudel
* End-of-Summer Cherry Tomatoes


Preparation Notes


The end of the tomato season is always a bit hard to stomach, but it does mean that apples are ready for picking, providing a good excuse to pack apples and apple treats--like apple strudel. For a less caloric strudel, add extra apples and reduce the amount of fillo dough and butter. And be sure to pack a healthy portion of greens for your main course.

Create an arugula salad with baby arugula, sliced radishes, and walnut halves. Pair this with a delicious dressing made of garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Add a handful of cherry tomatoes to eat on their own or to add to the salad.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Low-waste lunches for Montessori students

By CHRISTEE LEMONS, Staff Writer

REDLANDS - To cut down on food waste, students at Montessori in Redlands tote around the same lunch containers.

Laptop Lunches are five small plastic containers that fit into a plastic box, which snaps closed. The entire laptop-style box can be placed next to a water bottle and into an insulated cloth lunch bag that zips shut.

"It really is great on portion control," said Brandi Jennings, president of Parents and Teachers of Montessori. "They usually don't eat anything more than what's in the box."

All the pieces are included in the $40 price, but students get them free courtesy of Parents and Teachers of Montessori.

The boxes were purchased in the 2008-09 school year for all students and staff members. They order more during the summer so new students have them before they start school, Jennings said.

"It cuts down on waste a lot," she said. "In doing so you tend to pack a little more of a healthier lunch because you're not using pre-packaged items. That might not be your goal at first, but it just kind of turns up that way."

Jennings said her 11-year-old son has had his lunch box since he was 5 and it is still in good condition with all the pieces.

"They might seem to be expensive at first, but when you realize you don't have to buy a new lunch box every years, it works out just fine," she said.

Laptop Lunches helps reinforce the school's method of integrating environmental responsibility in their students' education, said head of school Maura Joyce. Classes compost for their garden and each room has recycling bins for paper and plastic.

"At a young age they're learning to have a profound respect to each person and environment," she said.

Student Ronnie Ravins, 5, said he likes to play with the box because it is shaped like a computer.

"I like that it has a lot of stuff that I need," he said.

Kate Harris, primary class assistant, said her class's trash level is minimal since students started using laptop lunches.

"The PTM is the driving force behind it and it really just encourages the whole school to do it," she said.

She used reusable containers for her own children's lunches, but now all four pack their own in the Laptop Lunches containers.

"I'm just so pleased to see literally through the week that everyone is using them," Harris said.

[Read this article at http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/news/ci_13520128.]

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Think Outside the Lunch Box (and other great ideas from Planet Green)

By Sonali Morris, August 24, 2009, 3:13PM

Our friends at Planet Green have an out-of-this-world idea. Ditch the brown bags, the juice boxes and disposable snack sacks. Instead, opt for more Earth-friendly solutions. Not only will you be saving the environment, but you'll also be saving some green in your wallet. I've already bought my kids Klean Kanteens. Next up, fashioning sandwich containers out of milk jugs. Keep reading and get your green on! And, if you've finished your back-to-school shopping, just remember: It's never too late to start thinking about the future.

[Read the rest of the article at http://blog.cleveland.com/wag-a-mama/2009/08/whats_your_backtoschool_game_p.html.]

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Pack an Easy, Healthy Bento Box School Lunch

Laptop Lunches Kits Include Recipes and Ideas for Fun Kids' Meals

by Jennifer Mueller, Oct 3, 2009

Bento lunchboxes like the Laptop Lunch are an alternative to the brown bag for making kids' lunches that are fun, nutritionally sound, and environmentally friendly.

A single school child taking a disposable packed lunch to school can generate 45-90 pounds of garbage each year, according to the New York Sate Department of Environmental Conservation. Kids carrying the Laptop Lunches system or other bento box style container could make little to no trash that same year.

Read more: http://greenliving.suite101.com/article.cfm/pack_an_easy_healthy_bento_box_school_lunch#ixzz0TeyBySOp


Read the rest of the article at http://greenliving.suite101.com/article.cfm/pack_an_easy_healthy_bento_box_school_lunch.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Out the Door in Under 5 Minutes

Is your morning routine longer than you want it to be? Check out this humorous video clip from Japan:

Monday, October 5, 2009

Spaghetti Squash with Pesto

This Week's Photo




Menu

* Spaghetti Squash with Pesto Sauce
* Green Grapes
* Fresh Blueberries
* Oatmeal Bars


Preparation Notes


Substituting spaghetti squash for plain old pasta adds a depth of flavor and wholesome nutritients to any pasta sauce. The recipe for this dish was sent to us by Mariel Hemingway, whose new book, Mariel's Kitchen, is sure to be a winner in your home as well. We served this main course with fresh fruit and a couple of delicious oatmeal bars to achieve this way-more-than-satisfying meal.

Prepare the spaghetti squash with pesto. (This keeps well overnight, so consider making it for dinner and setting some aside for lunch the following day.)

Add a handful each of grapes and blueberries.

Prepare the oatmeal bars using the recipe on page 74 of The Laptop Lunch User's Guide.