Laptop Lunches Spring Promo – Sunridge Farms

We’re almost done with our Spring Gift Bag Promotion. Today, we would like to highlight SunRidge Farms™ who have donated samples of their trail mix and yogurt covered pretzels! We hope our customers enjoy them, they are so good! To see the promotion, check it out at http://www.laptoplunches.com/gift-bag-promotion.php

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SunRidge Farms is a family-run innovator and nationwide leader in bulk and packaged organic and all natural nuts & seeds, dried fruit, candies, and snack & trail mixes.

Their commitment to natural ingredient development means nutritional products that are free of unhealthy refined sugars, hydrogenated oils, artificial colorings, and preservatives. www.sunridgefarms.com

Bento Brunch

This Week's Bento Lunch

This week we decided to put together some of our breakfast favorites for a festive bento brunch! We chose farm-fresh eggs, crispy tots and wholesome fresh fruit for ours, but we encourage you to mix and match your favorite feel-good breakfast foods in for a fun mid-day meal. Enjoy!

Click here to view this week's full menu.

Laptop Lunches Spring Promo – Cleanwell™

It’s been a week since we announced our Spring Promotion! Thanks to everyone involved- the participating companies, our employees, and of course, our customers! Today, we would like to highlight CleanWell™ who has generously provided samples of their hand sanitizer spray and hand wipes! Their products are a great substitute for alcohol and Triclosan based products. To see the promotion, check it out at http://www.laptoplunches.com/gift-bag-promotion.php

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Keep snacking hands clean and soft the natural way with CleanWell products. CleanWell All-Natural hand sanitizers and soaps are a kid-safe formula. They're alcohol and Triclosan free, and are never tested on animals. Great for sensitive skin and won’t sting cuts. www.cleanwelltoday.com

Laptop Lunches Spring Promo – ChicoBag™

Our Spring Promo is going great. Thank you to all who are participating! Today, we would like to feature ChicoBag™, who has donated some of their cute BagMonster® stickers! We hope our customers enjoy using them to personalize their bento box or reusable water bottle! To see the promotion, check it out at http://www.laptoplunches.com/gift-bag-promotion.php

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By designing reusable bags that are durable and unforgettable, ChicoBag™ is equipping humanity with tools that will help eliminate the unnecessary use of single-use paper and plastic bags.

ChicoBag™ inventor, Andy Keller, had been using a huge ball of 500 plastic bags to show people at farmers' markets how many plastic bags an average American uses yearly – and one day he decided to wear it, creating their education tool, the BagMonster®.

Laptop Lunches Spring Promo - R.W. Garcia

Laptop Lunches Spring Promo – R.W. Garcia

It’s the third day of our second annual Spring Gift Bag Promotion! Today, we would like to highlight R.W. Garcia who have donated samples of their MixtBag chips! We hope our customers enjoy them, they are so good! Check out the full promotion details at: http://www.laptoplunches.com/gift-bag-promotion.php.

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R.W. Garcia all-natural and organic tortilla chips are a twist to the classic corn tortilla chip. They're great-tasting, imaginative combinations of corn and other natural ingredients.

Always non-GMO, R.W. Garcia products are available in supermarkets, natural food stores, and specialty food stores throughout the United States. www.rwgarcia.com

Laptop Lunches Spring Promo - Eden Foods

Thank you to all the companies participating in our 2011 Spring Promotion! Today, we would like to highlight Eden Foods, who generously donated product samples for the recipients to taste!

Eden Foods, is a 43 year principled manufacturer of natural food offering more than 250 authentic, organic, traditional, kosher, pure foods. The best food, the best service. www.edenfoods.com

Click here for full promo details!

Early Spring Salad

This Week's Bento Lunch

Spring has officially arrived! In anticipation of some of our favorite fruits and vegetables coming back into season, we decided to have a brightly colored salad play the starring role in this week’s bento lunch. We hope you will enjoy this tuna salad lunch along with the first signs of the new season.

Click here to view this week's full menu.

2011 Spring Promotion

Placing an order on our Web site? We’ve partnered with some great companies to put together a special gift for you! If you are among the first 100 customers to place an order over $85.00 (shipping and tax not included), you’ll receive a gift bag filled with cool samples, stickers and coupons from the following companies!

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Fabkins 100% organic cloth napkins for kids are an eco-friendly and kid-friendly alternative to paper napkins, paper towels, wipes and tissues. Available in an array of bright colors and playful embroidered designs, Fabkins are a fun and easy way to go green – and save money – every day. Fabkins – for mealtime, lunchboxes and on-the-go. Receive 20% off order placed through March 31st, 2011 with coupon code Fabkins20 at www.fabkins.com.

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By designing reusable bags that are durable and unforgettable, ChicoBag™ is equipping humanity with tools that will help eliminate the unnecessary use of single-use paper and plastic bags.

ChicoBag™ inventor, Andy Keller, had been using a huge ball of 500 plastic bags to show people at farmers’ markets how many plastic bags an average American uses yearly – and one day he decided to wear it, creating their education tool, the BagMonster®.

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My First Organics are a fun, simple way to get your kids excited about eating their veggies! How? By growing them together! As a family, you will:

Get outside and connect with nature. Learn where food comes from. Grow and harvest favorites like cherry tomatoes, snap peas and bush beans. Help the environment using organic methods. Visit their website at www.surfcitygrowers.com.

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Founded in 2004, by Mary Waldner and Dale Rodrigues, Mary’s Gone Crackers manufactures delicious gourmet, organic, gluten-free, vegan food, including crackers, pretzels (Sticks & Twigs) and its new line of love Cookies.

Mary’s Gone Crackers always uses certified organic, kosher, whole-food ingredients free of gluten, trans-fats, eggs, nuts and dairy. Mary’s Gone Crackers are available in natural and grocery stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.marysgonecrackers.com.

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Eden Foods, is a 43 year principled manufacturer of natural food offering more than 250 authentic, organic, traditional, kosher, pure foods. The best food, the best service. www.edenfoods.com

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SunRidge Farms is a family-run innovator and nationwide leader in bulk and packaged organic and all natural nuts & seeds, dried fruit, candies, and snack & trail mixes.

Their commitment to natural ingredient development means nutritional products that are free of unhealthy refined sugars, hydrogenated oils, artificial colorings, and preservatives. www.sunridgefarms.com

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R.W. Garcia all-natural and organic tortilla chips are a twist to the classic corn tortilla chip. They're great-tasting, imaginative combinations of corn and other natural ingredients.

Always non-GMO, R.W. Garcia products are available in supermarkets, natural food stores, and specialty food stores throughout the United States. www.rwgarcia.com

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	Keep snacking hands clean and soft the natural way with CleanWell products. CleanWell All-Natural hand sanitizers and soaps are a kid-safe formula. They’re alcohol and Triclosan free, and are never tested on animals. Great for sensitive skin and won’t sting cuts. www.cleanwelltoday.com

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To place an order and receive this gift bag, please visit our website at www.laptoplunches.com.

Energy Packed Bento

This Week's Bento Lunch

Now that the days are longer and our afternoon to-do lists have expanded, we decided that an energy packed lunch was in order. This protein and carbohydrate rich quiche proved to meet our lunch time needs perfectly. Paired with home fries, peas and a Clementine for dessert, this week's lunch helped us power through the afternoon and well into the evening.

Click here to view this week's full menu.

Vegan Challenge Recap

We are happy to report the the Laptop Lunches team has successfully completed our vegan challenge! Although none of us have converted to full time vegan diets, we are definitely more conscious about what we're putting into our bodies and the effects different foods have on us. Below is a recap from one of the founders of Laptop Lunches who was joined in the challenge by her husband and teenage sons:

We are happy to report that we just completed “Vegan Week” and did not fall off the wagon…not even once! My family expected that it would be a big sacrifice, but at the end of the week they all agreed that it wasn’t as “bad” as they expected. Preparing the daily menus in advance was the key to our success. It also helped that I sprinkled in some yummy treats to give the boys something to look forward to.

Our vegan diet also spurred some thought provoking conversations and debates at dinner time. Some of the things we discussed were: What are the impacts of a non-vegan diet on the Earth? Why would a vegetarian opposed to animal cruelty eat dairy or eggs? Is a vegan diet more expensive than a non-vegan diet? What types of foods do you have to eat to get enough protein when eating a vegan diet?

Overall, it was a great experience for all. I think the lesson we walked away with is that it’s best for the Earth, animals and our bodies if we eat a mostly vegan diet and that there are lots of delicious vegan dishes available. The boys missed eating cheese the most. I was worried about not having milk for my morning coffee but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the taste of vanilla soy milk. We avoided “meat substitute” foods and we all gave the “cream cheese substitute” a big thumbs down. We decided that most of the substitutes had too many ingredients forced together to make something that didn't even taste like what it was trying to be. We found that we ate more avocados and peanut butter than normal and we quickly discovered that dark chocolate is vegan!

While we won’t be switching to an all vegan diet, we will definitely be eating more conscientiously in the future.

Thank you to everyone that supported us through this challenge. We are looking forward to April's challenge which will be revealed in our upcoming newsletter and hope you'll join in!

St. Patrick's Day Bento Lunch

Just in case you were looking for some St. Patrick's Day bento inspiration, we thought we should share this feature from the current issue of Parents Magazine:

Please share your St. Patrick's Day bentos and creative menu ideas with us. We can't wait to see what you come up with!

For more bento lunch ideas, be sure to check out our menu library at: http://www.laptoplunches.com/bento-menus/.

Earth Day 2011

Lunch Boxes for Kids and Adults by Laptop Lunches® Make it Easy to Go Green for Earth Day 2011

With Laptop Lunches®, you can create nutritious on-the-go meals while reducing lunchtime waste and doing your part to help the environment.

Celebrated each April since 1970, Earth Day is a great opportunity to strengthen your family’s commitment to a sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle. Changing certain daily habits, such as the way that you pack lunches for work or school, can have a big impact on minimizing your carbon footprint and preserving natural resources for future generations. If you typically pack lunch in a brown paper bag or find each lunch generating a pile of waste, now is the time to learn how Laptop Lunches® makes it easy to create healthy, waste-free meals.

The founders of Laptop Lunches® were inspired to create lunch box products that would reduce both food waste and packaging waste while encouraging wholesome, balanced on-the-go meals. The Laptop Lunches® Bento Systems 2.0 include a bento set, insulated carrying case, reusable water bottle, stainless steel utensils, and a User’s Guide that offers tips, suggestions, and recipes for nutritious bento meals. These environmentally friendly bento lunch boxes are made with recycled content and contain no lead, BPA, phthalates, or PVC.

With a Bento System, it’s easy to be green when packing an on-the-go meal for school, work, travel, or play. The bento containers eliminate the need for wasteful packaging items like plastic wrap, tin foil, plastic utensils, or disposable drink boxes. Plus, it’s great for packing leftovers, and limits portions to healthy sizes in order to cut down on food waste. Adding a colorful cloth napkin to your lunch is the perfect way to make a completely waste-free meal.

Laptop Lunches® bento boxes are great for packing:

• A wide selection of locally grown fruits and vegetables
• Organics of all kinds
• Dressings, dips, and salad dressings
• Wholesome leftovers
• Appropriately sized portions
• Waste-free on-the-go meals

This April, do your part to help preserve Planet Earth and keep America beautiful by packing wholesome, waste-free lunches in your Laptop Lunches® bento lunch box. Laptop Lunches® make lunchtime fun, healthy, and green! Visit http://www.laptoplunches.com to learn more.

About Laptop Lunches®

Obentec, Inc. was founded in 2001 by two California moms, with the mission of helping families improve lunchtime nutrition while reducing waste. Winner of the 2010 Best Kids Lunch Box Award from SheKnows.com, Laptop Lunches® are affordable, high quality, made-in-the-USA meal containers designed for people on the go, and are perfect for school, work, play, travel, and take out. The founders of Obentec, Inc. believe that healthy kids come from healthy communities; thus Obentec is committed to giving back to schools and environmental organizations. Learn more at www.laptoplunches.com.

For additional information, please contact Amy Hemmert at amy@obentec.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Amy Hemmert
Obentec, Inc.
(831) 457-0301 (phone)
(831) 430-0302 (fax)
amy@obentec.com

Vegan Challenge Bento Lunch

This Week's Bento Lunch

In case you haven't heard, the staff of Laptop Lunches has gone vegan for the week, so, of course, this week's bento lunch followed suit. Although we were hesitant at first, we made some great vegan mayonnaise to go with our artichokes and felt completely satisfied after enjoying this delicious lunch.

To view this week's full menu, please visit:

http://www.laptoplunches.com/rss/197/Bento-Lunchbox-Artichokes-and-Couscous.html

Vegan Challenge: Day 2

The Laptop Lunches® Vegan Challenge is in full swing, so we thought we'd give you a little update on how we're doing. After some conversations, it seems like the only constant amongst the office is that we are all missing cheese. Beyond that, it is obvious that we all have our own preferences.

While one staff member feels that soy milk, rice milk and non-dairy creamer have ruined their morning coffee, another is perfectly content with soy. We've learned who the big meat eaters of the office are as well as who's willing to try just about anything. We've even heard the tale of the tofu that ruined dinner... and the special treats that followed.

Although many of us have immersed ourselves into the world of vegan cooking and exploration, some of us are stuck in a rice, beans, and salad rut which can be a bit frustrating. Please let us know if you have any ideas on how to get out of this rut or if you would like to suggest any easy-to-prepare vegan dishes.

The good news is that we are all moving forward together and gaining an appreciation for the vegan lifestyle. After only two days, many of us are already feeling more energized and less weighed down and we are all looking forward to continuing the challenge... as long as we can bring the special treats with us!

Preparing Ourselves for Vegan Week

Beginning Monday morning, the staff members of Laptop Lunches® will officially become vegans for the week as part of our first in a series of weeklong challenges. Each month, we will announce that month's challenge and dates in our newsletter in hopes that you'll join us as we venture outside of our comfort zones.

Our challenge series was inspired by a recent episode of Oprah in which Oprah and members of her staff decided to go vegan for a week. Their results were pretty amazing and, yes, inspiring. Check out the following link: http://www.oprah.com/showinfo/Oprah-and-378-Staffers-Go-Vegan-The-One-Week-Challenge to learn more about their challenge and to get some great information and tips about becoming vegan. We really hope you will join us and look forward to swapping stories with you.

While the majority of the Laptop Lunches® team looks forward to learning more about the vegan lifestyle, we're also feeling a little bit nervous... What are we going to eat?

We've downloaded the vegan shopping list from Oprah's site but the idea of putting together actual meals is a bit daunting. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to chime in... Living a busy lifestyle, one staff member is worried that she'll be at such a loss over what to make and how to make it that she'll end up eating stir fry and salads for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

In addition to concerns over what we will be eating, the elimination of cheese from our diets is the talk of the office. Well, that and the large stack of cookies sitting on our kitchen counter. Hopefully the cheese and cookies will take a back seat to the fruits, veggies, whole grains and unprocessed foods we'll be replacing them with.

Stay tuned and please be sure to share your stories and tips with us!

Comforting Bento Lunch

This Week's Bento Lunch

As the winter continues on, we decided to put together a healthy, yet comforting bento lunch. Eaten hot or cold, this week’s lunch is sure to warm you up and keep you plowing through these final weeks of the season.

To view this week's full menu, please visit: http://www.laptoplunches.com/rss/193/Bento-Lunchbox-Macaroni-and-Cheese.html.