Wake Up and Bento

This Week's Bento Lunch

 

Whole grains contain a number of vitamins and antioxidants that have been proven to have a positive impact on our overall health, so it’s important to get at least three servings a day. To help meet this recommended daily allowance, we decided to make a batch of whole grain pancakes for lunch. That’s right; as long as you use healthy ingredients even a treat like pancakes can be good for you! 

Click here to view this week's full menu and nutritional information. 

Happy Hanukkah!

This Week's Bento Lunch

Traditional Hanukkah menus often include latkes as a way to symbolize the drop of oil that burned for 8 days and 8 nights following the rededication of the holy temple. Over the years, these traditional potato pancakes have evolved to become extremely versatile and can now be found in a number of variations. Although there are many options available, we decided to keep our latkes traditional and served them with sour cream and apple berry sauce as part of this fun and tasty holiday lunch. 

Click here to view this week's full menu.

Holiday Health and Happiness

This Week's Bento Lunch

Following these stars will lead you to a well-rounded meal that will help you through those last minute shopping and holiday details. We hope your holidays are filled with joy, happiness, and of course, bentos for everyone! 

Click here to view this week's full menu.

Food Revolution Day

Tomorrow is Food Revolution Day! 

Whether you're making a statement at a large scale event or simply pledging to make a change for your family, it's a great chance to take stock of what we can all do to promote health and wellness within our families and communities. 


Eating healthy on the go, at school, and work can be difficult, so as part of the celebration, we're offering a 10% product discount at, www.LaptopLunches.com ! Just enter the coupon code, FoodRevDay now through Sunday, May 20th and you'll be on the road to enjoying balanced, nutritious meals on the go!  

Making Lunches Work

By Marissa Vicario, Marissa’s Well-being and Health (MWAH!)

Eating the same deli salad for lunch day in and day out can get boring and going to the nearest restaurant chain with co-workers can quickly pile on the pounds. Well-portioned lunches that travel well from home to office are well worth the minimal effort they take to prepare and result in a fatter wallet and slimmer waistline. Try some of these ideas for a healthier, more satisfying lunch.

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      Last Night’s Leftovers: Make more than you need and enjoy them the next day.

• Nori Wraps: Nori, the seaweed that is used to make sushi, can be used to wrap any leftovers from the refrigerator. Get creative with your combinations or try this: leftover cooked brown rice, romaine lettuce, sliced avocado, sliced apple, a few basil leaves, some cilantro sprigs and leftover cooked greens like kale.
• Super Salads: Deli salads don’t stand a chance next to homemade mixes that pack organic, high quality ingredients and loads of superfoods. Make your own dressing or keep it simple with lemon juice and olive oil or a splash of balsamic vinegar.
• Homemade Soups: Make soup loaded with beans, grains and veggies ahead of time in a large batch and freeze any excess for a later date.

But just because you’re bringing lunch from home is no excuse to overdo it on the serving size. Use this guide for smart portion control: 

•          Keep meat/poultry/fish to 4 ounce servings - or the size of your palm
•          A serving of whole grains should be the size of your fist, one cup
•          Two ounces of organic cheese is the size of two fingers
•          Fill half your plate with green vegetables and limit second helpings to greens
•          Eat sweets only on occasion and plan ahead

About Marissa Vicario

Marissa Vicario is lover of all things health and wellness and Founder of Marissa's Well-being and Health (MWAH!). As a Certified Holistic Health Coach, Marissa  works with urban professionals who want to lose weight, control their cravings and feel more energized without dieting, deprivation or calorie-counting. Having navigated her way to health while working in the corporate world, Marissa knows how to balance health and wellness with a demanding workload. She regularly lectures on corporate wellness, teaches cooking classes and is a believer in motivating women to kick off their stilettos and break in their stove tops as a first step in adopting a healthier lifestyle and kissing their unhealthy habits goodbye. Marissa blogs on health, wellness, spirituality and self love at www.whereineedtobe.com

Valentine's Giveaway Winner

Thank you to everyone that entered our Valentine's Giveaway. 



Congratulations, avocadoroll! You were chosen as the winner of the Pink Bento Set 2.0 by our random generator! 





We appreciate all your bento love, so if you place an order by Tuesday, 2/21, please use the coupon code Valentine to get a 10% product discount!

Pay it Forward Campaign

Our Pay it Forward campaign is under way! 

Visit us at: www.laptoplunches.com for more details on how you can use your Original Bento Set to get a discount towards products from our 2.0 line before March 31, 2012. 

Plastic: The Ideal Bento Box Material

Plastic is light-weight, non-breakable, versatile, colorful, durable, long-lasting, airtight, and fun.  That’s why the yogurt, milk, bread, cheese, meat, juice, tofu, and even the veggies we buy are wrapped or bagged in plastic. 

While disposable plastics are taking their toll on the environment, durable, long-lasting plastics, made of polypropylene and polyethylene, fill an important need in our lives.

It’s true that some plastics, like PVC and polystyrene, have been shown to leach toxins, but not all plastics are evil.

In choosing a material for our Laptop Lunches Bento Boxes and Bento Buddies containers, we weighed the pros and cons of all available options. We could have used stainless steel or glass, but once the pros and cons had been tallied, one thing became crystal clear: plastic was the winner. And here’s why:

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•       Our containers last a very long time. Unlike stainless steel, they do not rust, dent, or break when dropped. 
•          Unlike glass and stainless steel, they are light-weight and easily portable.
•          They hold up to the dishwasher, freezer and microwave.
•          Plastic forms a tight seal, preventing seepage and leaks.
•          Our bento containers are made in the USA, where we can closely monitor production. Manufacturing offshore in places like China and India makes it difficult to monitor factory compliance with material use, workplace safety, worker’s rights, and environmental protection laws. And our plastic doesn’t have to make the long journey across the ocean.
•          Our plastic resin is made in the US. It’s not mined from the earth in countries such as India and China, where environmental protection laws are generally weaker than those in the US. 
•          Plastic is easily recycled.
•          And it’s completely safe.

We are committed to providing a durable, long-lasting, convenient, affordable, and safe alternative to disposable plastics.  We care deeply about our health and the health of our planet, which is why we chose plastic as the ideal bento box material.

Laptop Lunches on Martha Stewart!

Cool lunch packing ideas in the Laptop Lunches Bento Sets will be featured on today's Martha Stewart Show!

Be sure to check it out at 10am on the Hallmark Channel! 

Picnic Lunch

This Week's Bento Lunch:

Last weekend we enjoyed such a great bento picnic that we decided to recreate it for today's lunch.This bento is a breeze to pack and is sure to be enjoyed in any setting!

Click here to view this week's full menu.

Bento Fiesta

This Week's Bento Lunch

Last night we had Mexican food for dinner, so we decided to use our leftover beans and rice to create a bento fiesta for today's lunch. Although Mexican food is often high in calories and fat, keeping items simple and pairing them with fresh fruits and vegetables is a healthy way to enjoy this popular cuisine.

Click here for this week's full menu.

Veggie Omelet

This Week's Photo

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it is often also the most rushed. Having breakfast for lunch is a great way to enjoy some of your breakfast favorites--but in slow fashion.

Menu

• Vegetable and Cheese Omelet
• Home Fried Potatoes
• Orange Segments
• Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin

Preparation Notes

Make an omelet with cheese and your favorite steamed vegetables to put into your large lidded container.

Cut a lemon poppy seed muffin in half and put both halves in your other large container.

Prepare home fried potatoes, let cool and put into our medium container.

Peel and cut an orange into segments to put into your other medium container.

Risotto Wreath

Today's Holiday Photo

Risotto is great for holiday celebrations as either a main course or a side dish. It’s fairly easy to make, can be customized to suit your palate and makes for great leftovers. We had fun using our leftovers to create this festive wreath!

Menu

• Risotto Wreath with Pea Sprouts, Tamari Almonds and a Red Pepper Bow
• Steamed Cauliflower
• Yam Stars
• Mixed Nuts
• Fresh Pineapple Chunks

Preparation Notes

Shape a serving of risotto into a wreath. Top your wreath with pea sprouts, tamari almonds and a red pepper bow. Place your finished wreath into your extra large container.

Add steamed cauliflower and yam stars to the bottom of your extra large container.

Fill your medium unlidded container with mixed nuts.

Fill your medium lidded container with fresh pineapple chunks.

Swiss Cheese Snowman

Today's Holiday Photo


What better way to brighten a cold winter's day than with Frosty, the Swiss cheese sandwich? We hope this holiday bento will remind you to join in on the fun this season has to offer.

Menu

Swiss Cheese Snowman Sandwich
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Striped Apple Sticks
Cranberry Relish

Preparation Notes

Make a Swiss cheese sandwich and cut it into the shape of a snowman. Put your snowman in your extra large bento container using part of the crust as the ground for your snowman to stand on. To decorate your snowman, cut olives out for the eyes and buttons. Use pieces of wild rice to create a mouth. Cut out a carrot nose and use red pepper to create a scarf as well as eye highlights. Top your snowman off with a cucumber peel hat and then use a micro planer to finely grate Swiss cheese to create a snow fall in your bento.

Cube and roast sweet potatoes with your favorite herbs and spices. Once cool put into one of your medium containers.

Cut an unpeeled apple into sticks and use a paring knife to cut stripes onto your sticks and add to your other medium container. You can also use one of your sticks as your snowman's broom.

Fill your dip container with cranberry relish from a recent holiday celebration

Peanut Butter and Jelly Christmas Tree

Today's Holiday Photo




We’ve been enjoying our Christmas tree so much that we decided to carry that joy along with us in our bento boxes today. Our peanut butter and jelly Christmas tree was fun to decorate and is sure to be a hit this afternoon.

Menu

Peanut Butter and Jelly on Whole Wheat Bread
Yam Star
Red Pepper and Cheddar Cheese Presents
Steamed Broccoli
Yams with Cheddar Cheese Stars
Red Seckel Pears


Preparation Notes

Make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread and cut into the shape of a Christmas tree for your extra large container.

Cut small ornaments out of strips of red pepper and cheddar cheese to decorate your tree.

Make presents out of cheddar and Swiss cheese slices to put around your tree.

Surround your tree with steamed broccoli.

Cut and steam yams. Once cool, cut stars out of the center of the yams with your star cutter. Use one of your cut-out stars to top your Christmas tree with. Use the same cutter to cut stars out of a slice of cheddar cheese. Fill the star cut-out in your yam with a cheddar cheese star. Put your cheddar cheese yams into one of your medium containers.

Clean a couple red seckel pears for your other medium container.

Festival of Lights Bento

Today's Holiday Photo



As the Jewish Festival of Lights comes to a close, we decided to get creative with this menorah-inspired bento lunch. We hope you enjoy this festive bento as much as we did. Happy Holidays!

Menu

Cream Cheese and Lox Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread
Swiss and Cheddar Cheese "Candles"
Dried Cranberries and Cucumber Peel
Cinnamon Rice Pudding
Orange Slices

Preparation Notes

Smear softened cream cheese onto a piece of whole wheat bread and top with fresh lox.

Get creative. Since we were in the holiday spirit, we dressed up our sandwich with candles and flames made out of Swiss and cheddar cheese. The candle base is decorated with dried cranberries and peeled cucumber.

Make cinnamon rice pudding for your medium lidded container. We used this healthier version: http://www.food.com/recipe/Heart-Healthy-Cinnamon-Rice-Pudding-295019.

Add orange slices to your remaining medium container.

Hanukkah Inspired Bento Lunch

Today's Holiday Photo

Traditional Hanukkah menus often include latkes as a way to symbolize the drop of oil that burned for 8 days and 8 nights following the rededication of the holy temple. Over the years, these traditional potato pancakes have evolved to become extremely versatile and can now be found in a number of variations. Although there are many options available, we decided to keep our latkes traditional and served them with sour cream and apple berry sauce as part of this fun and tasty holiday lunch.

Menu

•Vegetarian Chick'n Burger with Melted Cheese
•Potato Latkes
•Sour Cream
•Carrots and Red Pepper Strips
•Apple Berry Sauce

Preparation Notes

Use a basic vegetarian chick'n burger recipe such as the following: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/vegetarian-faux-chicken-patties/Detail.aspx. We shaped our patties into dreidels for this holiday meal before frying and added cheese to the top after flipping. We put our dreidel in the extra large container along with lettuce and tomatoes.

Make traditional potato latkes for the extra large container. We used the following recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Potato-Latkes-104406.

Put sour cream into your dip container and add it to the extra large container as well.

Fill your medium lidded container with apple berry sauce to either be enjoyed with your latkes or as a sweet dessert.

Cut carrot and red pepper strips for your other medium container.

Healthy Holiday Bento Lunch

Today's Holiday Photo



A healthy, well-balanced lunch is a great way to enjoy the season’s treats without completely overdoing it. We packed this bento lunch using some of the healthier items left over from our recent gathering, which made putting it together a breeze and left us feeling ready to take on the rest of our day.

Menu

•Deviled Eggs
•Cherry Tomatoes
•Crostini
•Carrot Stars
•Black Plum

Preparation Notes

Make deviled eggs for a weekend party and put a coupe aside for lunch. Pack the deviled eggs in your large inner container along with a bento divider filled with cherry tomatoes.

Pack a couple slices of crostini in your other large container.

Use your star cutter to make fun carrot stars and put into one of your medium containers.

Pack a black plum in your other medium container.

Grilled Cheese Lunch

This Week's Photo




Although the basic grilled cheese sandwich is often overlooked for more complex versions, there is something very comforting about it in its original form. We were pleasantly surprised when we found a grilled cheese, coleslaw and root vegetable chips in our lunchbox today.

Menu

Grilled Cheddar Cheese Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread
Coleslaw
Root Vegetable Chips

Preparation Notes

Make and half a grilled cheese sandwich. Place in extra large container.

Fill the medium lidded container with your favorite home made or store bought coleslaw.

Fill the other medium container with root vegetable chips.

Spinach Frittata

This Week's Photo




Eggs have gotten a bad rap in the past, but they are a very inexpensive way to get a number of vitamins and nutrients into any meal. We decided to really amp up the nutritional value by making spinach frittatas for lunch. Paired with the sweet tastes of honey bliss melon and dried papaya chunks, this meal hit all the right marks.

Menu

•Spinach Frittata
•Whole Grain Crackers
•Honey Bliss Melon
•Dried Papaya Chunks

Preparation Notes

Prepare the spinach frittata, let cool and put into your extra large container. You can use your own recipe or try the following: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/RE00015.

Add whole grain crackers to the medium container.

Put honey bliss melon into the other medium container.

Fill one of your bento dividers with dried papaya chunks and add it to your extra large container with the frittata.