Autumn Picnic

The leaves are beginning to turn and the weather is just perfect for spending a day out of doors! Take the afternoon to read in the park or go on a light hike in the woods and don't forget to pack your picnic bento! 

Find this weeks Full Menu details here. 

Laptop Lunches on Amazon UK {plus MENU}

As many of you may know Laptop Lunches Bento-ware is now available on Amazon UK! In celebration we have created a festive menu, seen in the image above. Many of you have asked for the recipes and packing instructions for this lunch and we are more than happy to oblige! This menu is an American twist on some British classics. Hope you all enjoy! 

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Sandwich- 
Gluten-Free Chia and Millet Bread
Whipped Cream Cheese
Smoked Wild Alaskan Salmon
Fresh Cucumber

Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on both slices of your bread.
Lay a few slices of smoked salmon over one slice of your bread.
Cut your cucumber into thin coins and lay them over your smoked salmon.
Stack your sandwich together and cut it at an angle into two triangles.
Place the sandwich in your large unlidded container.

Roasted Finglering Potatoes-
Fingerling "Russian Banana" Potatoes
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degree Celsius).
Arrange your potatoes in a small iron skillet or baking pan. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. Allow the potatoes to cool before placing them in the large lidded container.
Include your favorite dip in the small container to place alongside your roasted fingerling potatoes.

Cheddar Hearts and Snap Peas- 

Sharp Irish Cheddar
Fresh Snap Peas

Cut your cheese into 1/4 inch thick slices and cut into bit sized heart-shapes with our fruit and veggie cutters.
Include the snap peas and the cheddar hearts in your medium unlidded container.

Cinnamon Raisin Chia Pudding-
1/4 cup Chia Seeds
2 cups Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
Cinnamon
1 tbsp Light Agave Syrup (optional)
1/4 cup Raisins

Combine in a large jar the almond milk, agave and chia seeds with a dash of cinnamon. Allow these to soak for a few hours or over night so that the chia seeds plump up. The texture is a lot like tapioca pudding. Stir in the raisins and scoop a serving into your medium lidded container. Use one of our ice packs along with an insulated bento bag to keep your lunch at a safe, cool temperature.

We are so excited to finally be more immediately accessible to all of our fans in the UK! Thank you for all of your enthusiasm and support! You can find our products on Amazon UK here. Our US fans can still find us on laptoplunches.com

Tofu Salad Bento Lunch

You don't have to be vegan to enjoy this lovely, light lunch! The bright crisp flavors of baby greens, ripe cherry tomatoes all paired with tofu salad and crackers is a fulfilling and healthy lunch for anyone. With a fresh peach to finish, this bento is a wonderful celebration of summers bounty soon coming to a close. So, get it while you can! 

Click here to see this weeks Full Menu details. 

Top 8 Weelicious Lunch Tips

1. It’s all about balance! When you’re packing lunch, always make sure to pack fruits, vegetables, carbohydrates, and protein in every meal.

2. Fill it Up: Always keep your favorite shelf and refrigerator staples on hand. I keep a list on the fridge to remind me of everyone’s favorites:

    

- Nut butters (almond, peanut and sunflower butter are great choices)

-Cream Cheese

-Cheddar, mozzarella or your favorite cheese (sticks, bricks, shredded or slices)

-Pesto (goes great with pasta, rice, quinoa, as a sandwich spread or to make an Egg Pesto Melt)
-Pasta (a variety of shapes like ziti, macaroni, rotini or more)

-Bananas (to eat on their own, sliced and added with honey and nut butter on a sandwich or added to Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies)

-Baby carrots, sugar snap peas, cucumbers or any of your child's favorite veggies

-Dehydrated, frozen, or dried fruit

-Plain Yogurt (to mix with honey, maple syrup, mashed bananas or granola)

-Bread (bagels, english muffins, tortillas or your favorite loaf bread)

3.  Re-Use! Bento style containers are a great way for kids to see all of their choices of food without having to open a ton of  plastic bags. Laptop Lunches colorful reusable bento lunchboxes can be stacked and used on their own or in their outer container bento box and placed into a cute, insulated bento bag. We’ve had ours for years and they’re still good as new.

4.  Double and Freeze: When I make a recipe, I try to double it and freeze it, so that I always have it on hand for lunches. I cook all of our favorite foods and treats like cookies, bars, pancakes, doughnuts, waffles and more in freezer safe containers so all I need to do is defrost one or two homemade foods.

5.  Eye Appeal: Cutting foods into fun shapes and sizes can make all the difference in whether your child will eat them. Try using a melon baller for watermelon or cutting cucumbers into sticks or coins with fun shape cutters. 

6.  Leftovers! There’s no reason you can’t turn last night’s dinner into today’s lunch. Turn chicken fajitas into a quesadilla, chicken in a crock pot into slices of chicken with a dipping sauce, or last night’s brown rice into a beans and rice burrito.

7.  Variety is the spice of life: Switching things up day to day in a lunch box can keep kids nutritionally balanced while excited at the same time.

8.  Treat for your sweet: Putting a little something sweet can put a big smile on your little one’s face. Whether it is a cookie or even a little note, that last addition can go a long way.

Catherine McCord is a mother of two, as well as the author and creator of the blog Weelicious, where she  shares her recipes and culinary inspirations for families and wee ones. She recently wrote her second cookbook, "Weelicious Lunches" which is available on the Laptop Lunches website, here. 

Veggie Nuggets

Nervous about serving your kids processed chicken nuggets? Try these tasty, homemade veggie nuggets! It's all the finger food fun your kids love without the mystery meat. Served up with some fun sides, this lunch is all about delicious veggie fun!

Click here to see this weeks Full Menu details. 

Curry Cauliflower Patties

Make your lunch something to look forward to! These curry cauliflower patties are a fun and delicious addition to your lunch hour. Served alongside green beans, cherry tomatoes and creamy ranch you can enjoy your meal as finger food or as a veggie salad! Add in some garlic toast and sweet dried fruits and you have an exciting mid-day meal!

Click here to see this weeks Full Menu details. 

Tofu Fajitas

Turn up the heat on your lunch and spice things up with delicious tofu fajitas! Wrap up your tofu and veggies in a grilled tortilla with a squeeze of lemon and some of your favorite salsa, finished off with some sweet pineapple. Fajitas are a fun healthy way to make a delicious and festive lunch! 

Click here to see this weeks Full Menu. 

Special Summer Omelette

Celebrate summer with a breakfast bento and whip up a delicious omelette stuffed with your favorite seasonal veggies. Add a side of fresh fruit and toast with fresh avocado spread and you have the perfect special summer bento breakfast!

Click here to view the Full Menu details. 

Summer Lunches With Love - from MamaBelly.com

By Nina Holstead
MamaBelly.com

Even though it is summer we are still packing lunches for work, camp and trips to the beach and pool. I love going shopping with my kids this time of year so they can pick out fresh fruit and vegetables for their lunches!

This summer lunch contains:

• a simple herb salad and cheese wrap, 
• a mini pepper, 
• blueberry yogurt topped with fresh blueberries and 
• A few farm fresh strawberries. 

The perfect lunch for work!

My kids prefer smaller portions and a variety of choices. The Laptop Lunches Bento Lunch Box makes packing several food groups so easy. No matter if you are packing for camp, school, or a day at the pool, with the right prep you can pack this lunchbox in under 5 min!

This colorful lunch contains:

• a mini pepper and baby carrots, 
• blueberries with a few raspberries, 
• strawberries, 
• Goldfish crackers,
• three mini stamped ice cream sandwiches filled with nut butter and 
• Yogurt topped with fresh raspberries. 

Here a few tips to make packing lunches a little easier:

• Pick out the fruits and veggies you plan to pack with your kids at the store. They are more likely to eat them if they got to decide which ones to pack or try.
• Prep prep prep! Wash the fruits and veggies when you get home and store them in a container in the fridge ready to go. That way healthy snacks are always available and you save time when making lunch. I often shop and prep on Sundays so I am ready for the week. 
• It is so much easier to plan and pack at night after the kids are in bed then in the morning when you are rushing out the door! So, pre-pack what you can and store the Laptop Lunches containers in either your fridge or on the counter until you need them.

• --> I filled the containers that need to be refrigerated the night before and placed them in the fridge. Take advantage of the fact that two of the Laptop Lunches containers have lids (but you can also cover the containers with plastic foil if need be). I highly recommend the Bento Buddies if you pack lunch every day since you get 4 lidded containers in the set! I filled one container with crackers and pre-cut the bread to save time in the morning as well. I used a fondant plunger to make the ice cream shaped bread but even a simple cookie cutter can make lunch more fun! I started with one star shaped cookie cutter 2 years ago. I just place the bread back into the bread bag and seal it. That way I only need to fill the sandwich in the morning. With a little prep packing a healthy and colorful lunch is fast and fun!
• Don't forget last night's left overs! They make great lunches the next day!

• Always have some healthy snacks in the fridge you can add to your lunchbox in the morning when you are short on time.
• Freeze juice pouches or to go yogurts to keep your lunchbox cold and the drink and food fresh on hot summer days!

This Laptop Lunches bento box contains:

• left over macaroni and cheese with carrot flowers
• cheese crackers
• fruit gummies
• a peach, sliced
• a yogurt to go and
• a frozen juice pouch to keep the lunch cold until it's time to eat

Have a great summer!
   ~Nina, MamaBelly.com 

Follow Nina and her lunch making adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. 

Sweet Potato Hummus and Spinach Salad

It's not just hummus- It's sweet potato hummus! YUM! Served with flax seed chips, spinach salad dressed in balsamic vinaigrette, a side of curried couscous and two little cutie mandarins, this bento lunch hints at the autumnal season soon to come, while still celebrating the bounties of summer.

Click here for the Full Menu details. 

Chock-Full Bento

Take advantage of every nook and cranny in your bento lunch box with this chock full menu! Green Salad, Rice Crackers, Fresh Avocado, a tasty Roulette, plus a dessert of Strawberry and Chocolate! Who could ask for anything more?

Click here to view this weeks Full Menu 

Spring-Has-Sprung Spring Rolls

Spring has sprung, the greens are fresh and we are celebrating this vibrant season with a delightful spring roll! Spring rolls can be filled with a wide assortment of crisp veggies, sweet fruits, marinated tofu and are a creative and easy way to get your greens. They are fun for kids and a classy touch for your work lunch.

Click here to see this weeks Full Menu

Burrito Bonito

This cheesy, black bean burrito is deliciously filling and still happily healthy! Burritos are easy to make and can be filled with any assortment of your favorite, fresh Mexicana ingredients! The possibilities are almost endless with what you can create for your own Burrito Bonito.

Click here to view this week's Full Menu

Nutritiously Delicious Bento Lunch

This Week's Bento Lunch

Hummus is a great double-duty dip that is both nutritious and delicious. We added sundried tomatoes to our hummus to give it an extra burst of flavor and brought along carrot sticks and pita chips for dipping. Energy- packed trail mix and a sweet pluot rounded out this meal which left us feeling energized enough to tackle the rest of our day.

Click here to view this week's full menu.

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Middle Eastern Lunch Box Feast

Today's Lunch Menu:

A meze is a combination of palate pleasing foods often served as appetizers at Middle Eastern gatherings. Like much of the region’s cuisine, the meze often features dishes made of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes with a variety of spices. After having our own Middle Eastern feast for dinner last night, we decided to create a personal sized meze to enjoy today for lunch.

Menu

• Falafel Balls
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Baba Ghanoush
• Tabbouleh
• Whole Wheat Pita

Preparation Notes

Use leftovers or make the night before:

Use your favorite falafel mix and either bake or fry balls. Once cool, put into one of your large containers.

Add a handful of cherry tomatoes to the large container with your falafel balls.

Prepare the baba ghanoush and put into your medium lidded container. Following is the recipe we used:http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/baba-ghanoush-2/Detail.aspx.

Prepare the tabbouleh: http://veganconnection.com/recipes/tabouli.htm and put into your other medium container.

Cut up a whole wheat pita and place into your remaining large container.

Almond Butter and Bananas

This Week's Photo



If you're facing a stressful day at school or work, this is the lunch for you. Bananas play a starring role in this meal and their unique make up will help boost your energy, reduce your stress level and lighten your mood. All that and you get lemon cookies for dessert! How could your day not turn out great?

Menu

Almond Butter and Banana Sandwich
Steamed Broccoli

Ranch Dressing
Lemon Cookies

Preparation Notes

Spread almond butter on both halves of a whole wheat English muffin. Thinly slice half a banana up and add to the muffin. Put your sandwich and the second half of the banana in your extra large container.

Steam broccoli crowns and add to one of the medium containers.

Fill the dip container with ranch dressing and add it to the extra large container to enjoy your broccoli with.

Fill your other medium container with your favorite lemon cookies.

Four Cheese Ravioli

This Week's Photo



Ravioli are easy to prepare and, with the seemingly endless combination of fillings and toppings, are sure to be a hit amongst the entire family. We served our four-cheese ravioli with a fresh green salad, oranges and chocolate squares for dessert which made for quite the lunch time treat.

Menu

•Four Cheese Ravioli with Marinara Sauce
•Green Salad
•Tuscan Salad Dressing
•Orange Slices
•Dark Chocolate Squares

Preparation Notes

Cook the ravioli and put into your large container. Top with marinara sauce and fresh basil.

Toss your favorite greens with dried cranberries and walnuts to put into your other large container.

Fill the dip container with Tuscan dressing to drizzle over your salad.

Fill one bento divider with dark chocolate squares. Store chocolate and Tuscan dressing in your medium container.

Slice oranges to put into your other medium container.

Holiday Lunch Menu #6 & FREE Shipping

Just a quick reminder about our free shipping through Dec 31st. We're also offering same-day shipping on all orders placed before noon M-F.



Be sure to take advantage of this rare opportunity at http://www.laptoplunches.com.

Holiday Lunch Menu #5 & FREE Shipping

Here's another holiday bento photo for your enjoyment. What do you think??? What creative holiday lunch ideas have you come up with? Post your ideas and comments here.