Swiss Chard Tofu

Ever feel stumped or intimidated by tofu? It doesn't have to be complicated to taste delicious! Saute it up with some veggies like Swiss chard, then pair it with a side of rice and your favorite sauce for extra flavor. It's that easy! 

Click here to see this weeks Full Menu details. 

Traveler's Breakfast

Taking an early morning flight no longer has to mean scant airline meals for breakfast! Pack a bento with your favorite morning meal the night before and slip it into you insulated sleeve when your ready to go. Try this delicious menu for a filling and healthy option!

Click here to view this weeks Full Menu details. 

Beating the Lunch Box Blues {Review + Giveaway}

You may have recently seen our Laptop Lunches bento lunch box featured on The Rachael Ray Show with J.M. Hirsch talking about his new cookbook, "Beating the Lunch Box Blues". We were so excited about this segment and were lucky enough to receive a copy of his book. It is full of gourmet and unique ideas for packing lunches, both for your kids and for yourself!

J.M. Hirsch runs his blog, "Lunch Box Blues" inspired by his son, Parker. Hirch's philosophy around packing lunch for his son is that there is no such thing as "kids food" vs. "adult food" and that all that is just marketing. He believes in real food. "Because I refuse to send my son to school with a Lunchable. Or an Uncrustable. Or even a day-after-day-after-day homemade PB&J. Because I want my son’s lunch to be fun and nutritious, and I don’t think one must be sacrificed for the other" This is a powerful philosophy we can get behind and and one of the primary reasons Laptop Lunches Bento-ware came into being as a product and a company. 

Unusual foods when made fun and accessible for kids
are a new and exciting culinary adventure.

This philosophy shows through very strongly in his cookbook, which is filled with delicious lunch ideas that can appeal to both kids and adults. Recipes and menus like, "Greek Meatball and Couscous Salad", "Red Beans and Rice with Sausage" and "Veggie Panzanella Salad" are foods that will make anyone's mouth water. And, the best part is that all these recipes can be put together with left-overs, going from the dinner table to the lunch box. This way you know you are packing something your kids enjoy and will eat, your making good use of your left-overs, plus it makes packing lunch a breeze and can even be put together the night before.

J.M. Hirsch and Rachael Ray discuss other easy-to-pack, real food options on the segment, which you can watch here. Using bagels or waffle's for a sandwich instead of regular bread is a fun way to jazz up a sandwich. Keeping a rotisserie chicken on hand is an easy way to make there is always healthy and lean protein on hand. All great ideas that are both fun and teach our kids (AND ourselves) that real food can be fun and exciting, rather than an embarrassing drag to unpack at lunch time. 

Click here to get your copy of "Beating the Lunch Box Blues"

You may be saying, "But my kid is too picky!" Hirsch confesses that his own son has his preferences, "At the moment, nothing green goes past his lips. And red — especially tomatoes — is pretty suspect, too. Salad? I. Don’t. Think. So." But, its not about the challenges or things they won't eat. Hirsch continually points out its about an education and always encouraging your kids to try new things and broaden their horizons, so that they can grow into discerning young adults who make stronger decisions and know that things like couscous, pancetta, and ricotta are delicious and cravable! 

The book is a must have for anyone who likes a good lunch (that's everyone) and wants more creative and fun ways to keep meal-time an exciting part of our lives. You can order your own copy here. For daily updates on his lunch packing adventures, check out his blog. His down to earth tone and raw honesty will inspire and encourage you!

Want to win a copy of "Beating the Lunch Box Blues" by J.M. Hirsch? Enter to win by, first, liking our Facebook page (if you already do, share the giveaway with your friends). Then visit his blog, here,  and let us know in a comment below which of his recent lunches you would pack either for yourself or your kids. A random winner will be selected on October 10th, 2013! 

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. 

Get Your Greens!

Getting your greens doesn't have to be a drag! Dress up a salad with fun garnishes and panda picks, make a bear shaped egg, plus a side of delicious dip and you will have the most festive and fun-to-eat salad, ever! 

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

Quinoa Pilaf Power Lunch

Quinoa is an incredibly nutritious grain that can fill you up while giving you tons of energy. Mix it into a pilaf with a side of summer squash and cherries. Finish off your lunch with a special, healthy sweet treat and you have got a real power lunch! 

Click here to see this weeks Full Menu details. 

Pack Lunch, Pack Love!

Don't just pack lunch, pack love! There is something so delightful and heart warming about the simple combination of Soup and Salad for lunch. Adding in a whole grain roll and melon hearts makes this bento lunch both filling and an extra special treat for anyone. 

Click here to see this weeks Full Menu details. 

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. 

Cool Kids Quesadilla Bento

Have a teen in the house who is just to cool for mom's cute lunches? Pack them a delicious quesadilla with their favorite sides and you will have one happy kid! They may be too cool for cute, but they will still feel the love.

Click here to see the weeks Full Menu details. 

Saving Money and The Environment!

Hello All!

It’s nearly the end of August and many of us have already started rushing our kids off to school again! And that means packing lunches. But have no fear! Lunch can be an exciting and creative opportunity to provide our children with healthy, fresh options, while teaching them the value of balanced, waste-free meals. While many of you are just as excited as we are to start filling those bento boxes again, I know that some of you are asking, "Why would I spend $24 on a lunch box?"

Tiffany, a long-time customer, answers this question in as a comment on our Facebook page: 

Customer and fan Raeanna still uses her Original Laptop Lunches
Bento's for her family of five after years of use! 

"It occurred to me today that my daughter will be entering 7th grade in a few weeks and her laptop lunchbox that I bought for kindergarten is still going strong! Little brother's is too. So for those who think the Laptop costs too much, consider how much you can save by buying only one, instead of a new one each year."

And she’s right. We hear from many customers who tell us they bought a Laptop Lunches bento lunch box years ago, and it's still holding up to the wear and tear of a child's daily use. But Tiffany also speaks to the issue of saving money by not having to purchase a new lunch box every year and also eliminating the need for disposable packaging and expensive single-serve lunch foods.

I did the math and this is what I found: 

The average disposable lunch costs:

• per day: $4.02
• per school year: $723.60 
• over a span of seven school years:  $5,065.20

The average reusable lunch costs:

• per day: $2.65 
• per school year: $477.00
• over a span of seven school years: $3,339.00

That means that over seven years you can save... $1,726.20 

Wow! Put that in your child's college fund and save it! And, that is just for one reusable bento user! Imagine if your whole family went reusable! 

A typical example of a 'convenient' pre-packaged lunch.

Packing waste-free lunches also takes a huge weight off of our environment. And, I mean literally. The average student creates 67 pounds of lunch waste per year, which means that over a span of seven years -- from kindergarten to six grade -- you can eliminate 483 pounds of unnecessary lunch waste!

What does all this mean? A Laptop Lunches bento lunch box will pay for itself, both financially and ecologically, in just a few short weeks. Plus, it makes packing a healthy lunch for your child easy and fun!

Thanks, Tiffany, and all of you who have chosen to invest in Laptop Lunches Bento-ware, whether to save money, reduce waste, or simply to have fun while packing delicious, wholesome lunches! If you are looking to join the waste-free revolution, you can find lots of tools and information here. 

We’re really looking forward to this school year and being a part of yours. Stay tuned into our blog for ideas and inspirations for packing lunches, creative recipes and further ways to save you money! 

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. 

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

This lunch is a fresh and festive way to brighten up your day. A zesty quinoa salad, with pita and hummus, plus a side of mango is an easy gourmet lunch to pack on the go, whether for work, school or play!

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. 

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.