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!  

You're Invited to a Party!

Please join us Wednesday, April 4th at 7pm pst, as Laptop Lunches hosts our first ever Twitter party!


To get the conversation started, we'll be talking about school lunches in general, so please stop by and join in on the conversation at www.twitter.com #bentoware.


We've got some questions up our sleeves but feel free to leave anything you'd like answered below in the comment section or post them at:  http://www.facebook.com/LaptopLunches  or Twitter.


We look forward to interacting with and learning from you, so be sure to join in on the fun! 


See you there!


When: Wendesday, April 4th at 7pm pst
Where: www.Twitter.com #bentoware


(To keep up with the conversation, we recommend following and participating in the party through a  Tweet Grid such as: http://tweetchat.com/)

Bento Systems on Sale

If you've been had your eye on the Laptop Lunches Bento Lunch Boxes, now's the time to buy! Our Flower Bento Systems are currently on sale for $35.99 (regularly $43.99)! 

Our Flower Bento Systems include: 

Bento Carrier, Flower

Bento Set 2.0, Black outer container with 5 pink inner containers

Stainless steel fork and knife set

Pink water bottle

The Laptop Lunches User's Guide

Use the coupon code, flower72 to apply the discount to your order before the offer ends, Saturday, March 31, 2012 and start packing fun, nutritious, waste free lunches just in time for Earth Day! 

The A, B and C’s of Lunch

By: Paula Sirois

It’s happened to everyone – even you. You've finished with lunch and suddenly you’re sleepy – ready for a nap. Eyes start closing, mind stops listening and nap time starts calling. That’s fine and dandy if you’re home and inches away from your bed (with a magically empty ‘to do’ list – as if!). But what if you’re ten years old and in school and in the middle of math class no less? What’s a kid to do?  Well, first off you (the parent), need to know what’s causing this dire need for sleep and then you need to know how to fix it.

According to Dr. Oz’s site (http://www.doctoroz.com/), the University of Nevada School of medicine explains “There may be many reasons you may feel tired after eating lunch. One common reason is that after a meal your blood sugar quickly rises as food is digested.” Basically you eat and your body’s reaction is to jump onto this blood sugar roller coaster.  Heading up the coaster it tells your muscles and fat cells to soak up that extra sugar. You've seen kids (and adults) on a sugar high – lots of energy, quick talking and quick moving.  But what goes up must come down.  So when the coaster is heading down, the sugar is gone, the ride is over and you’re energy is over too.  We all know this phase as the sugar crash.  “Meals with a large amount of simple carbohydrates (sugars and starches) tend to cause this blood sugar rise and fall to a greater extent than meals heavier in proteins or complex carbohydrates.”

Livestrong.com notes “Making time for a healthy lunch can pay off both mentally and physically. Eating in the middle of the day, several hours after breakfast, re-energizes your body…” The site suggests that for kids, lunch is even more important, “Since most kids don't get breakfast or dinner at school and may not have any snacks until they get home, lunch is the only meal they have to power them through the day. According to ChoiceUSA.net, school lunch makes up one third to one half of a child's nutritional intake for an entire day and is essential for helping children succeed in school as well as grow and develop successfully and healthfully.”

Now that you know why it happens and why lunch is important, here’s how to fix it. Packing some ‘stay-awake-and-learn’ lunches is as easy as your A, B’s and C’s:

A is for ‘a little of this, a little of that.’ Kids are notorious finger food eaters. Instead of sending a big thermos of something, consider tiny portions that make it easier to pick up and eat. A little (immunity boosting) yogurt, some (slow-burning source of energy) granola, rolled-up lean turkey (for the protein) and some carrot sticks (for the vision helper Vitamin A) make for a simple, fun and healthy lunch.

B is for Berries: Joy Bauer, a registered dietician suggests memory and brain healthy food choices like blueberries. Blueberries (or really any berries will do) have been shown to reverse memory decline. Not just help with your memory, but also actually reverse any damage. Impressive stuff for a tiny berry, no? Dark, leafy greens like spinach; Swiss chad and kale have a ton of folic acid in them that help with your brain health and memory. Fatty fish like salmon or the plant based alternative, ground flax seed; both offer tons of Omega 3, which boosts your brain. Doubtful your kid will love some salmon at noon, but flax seed is easy to hide. Just sprinkle some on just about anything from a sandwich to a soup to a salad.

C is for colorful: Kids love color, so why not make their lunch a colorful surprise? Red peppers (more Vitamin C than an orange), green apple slices (packed with rich phyto-nutrients, yellow chicken soup (protein and renowned healing powers) and some brown rice (all that great fiber) make for a fun, festive and healthy lunch.

Lunch is an important meal in your day – giving you the energy you need to stay awake and keep going. If you’re looking for some helpful printouts on meal plans and grocery shopping lists, check out First lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move website at http://www.letsmove.gov/eat-healthy which offers a host of tools and ideas to help.

Bon Appetite!

Paula Sirois is a holistic health coach and writer who tries to find the wit and humor in all that stuff that make up our daily lives; the ups and downs, the good and the bad - and all that messy, gooey mess in the middle. She can be found at RockZebra@hotmail.com or www.rockzebracompany.com where the simple (rock) and unexpected (zebra) things are all you need.

Talking Waste Free Lunches at Green Drinks

 

Are you familiar with Green Drinks, the informal networking event where environmentally-minded people meet over drinks?

The Santa Cruz group is alive and well, meeting the first Thursday of each month for happy hour at Café Mare from 5:30 to 7:30.

Our next meeting is this week, so please join us at:

Date/Time: February 2nd, 2012  5:30-7:30 P.M.

Location: Cafe Mare, 740 Front St. Suite 100, in downtown Santa Cruz.

Green Drinks is a great way to meet new people, enjoy a well-priced happy hour drink, and engage in interesting conversation. Each week a speaker spends 15-20 minutes talking about a sustainability issue—which acts as a springboard for discussions on many topics.

And guess who’s going to be speaking this week:

Amy Hemmert from Laptop Lunches will discuss the ins and outs of implementing a waste-free lunch program. She will provide hands-on information, resources, and some success stories as well. She’s eager to hear your successes and challenges and is excited to answer all of your waste-free questions.

Please feel free re-post this info and to pass it along to friends and colleagues you feel would be interested.

Visit the Santa Cruz Green Drinks Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-Drinks-Santa-Cruz/194329337256895

Green Drinks events are held around the world! Learn more at www.greendrinks.org

Nutritional Punch in a Bento Lunch

This Week's Bento Lunch

Whether you’re busy getting ready for Back to School or enjoying your favorite summertime activities, this week’s well balanced bento is sure to leave you feeling both healthy and satisfied. Sunflower seed sprouts and red quinoa pack a strong nutritional punch, making them a great accompaniment to the satisfying deviled eggs they’re served alongside. Enjoy!

Click here to view this week's full menu.

Kids’ Lunch Box Gift Ideas Keep the Holidays Healthy!

It’s that most wonderful time of the year again! Here at Laptop Lunches, we’re getting into the holiday spirit with our healthy holiday lunch menus and our kids’ lunch box gift guide.

A Laptop Lunchbox is a fun and unique gift idea for your son, daughter, niece, nephew, or any child on your list who’s been extra good this year! Plus, you can feel confident about giving a gift that will encourage healthy eating and help the environment. Check out our best lunch boxes for kids below!

Kids Lunch Boxes for Boys

Alien Bento System 2.0 - $39.99
Give your child a healthy lunch that’s out of this world with our Alien Bento System 2.0! The insulated carrying case features a fun alien pattern and holds a bento set, drink bottle, and all-stainless utensils. The Laptop Lunch User’s Guide is also included.



Plaid Bento Kit - $36.99
Bring a fun, retro style to the bento lunch concept with our Plaid Bento Kit! This kit includes a black insulated tote with a tire tread plaid pattern, a black and red bento set, all-stainless utensils, and the Laptop Lunch User’s Guide.

Kids Bento Boxes for Girls

Pink Passion Bento System 2.0 - $39.99
What could be better than a nutritious lunch that’s pretty in pink? This bento system features a pink insulated carrier, a pink bento box, and pink inner containers. Even the cap of the drink bottle is pink! All-stainless utensils and the Laptop Lunch User’s Guide are also included.


Daisy Bento Kit - $36.99
Add flower power to your daughter’s lunch with the Daisy Bento Kit! A black insulated tote with a cute daisy design holds a bento set with a rainbow assortment of inner containers. A set of utensils and the Laptop Lunch User’s Guide make the kit complete.

Accessories for Kids Lunch Boxes

Does that special someone on your gift list already have a Laptop Lunchbox? These kids bento lunch box accessories make a great complement to any of our bento kits, systems, or sets!

Happikins Cloth Napkin Set – 3 Critters - $17.99
This set of three cloth napkins features cute critters that are sure to bring a smile to your child’s face! They are perfectly sized for our kids’ lunch boxes. Plus, they double as a placemat and are great for the environment.


Klean Kanteen Drink Bottles - $17.99
Available in blue, green, orange, pink, and red, Klean Kanteen 18 oz. bottles are lightweight, durable, and perfect for packing with a Laptop Lunch! They fit large ice cubes to keep drinks chilled until lunchtime.



Fruit & Veggie Cutters – Heart & Star - $4.49
Your son or daughter will love helping you in the kitchen by using these cute fruit and veggie cutters to add hearts and stars to their Laptop Lunch! Made of stainless steel, they’re easy for small hands to hold and perfect for creating bite-size pieces of apples, pears, kiwifruit, melon, mango, carrots, potatoes, yams, beets, and a whole lot more!

Holiday Specials and More Lunch Box Gift Ideas Coming Soon!

To spread the good cheer around, we’re giving our customers Free Shipping on all orders over $65 until December 31. And, for those of you who may be in a rush to receive your gift, you’ll be glad to hear we offer same-day shipping through December 23 on all orders placed Monday-Friday before noon (Pacific Time). If something happens to catch your eye while you’re shopping for other people, don’t forget to Create a Wish List for yourself!

Stay tuned for our top adult lunch box gift picks, coming soon! And leave a comment to let us know, what gifts are you planning to give the kids on your gift list this year?

Healthy School Foods: Eat, Learn, Grow

If you're looking for some promising news in the realm of school lunch programs, be sure to check this out:

http://anewscafe.com/2010/05/22/promoting-providing-and-propagating-healthy-school-foods-chico-eat-learn-grow Such inspiration!