No Sweets Challenge

Last week, we challenged ourselves to cut the sweets out of our diets. We seemed to have been stuck in a sweets rut with cookies and muffins often popping up in the office kitchen. Some office members even felt like they were addicted to the sugar they used as their afternoon pick me up, so it was good to take a break and take stock of what we were putting into our bodies.

The good news is that we made it through the week feeling great and enjoyed having fresh fruit waiting for us to snack on in the office. With all the fresh fruits available this time of year, it really wasn't too difficult to turn to watermelon and cantaloupe instead of cupcakes and brownies. For many, it was even a welcome relief!

The bad news is that the salt water taffy that showed up last week has been opened and is making its way around the office as we speak! It's all about baby steps, right?

100-Mile Diet Recap

We're going bananas here!

Well, I wouldn't take it that far but now that we've just about completed this month's 100-Mile Diet Challenge, we are looking forward to adding some of our favorite non-local foods back into our diet... and bananas are on top of just about everyone's list.

Going into this challenge, we were all very nervous and everyone seems to agree that it was the most difficult challenge we've done so far, but it also may have been the most educational and rewarding. We've missed our apples and bananas but we are happy to have discovered some amazing local finds such as sweet corn from Salinas, squash blossoms, and delicious berries and have discovered tastes that we may not have explored if not under these circumstances.

This challenge also led us many of us to make new friends from within the foodie community and taught us about an amazing local food delivery service in Santa Cruz: http://santacruzlocalfoods.com/. Santa Cruz Local Foods provides an online marketplace filled with products from within 100 Miles of Santa Cruz. You shop online and either pick up your bounty at one of their pick up locations set up throughout the week or they will deliver them to you on bicycle. Their service is amazing and the vast array of local foods they offer is incredible. They took a lot of the legwork out of this challenge for us and made it possible for even more of us to be successful throughout the week and for that, our bellies are thankful!

Moving beyond this challenge, we will all put a lot more thought into our food choices and will try to support our local farm community as much as possible. Eating locally does come with a price tag but having the chance to be further involved in our local community and economy and filling our bodies with fresh, local foods is a pretty great return!

100-Mile Diet Challenge

This weekend, the Laptop Lunches staff members are likely to be found at one of the several Farmers' Markets around town. As part of this month's weekly challenge, we will be on the hunt for foods that were grown within 100 miles of Santa Cruz. Yes, that's right, we've chosen to follow the 100 mile diet for 1 week... and we are nervous!

Of course, we all choose to support our local economy as much as possible and we are lucky to live in a community abundant with locally produced goods but, after some thought, we've realized that many of the staples in our diet cannot be found locally. We will definitely be missing our coffee, tea and bananas but we are also excited to learn more about local products and to discover new flavors and possibly even a local can't-live-without product or two.

To learn more about the 100-mile diet, visit the following link: http://100milediet.org/faqs.

Strength is in numbers, so please let us know if you're in!

Having Fun Being Active

For this month's weekly challenge, we have been on the move! We've increased our daily exercise by 30 minutes and are feeling great! Although we are a busy bunch, we've found that increasing our activity level has been fairly easy to fit into our schedules by making small adjustments to our normal routines.

We've been challenging our dogs to power walks and hikes, riding our horses, tending to our gardens, deep cleaning our houses, and having dance parties with our toddlers!

Some staff members have also taken it a step further and have tried new exercises to amp up their regular routines. Power walking, stretching, running, lifting weights, and yoga have been some of the most popular of the traditional activities. In keeping with trying something new, a couple of us will be trying our first Bikram yoga class this weekend, so wish us luck!

This month's weekly challenge has been very enjoyable so far and has reminded us that being more active can be easy, fun and great for those around us. We are all looking forward to an active weekend and hope you'll do the same!

Getting Active

Last month's challenge of going out for a 10 minute break each day inspired us to take our daily activity a step further. For this month's challenge, we've decided to add 30 minutes of activity to our routines. So, starting Monday, we'll be spending a little extra time running, walking, skipping, hula hooping, swimming, playing catch, riding our bikes, or anything else we can think of doing to get our bodies moving. Increased physical activity is important for both our minds and bodies, so we're looking forward to starting the month out on the right foot and hope you'll join us. We can't wait to hear about everyone's favorite activities!

Taking a Break Challenge

We've checked another of our weekly challenges off our list and we think this one is going to stick!

Through this challenge we found that taking a couple minutes to check out during the day to enjoy a little extra activity as well as some fresh air really did pay off by giving us more energy and increased concentration throughout the afternoon. Our breaks kept us from getting too bogged down or burnt out and left us with a sense of accomplishment as we took the time to do something for ourselves. We live in a fast paced society which has us constantly juggling responsibilities and wearing different hats, so it's nice to take all hats off, leave the balls behind and take a break.

We hope you have and will continue to enjoy your breaks as well!

Taking a Break Challenge Check In

I'm feeling pretty good right now. I just got back from my afternoon break and it's a beautiful afternoon in Santa Cruz. I walked over to the weekly Farmer's Market and picked up a couple fresh lemons to use for dinner and now I'm back feeling refreshed and energized as I finish the day's work. It's amazing what a 10-15 minute break can do for a person!

While some of us choose to go on power walks; some prefer to just linger outside enjoying the fresh flowers and beautiful sunshine; or even staying inside to paint. No matter what the activity, the consensus is that making it a priority to take the time to check out and clear our heads has made a huge difference.

Mid-way through this month's weekly challenge, it is safe to say that we are all feeling more productive, focused and energized since making it a priority to take time for ourselves during the work day.

If you've joined us in this month's challenge, please let us know what you've been doing on your break and what effect that has had on the rest of your day!

Taking a Break

Have you read the research that's come out regarding sitting all day? If not, you can learn more here.

The bottom line is that sitting all day is very bad for our health, so this month we're challenging ourselves to take a 10 minute break every day. During our 10 minutes, we can go for a walk, stretch out, nap, meditate, or just about anything else we can think of other than sitting at our desks.

Although this may sound simple and breaks are always encouraged in the Laptop Lunches office, actually taking 10 minutes to get away on a daily basis can be difficult for just about anyone and doing so at all is a foreign concept to some of us, so this will be a challenge.

We're looking forward to getting started on Monday and hopefully feeling more energized and productive throughout the week! As always, we encourage you to join us and look forward to hearing what everyone is doing during their breaks.

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!

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!