PlanetBox!

How cool is this?? I just found out about PlanetBox, a stainless steel lunch box for kids, and I'm so excited I just had to break my bloggy silence and post something about it! Finally, it looks like someone's getting it just right!

If I had to design a lunch box, this is what I would create -- it's got the bento-style compartments I love so much in the Laptop Lunch System, but in food-safe, eco-friendly stainless steel, and without so many separate containers to keep track of. One section is the perfect size for a sandwich or bagel, it's got lidded containers for messier items, and the portion sizes look perfect for kids and maybe even some adults (not me, though -- I gotta stick with To Go Ware for my big, big salads!)

If you visit their website, watch the video and note the spiffy magnets for decorating, and how the carrying case includes outside compartments for a water bottle and snack (I would have loved a separate place for a snack when my son was in first grade and had snack and lunchtime).

The potential drawbacks I see are dings and dents in the stainless steel(remind your kids to keep it in the carrying case), potential leaks around the edges (not sure how fruits like melon will keep from leaking into the other sections), and the considerable cost. If anyone wants to get one and try it out, let us know how it goes!

Bean Chili with Zucchini

I'm having fun with my new lunch boxes. The insulated stainless steel bowl is topped by a small plate before you put the lid on -- just the perfect size for freshly-made corn tortillas from the Mexican grocery!

I warmed the tortillas and layered them with damp paper towels, then filled the bowls with two hot servings of Bean and Vegetable Chili made with extra zucchini and sprinkled with fresh cilantro.

I brought this lunch to my girlfriend who was reading palms at the psychic fair and we ate our little picnic together. We got lots of ooh and aahs at the cuteness of our lunch boxes and how yummy our healthy lunches looked!

Broccoli Piccata

I never thought I would actually CRAVE broccoli, but it's true! I've been craving Broccoli Piccata, steamed broccoli with lemon and capers from my first book. I made it more "Fuhrman-Friendly" by leaving out the oil and salt.

At mealtime I tossed the broccoli with my salad, hummus, and crunchy walnuts.

Golden Austrian Cauliflower Soup

One of my favorite soups of all times! I first heard about Golden Austrian Cauliflower Soup on Dr. Fuhrman's Member Center Forum, where people were raving so much I just had to try it. I've been making it ever since; it's creamy and cauliflowery, with a touch of sweetness from carrot juice so you really don't miss the salt at all.

I like to sprinkle my soup with Perfect Pepitas, a recipe from my first book Vegan Lunch Box. I packed my pumpkin seeds in the plate that fits on top of the bowl in my new lunch box, with fresh pineapple on the side.

Okra & Lima Bean Masala

Excitement! Time to introduce a brand new lunch box!

I love my To-Go Ware tiffins and use them almost every day to pack our lunches for work, but lately I've been packing more hot foods like soups and stews. The tiffins are perfect for big salads and cold foods, but now I wanted something with a tight lid that wouldn't leak that would keep my food warm until lunch time -- something like the wide-mouth insulated container I bought a couple years ago, but a bit larger and made from stainless steel.


I found one! And with a cute green apple handle, too! I ordered our two new thermal stainless steel double-walled lunch boxes just a couple weeks ago from Dino Direct, but they aren't on their website at the moment. This one looks similar.


For their inaugural voyage to lunchtime I filled them both with Okra and Lima Bean Masala from FatFree Vegan Kitchen. This is one of my favorites to make at the end of the week when fresh produce is running short but I'm not ready to go to the grocery store; I steam-saute a sliced onion with Indian spices, then add a bag of frozen okra, some frozen lima beans, and two cans of diced tomatoes.

Switching Lunch & Dinner

Sometimes it's a struggle finding time to work, shop, cook, clean, and still make it to the gym and have some time to relax. Planning meals and cooking when I get home has been especially hard; usually I'm starving and tired by the time I make it home and just want dinner to be ready.

So lately I'm trying something new: swapping out lunch and dinner. Instead of the usual big salad, I've been making a pot of soup and cooked veggies on Sundays and packing them for lunch. When I get home I fix my big daily salad for dinner.

So far this new routine is working splendidly! My lunch is warm and filling, which means less temptation to eat all the free goodies in the office kitchen, and my salad doesn't need a lot of prep work when I get home, so it's ready fast.

Today I packed an old favorite, Dr. Fuhrman's Creamy Asparagus Soup, half a baked carnival squash, and a pretty pear. (Look, it still has a leaf on it!)

Strawberry Salad

Last night I invited my friends over for a "Happy Healthy New Year Party", to kick off all our healthy eating resolutions with fresh fruits and veggies!

Here are a few of the yummy dishes I made, starting at the top: Mediterranean Eggplant (from Eat To Live, made without the garbanzo beans) with endive leaves for scooping; blanched green beans with lemon mayonnaise (mix lemon juice, zest, and white pepper with Vegenaise...this one isn't nutritarian but I enjoyed the plain green beans); celery, jicama, and sugar snap peas; and homemade white bean dip with cucumber slices and whole wheat pita bread. Not pictured are a big bowl of roasted carrots and another bowl filled with fresh strawberries and mango slices.

The party was a lot of fun, with everyone contributing other healthy dishes (one friend brought vegan Hoppin' John with black-eyed peas and mustard greens, perfect for the New Year!), and we all looked silly and got sweaty playing Just Dance on the Wii. Proof that people can still have fun and be social while eating healthfully!

This morning I made a beautiful lunch with leftovers, although there hardly were any! One friend brought this amazing roasted red pepper hummus, which I packed with cucumber slices for dipping. I sliced strawberries, apple, endive, romaine, and baby spinach for today's salad and topped with pecans and pomegranate balsamic vinegar.