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!

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.

Cabbage Rolls

Today was my first 9 hour day, so I had to pack enough to get me through!

I packed the last of my Thanksgiving Cabbage Rolls in a wide-mouthed insulated container that kept them nicely warm until lunchtime.

A simple salad with dressing is up above, with an apple, grapes in a smiling mushroom, and more Fruit & Nut Bars.

It worked! I ate lots of fruits and veggies and still stayed nice and full until quitting time!

I'm going to bed now.

Around the World: Japan

Here it is, the final photograph from my new book! This was the Big Bento Box Photo Shoot, an epic day of cooking, set-up, and photography. I wanted to show every bento box menu I made for the Japan section of Around the World;I've been so inspired by Japanese bento culture, I couldn't leave anything out, and I also included lots of tips on how to make your own bento-style vegan lunch boxes.

Okay, let's start with the red Laptop Lunch Box: Zaru Soba (cold noodles with dipping broth) with Carrot and Daikon Salad, edamame, and persimmon.

In the pink bento box: Tofu Tamagoyaki with Potato Salad Balls, Octo-Celery (instead of the ubiquitous octodog, because vegan hot dogs won't curl, and celery is healthier anyway), Cucumber Sushi Rolls, cherry tomatoes, a Botan Rice Candy, and kiwi and watermelon stars.

In the small red bento with red apple side dish: Onigiri (rice formed into shapes by hand or with a mold), vegan chicken nuggets, Stir-Fried Arame with Carrots and Ginger (this is one of my favorite dishes from the entire book, btw - sooo good!!), Radish Rosettes, and Apple Bunnies.

Finally, in the two-tier kitty bento: Tofu Tiger on a bed of rice, Carrot-Cucumber Tulips, Broccoli Salad with Daikon Flowers, and some strawberries.

Except for the Laptop Lunch Box and the apple all these bento boxes were from I Love Obento!

Link: Vegan Lunch Box Around the World.

Around the World: Nebraska

My menu for Nebraska features Chik'n Pot Pies filled with chicken-style seitan, mixed vegetables, and creamy gravy. Why Nebraska, you ask? Because the chicken pot pie was the first mass-marketed frozen pot pie, developed in 1951 by Swanson company in Omaha, Nebraska! So there!

This lunch also includes Sticks-and-Stones Salad (carrot and celery sticks and water chestnut "stones"), and Apples with Caramel Dip. The caramel dip is amazingly quick and easy to make; I paired it with tart Granny Smith apples but it's also wonderful with bananas.

This meal was photographed, by the way, in a Mr. Bentostyle lunch jar with separate containers that stack together inside an insulated outer shell. These are spendy but they're a nifty lunch container for those who want individual servings of different foods to all stay hot or cold together and stay upright like a thermos.

Link: Vegan Lunch Box Around the World.

Kids Konserve Coupon

A while ago I wrote about Kids Konserve, a company specializing in eco-friendly lunch sacks and containers for kids.

Well, Kids Konserve contacted me recently. They have two new products out this season: new lunch bags made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles with a nesting trio of stainless steel containers ...

... and a non-toxic, biodegradable ice pack! "Should the ice pak puncture," the website says, "simply plant in your backyard!"

They also wanted to offer you, my lucky readers, a discount coupon. Save 15% off at Kids Konserve by using coupon code: vegan (valid until 9/30/09).

The Goodbyn

There's another new entry in the kid-friendly lunchbox market. This one's called the Goodbyn, and features built-in compartments with no lids or removable containers to keep track of, an 8-ounce bottle with its own compartment, built-in handle, and best of all, stickers.

I think it's a bit goofy to look at, but still cute. From the photographs and description, it looks like it can hold quite a lot of food -- even a whole banana. Thoughts?

(Thank you Michelle for the link!)

Buy My Lunch Boxes!

Whew, I just spent most of the afternoon photographing and listing eight of my lunch boxes on ebay. It's time to start thinking about what lunch container you're going to use for back-to-school!

Most of these lunch boxes were used to take photographs for my cookbooks -- one is even the cover model for my first book! Some of these were only used once or twice, so they're in perfect condition.

Most are plastic and bento-style lunch boxes, but one is stainless steel and one is a really cool insulated food carrier with four inner containers, like a "Mr. Bento".

Oh, and one set is an accessory bundle: the purple Gel-Cool lunch container was small, so I bundled it with lots of lunch box accessories. They're all small and cute, perfect for a preschool or kindergartner: little forks, little dip and candy containers, pretty food picks, and a hand-sewn napkin.

Don't worry, I still have plenty of lunch boxes left! LOL

My Laptop Dreams Have Come True!

Check out the new Bento System 2.0 that came out this month from Laptop Lunches. The first thing you'll notice is the new carrying cases decorated with funky aliens or pretty pink flowers. But the case isn't what has me really excited...


Do you see it? Yes! One of the small-sized container comes with a LID! I've so wished for a lid to seal in smaller servings of applesauce, soft fruit, pudding, etc. I used to cover the small container with plastic wrap held in place with a rubber band if the item I was packing was a bit wet. Well, no more!

So we're all happy so far, right? But wait, there's more! You still haven't seen the best part...

Bento Buddies 2.0! This is a separate set of containers you can buy for this new system, and it features one giant container that takes the place of the two large containers!! Woo! The new system doesn't have that line going between the two spaces, so the new giant container fits right in there.

Do you have any idea how many times I have longed for something like this for the Laptop? It's the perfect size for a whole sandwich, or a good-sized salad, or for one large serving of any kind of main dish.

Unfortunately, there is a bit of bad news: these new containers won't fit in the original Laptop Lunch System, so you'll have to upgrade to 2.0 if you want the nifty new sizes and lids.

Right now I'm holding the new system up next to the original Laptop, and the new systems are also a bit larger than the original. They're not bigger by a whole lot, but it's enough that I can see fitting larger servings into this one, servings that might even keep my big-appetite shmoo full.

Stay tuned for shmoo's first lunch packed in the new system!

Fried Rice and a Smart Bento

Have you ever packed your lunch box all just-so, then had to tilt the box to get it to fit in your backpack or briefcase and felt all the contents shift? Well, Japan has the answer! The Smart Bento is designed to fit upright in a bag instead, so contents stay just the way you packed them.

The box has two long, thin layers held together with a matching band. My favorite details include the clever chopsticks that disassemble and fit inside the top lid, and the little touch of sparkle in the plastic.

When I Love Obento! first sent me the Smart Bento to review, I wasn't sure what to pack. I decided that whatever I packed in this small of a bento had to be calorie dense or I wouldn't have enough to eat, so I went with fried brown rice with edamame, grated carrots, and hijiki seaweed.

I used a recipe for Natto or Tempeh Fried Rice from Just Bento. I had planned to use tempeh, but the two stores I usually go to for tempeh were both out (horrors!), so I went with edamame instead.

(The health food store actually had natto, but I've never tasted it before, have heard nightmarish things about it, and at $15.50 a jar I couldn't bring myself to give natto a chance. Anyone want to persuade me?)

In the smaller bottom layer are baby cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and some fresh berries from my garden.

Verdict: I must say this bento box is adorable. I loved the clever way everything fit together and the neat way it stayed upright in my bag. However, on its own this wasn't enough to fill me up, and there's no way I could use it to pack my usual lunch of a large green salad. I can see this box working for those with smaller appetites, or perhaps packed alongside a thermos or another bento container. 4 stars.

(Thanks to Michelle for taking the pictures!)

Finding Nemo

I've been dying to make the fish bento from Hawaii's Bento Box Cookbook.The author filled a fish-shaped bento box with plain white rice and used sliced jumbo black olives to form scales. How brilliant is that?

I wasn't able to find a fish-shaped bento box, but I did come across this rabbit-shaped bento box, and saw at once that the pink bunny was perfect for Summershmoo and the shape was close enough to a fish to get the job done.

Unfortunately, I was told by her mom that Summershmoo does not like plain rice or olives, so what was I to do? I decided to change the plain rice into a serving of Vegan Glorified Rice, a sweet rice pudding filled with crushed pineapple and silken tofu. Once again I used fruit leather to make the cut-outs.

In the upper tier of the bento box I put two vegan sausages, some baby carrots, sugar snap peas, cauliflower florets, and jicama hearts.

Verdict: Well, it will be back to peanut butter sammies next time! Even as a sweet pudding Summer did not want to eat rice. It must be the texture she dislikes? She did, however, pick off the fruit leather and eat all the vegetables. She took one bite of the sausage. 5 star cuteness, 2 star consumption.

Panda Sandwich and a New Shmoo

The lovely people at LunchBots asked if I would give their product a try, so today I put their containers through the ol' shmoo review. I was babysitting today, so rather than making lunch for my grumpy preteen shmoo (I'm tempted to call him poo-poo shmoo...) I made lunch for my lovely little niece, Summershmoo!

Summershmoo is four years old and a princess-lovin', pink-wearin' girly girly girl. Therefore it's full-throttle cuteness today, starting with a Peanut-Butter Panda: I used cookie cutters and whole white wheat and regular whole wheat bread to make a panda filled with peanut butter and agave. The eyes and mouth are bits of grape fruit leather.

I used cupcake liners and Easter cupcake toppers to make the second LunchBot pretty (I trimmed the pointy ends off the toppers with sharp scissors). Summershmoo is very picky when it comes to fruit; I decided to find out if grapes and mandarin segments would work for her. But I know she loves sugar snap peas and baby carrots.

For dessert I continued the Easter theme with a container of Annie's Chocolate Bunny Grahams.

Verdict: Summer was thrilled with everything and immediately ate first the sugar snaps and then the baby carrots. She nibbled on the lettuce before eating most of the panda san ("Can I eat his mouth? Can I eat his ears? Can I eat his eyes?") She put a mandarin in her mouth and took it out again and maybe ate a couple grapes, then shared the bunny grahams with her little sister. 4 stars.

And the LunchBots? You can see from the picture that they come in two styles: one is big enough to fit a sandwich, the other has a permanent divider down the middle, for snacks and smaller items. Both have tight-fitting stainless steel lids; the lids are quite snug (but not water-tight) without any latches to hold them in place. I was worried that small children wouldn't be able to get the lids off, but both my son and my niece got them off without any trouble. I think the size is just right for a bento-style meal or for a child with a smaller appetite.

Spontaneous Contest: Who else would like to give LunchBots a try? (I like them, I just have a cupboard filled with lunch boxes.) Email me with your name and address -- first one gets the set! UPDATE: Wow, I think that took less than a minute. They're gone!

My Modified Eat To Live

Salad, salad, salad, is that all you ever eat for lunch? Yep, pretty much. But gosh darn, I like it!

Here's the salad-of-the-day in my two-tier To-Go Ware tiffin. I'm so happy that To-Go Ware has added little Sidekick containers to their line. The lids are stainless steel (no more crying over cracked plastic!) and they fit snug; I haven't had any leak problems. I used three today to hold black beans, picante sauce, and half an avocado to top my salad with at lunchtime. I love the way they all fit in the tiffin.

Shmoo has now proclaimed that he "only eats pears" and has stopped eating all other fruit. ("Who are you and what have you done with my son?") I tried to tempt him with some of this fresh pineapple, but ended up eating it all myself. I packed it in the smaller top container from the three-tier tiffin -- it can be packed and used alone for small snacks. And look at the pretty food picks I found to eat it with!

I've been feeling so good lately! I've been improving my eating style and getting back on track with Eat To Live, with the help of my wellness coach, a personal trainer (basically I need people telling me what to do at all times or I wind up face first in a vat of pudding), the support of my friends, and a lot of hard work.

Right now my slightly-modified Eat To Live food plan goes as follows:

• A green smoothie for breakfast.
  
  
• A small snack if necessary (usually a piece of fruit).
  
  
• A big salad with different toppings, some steamed vegetables, and fresh fruit for lunch.
  
  
• A snack if necessary (usually fruit and an ounce of nuts, or a slice of sprouted wheat bread with almond butter).
  
  
• A big bowl of soup or stew, cooked vegetables, or a stir-fry for dinner.
  
  
• beans are in there at least once a day, at lunch, dinner, or both.

What have I modified? Dr. Fuhrman advises people not to snack, but I find I get too hungry and fall off the wagon if I don't get those snacks. So I snack. I also use a bit of olive oil at times, and I sprinkle salt on something if it means the difference between enjoying it or hating it and feeling sorry for myself.

Apologies for all you non-ETLers out there who might find this post terribly boring. Hopefully I'll find someone else to pack a lunch for soon! Preferably someone who hasn't entered the terrible tweens....

Two Cute Lunch Kits

Wow, it seems like exciting new lunch-gear is just springing up left and right! I'm having a hard time keeping up with all the fun lunch items I want to share with you all. Here are two more:

1. Etsy craftswoman Becky Striepe recently sent in this email:

"Hi Jennifer!

I've been a big fan of yours for quite a while. You're basically the reason I got interested in bento, so it would be a total honor if you mentioned my Lunch Kits on your blog. Each one comes with: a handmade bag, 5 napkins, a stainless steel lunchbox and a pair of bamboo chopsticks or eclectic utensils.

"I'm also a vegan and love cooking! Your Magical Loaf Studio is one of my go-tos when we need an easy, tasty dinner. It hasn't failed me yet!"

Oh, thank you so much, Becky! Your handmade bags are super-adorable!

2. A blog commenters recently pointed me towards Kids Konserve, a new company focusing on waste-free lunches for kids.

There's so much to like here! Their Lunch Kits come with a recycled canvas sack with recycled aluminum name tag, an organic cloth napkin, stainless steel beverage bottle with a carabiner, a BPA-free "food kozy" that replaces disposable baggies, and two stainless steel food containers with BPA-free plastic lids. Eco-impeccable!

There is one thing I don't like, though, particularly since this kit is geared toward school kids, who usually don't have access to a refrigerator: I wish that the lunch sacks were insulated and came with an ice pack and a built-in ice pack pocket, to keep foods safe until lunch time.

Also, although I think stainless steel is the best choice environmentally, I wonder about sending kids to school with it. Watching my own son swing and drag his backpack around makes me fear these containers will wind up dented in a matter of weeks. And do schools have issues with stainless steel, particularly those with security? Thoughts?

More Lunch Box Lust

Do I really need to be shopping online for yet another lunch box? Let's see [opens two cupboards] ... there's three Laptops, five Japanese bento, three To-Go Wares, two stainless steel rectangulars, two thermoses, one Mr. Bento, one Lunchsense ... oh, I'm tired of counting.

Anyway, just look at these Pyramid Tiffins from Happy Tiffin. Aren't they breathtaking?? The large one is 13-inches tall and has six tiers and five integrated plates. Imagine what you could do with all those compartments! It would be a feast! And with all those tiers you could reserve one compartment in the middle just for an ice pack to keep things cool.

Ooh, look at the price! Oh, dear. I think I'll go fondle my current lunch boxes and try to calm down...

To-Go Ware Survey

Now's the time to ask for exactly what you want in lunch containers for you and your kids! This just in from the friendly folks at To-Go Ware, makers of these great stainless-steel tiffin-style lunch containers:

"We are doing some product innovation and line extensions to offer folks better options for non-plastic, reusable food containers. To help us create these new products, we've compiled a survey to help articulate some of the needs and wants of consumers."

Here is a link to the survey. At the end of the survey you'll find a 40% off coupon for To-Go Ware!

Shmoo's New Lunch Box

Well, is everyone enjoying being back to school and work after the holidays? Shmoo went off to his partnership school today (he attends a once-a-week school for home-schoolers), and was excited to finally be packing a lunch in his new Red Kitty Bento Set from I Love Obento. His favorite animals are cats and tigers, so he loves the cat on the outside of the box.

He packs his own lunches now, with a little prep help from mom. Today he chose vegan chik'n nuggets, potato salad balls filled with mixed veggies, baby carrots, and edamame. In the top tier he packed strawberries and kiwi. I had mixed the fruits together, but he insisted on separating them and placing a plastic divder in between (and that's why we were late to school, honest...)

Here's the bento all put together and nestled into its matching bento bag. It turned out that the top tier sits farther down into the bottom container than we thought, so we had to take out some of the baby carrots and rearrange things.

Verdict: I was worried; would that little bento box really hold enough food for a 10 year old? Shmoo reassures me that it was more than enough to make him full; he couldn't even finish the last potato salad ball. But still, the first thing he said when I went to pick him up was, "I'm hungry!" 5 meows.

Laptop Lunch Sale!

Hey all you Super Shoppin' Santas out there! Tammy from Laptop Lunches just dropped me a line:

"I wanted to let you know that we are running a Holiday Discount now through the 16th of December. We are giving 20% discount on purchased items. The code is holiday2008. We get so many people who say they heard about us through you so we thought your readers might be interested."

There you have it! I bet some good little boys and girls (and some good big boys and girls, too!) would be delighted to find Laptop Lunch Boxes under the tree.

Around the World: Kasha Kupecheskaya

An old Russian proverb says, "You can't feed a Russian without kasha." Here is kasha kupe- cheskaya: cooked toasted buckwheat kernels, carmelized onions, and tofu (taking the place of the traditional hard-boiled eggs).

I would add to that old saying that you also can’t feed a Russian without mushrooms. I have never eaten mushrooms as delicious as those made for me by a Russian immigrant friend, who told me of how they would hunt for wild mushrooms in her native country, and how mushrooms were considered an important meat replacer during the Orthodox fasts. These are chanterelles (I don't know if it's the same everywhere, but our local Costco has 1 lb. fresh chanterelles for $8.99!!).

The other containers hold a small salad with dressing, a pear, and two Russian Tea Cakes (little cookies rolled in powdered sugar).

And could it be? Yes, it's another new lunch box! This is the new three-tier To-Go Ware container. To-Go Ware has a brand new look, with two-tier and three-tier containers and, best of all, the small stainless steel dressing containers we've all been hoping for. The new lunch boxes also come apart so you can carry just the top tier for a light snack.

Verdict: Ochen' vkusno! (very delicious!) The chanterelles were heavenly, especially with the kasha. 5 stars.

African Children's Choir Lunch Box

This weekend we were honored to act as a host family for some members of the African Children's Choir while they were in town as part of their U.S. tour. The children are ages 7 to 12 and come from several African nations (our guests were from Uganda). Many of the children have lost their parents to AIDS and other diseases, and all of them come from situations of extreme poverty. They sing and perform to raise awareness of the plight of these children of Africa, and to raise money for relief and education.

Each host family was asked to send their children off today with a packed lunch. Hey, I thought, I can do that!

Since we won't be seeing them again I made improvised bento boxes out of disposable plastic containers and used frozen water bottles as ice packs. Into each lunch box went a homemade pita bread filled with my favorite Wild Garden Hummus and six baked falafel balls. Next to the falafel is a bento-style plastic food cup filled with lemon cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, with a squeezy-fish of dressing and a little food pick. Underneath the cup are some baby carrots you can't see.

I quickly ran out of room in the main container, so I used small side containers for the last strawberries of the season, fresh from Saturday's farmer's market. (I was going to pack some baby bananas, too, but they were all eaten up; they are "like the bananas in Uganda", I was told.)

Verdict: Well, the Choir is on the way to Spokane now, so I won't really know how they like their lunches, but I hope they do. It was so much fun to meet them, to listen to them singing and playing, and to watch their amazing performance this weekend. (I think they burned like 8 million calories up there!) If the choir is coming to your town next, don't miss it.