"laptop lunches" news and stories

The packed lunch has come a long way since the days of the simple brown paper bag and a sandwich wrapped up in waxed paper. There were the metal lunchboxes of my childhood that are now collectibles (I still have my Strawberry Shortcake one). Then came the reusable canvas bags that were designed to look like the paper bags of yore. The insulated lunchbags arrived next and recently bag constructed from neoprene entered the scene. Here are a few places to check out as you look for something to pack your child's (or your own) lunch into.

Laptop Lunches makes a really cool bento-style lunch boxes with the dimensions of American food in mind (i.e. they are designed to hold a sandwich, something that other bento boxes don't do as well). Their website also has a page of helpful lunch suggestions .

Lunchboxes.com sells lunchboxes for school, work and play. Despite the fact that these days I don't have much use for a lunch transportation devise (as I spent most of my days within ten feet of my kitchen) I am currently coveting their Chinese takeout lunch bag.

Lunch in a Box, the very cool website on which new, gorgeous pictures of creatively made bento box lunches are posted nearly every day, has an Amazon store on which you can buy many of the cute containers she uses to build her toddler's lunch.

Reusablebags.com devotes a sizable section of their website to lunch bags. Additionally, they carry lots of small, reusable water bottles that are terrific to send to school with your kids in place of disposable plastic ones.

My children both attend schools that do not offer hot lunch programs. Some weeks I am completely organized and able to prepare baked goods and other wholesome edibles. Other weeks I spend a couple hours trolling around the grocery store on Sunday afternoons buying prepackaged snacks disguised to look healthy. Whatever the case plastic containers are involved. If I send mine they rarely return home to their nesting places on the pantry shelves. When asked where they went, the kids might reply, "Well, they were flopping around my lunch bag. They spilled and got everything all gooey so I threw them in the trash." If I send prepackaged stuff then it all ends up in the garbage anyway. In either instance there is waste guilt involved.

So imagine my delight when I encountered the Laptop Lunches site. These are lead free, reusable lunch boxes that come with containers that fit exactly to the interior of the box. There is no slippage or leakage, they come in cool colors, a healthy lunch ideas book is included and they also have an insulated carrying case with a strap. They are a little more expensive than the usual Wal Mart lunch boxes but well worth the price. The site also offers an adult version, complete with two metal thermoses and a stylish hemp carrying bag. And if you happen to misplace some of the containers, no worries, everything is available to order individually. This seems like a great answer to the lunchtime dilemma of ideas, leakage and waste. What do you think? Would you spend the money? If not, how do you handle these issues?

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