May 2008
In this issue, you'll find:
- From Our
Desk to Yours...
- Favorite
Photo
- Delicious Dips
- Green Opportunities
- Laptop Lunches in the News
- New Retailers
- Is organic worth the cost?
- What works...Success Stories
- Featured Web site:
http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov
|
|
From Our Desk to
Yours...
RED CARRYING CASES COMING IN JUNE: Our new red carrying cases are on the way and will be available for purchase in mid-June. We're very excited about this new color scheme, which we hope will be appealing to both children and adults. They'll be sold separately and as a a complete system with the black and red bento set and water bottle inside. |
 |
WASTE-FREE LUNCH POWERPOINT: If you're looking for an easy way to educate your school or organization about the benefits of packing nutritious, waste-free lunches, consider downloading our free PowerPoint presentation at www.wastefreelunches.org/Resources.html.
 |
STATE-WIDE WASTE-FREE LUNCH INITIATIVE: Kudos to the California Department of Conservation for their Earth Day waste-free lunch campaign launch. We'd like to thank the department for inviting us to partner with them and for providing Laptop Lunches to the 4th - 6th graders at Crocker/Riverside School in Sacramento. The school, which had been generating four full trash cans of lunch waste daily, filled only the very bottom of just one can on Earth Day. Keep up the great work!!!! |
CALLING ALL SOUTHERNERS: We've noticed a recent surge in Web orders coming from your part of the world. We've also received a large number of inquiries from people who want to see Laptop Lunches at stores in this region. If you have a particular store in mind, please email us at info@obentec.com with the store name and location, and we'll give them a call. You might also consider printing off and filling out our product request form, available at www.laptoplunches.com/ProductRequestForm.pdf.
Got a favorite photo to share?
| Email it to us at newsletter@obentec.com,
and we'll publish it here! |
 |
Homemade raw milk yogurt with raw honey
Nitrate free ham with grated cheese
Cucumber slices
Raisins and pistachios
|
|
"We really love our Laptop Lunches. It makes preparing lunches fun for me,
and I love the food my girls eat each day. And the earth-friendly,
trashless aspect makes me feel even better about their meals. Thank you!!!"
-- Nicole, Prosper, TX |
Delicious Dips
Add some spunk to your mid-day meal with creative dips, dressings, and sauces.
Garlicky Yogurt Dip
|
Ingredients
- 5 heaping Tbs. plain (goat, or any) yogurt
- ½ tsp. lemon juice
- ½ tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp. soy sauce
- 1 small clove minced garlic
Directions
| 1. |
Spoon the yogurt into a small bowl. |
| 2. |
Add the remaining ingredients; mix well. |
|
Whimsical inner container set with black outer container (sold separately).
|
Lime-Cilantro Dip
|
Ingredients
- Juice of ½ lime
- 1 Tbs. olive oil, Vegenaise, or Mayonnaise
- ½ tsp. soy sauce or fish sauce
- 1 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ½ tsp. honey
- Fresh or dried ground hot chiles to taste (optional)
Directions
| 1. |
Combine all ingredients and stir well. |
| 2. |
Serve as a dip with fresh or steamed vegetables or as a sandwich spread. |
|
Steamed potatoes and broccoli with lime-cilantro dressing, pecans & dried cranberries, and whole wheat carrot bread. |
Green
Opportunities
Some
earth-friendly tidbits that have landed in our office in recent weeks...
- LUNCH NUGGET – Looking for additional lunch ideas? Check out the Lunch Nugget blog at www.lunchnugget.com for delicious (mostly healthy) merry meal making ideas, feeding a tree nut allergic preschooler, lessons learned, and what's for lunch in a bento box!
|
- COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHTBULBS –Thanks for doing the right thing and using energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs.
Since these bulbs are a bit different from the old incandescent bulbs we grew up with, be sure to read up on how to use and dispose of them properly. CFLs contain a small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing, and mercury in many situations can pose health risks to humans and the environment. Learn more at www.sierraclub.org/cfl.
|
- 21 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD RECYCLE – Garbage. We should be producing less of it, but Americans produce more and more of it every year. Even the most waste-conscious among us can feel overwhelmed by the amount of household waste that goes beyond what municipal recyclers and compost bins can handle. That’s why Co-op America spent the summer of 2007 investigating the state of waste management in our country. They've compiled a "how to" list for taking the three R’s – reducing, reusing, and recycling — to the next level. View the list at www.coopamerica.org/pubs/caq/articles/21Things.cfm.
- ECO-FRIENDLY DRY CLEANING OPTIONS – Contrary to what its name implies, dry cleaning involves washing clothes in a liquid solvent to remove stains. In about 85 percent of dry cleaning shops this solvent is perchloroethylene (perc), a chemical that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers both a health and environmental hazard.
Clothing makers often place the dry clean only label on tags because they can list only one cleaning method and can be held liable if an item is damaged under the recommended method. Yet many of these items can be safely washed at home, either by hand or using the delicate cycle. For clothes that must be professionally cleaned, there is no perfect solution, but consider using a cleaner that offers a perc-free method. A list of alternatives can be found at www.ucsusa.org/publications/greentips/do-green-dry-cleaners-exist.html.
|
|
|
Laptop Lunches in the News
Sacramento Bee
April 23, 2008
No-waste lunch bunch
Actor Ed Begley Jr. ate a waste- free lunch with 210 students at Crocker/Riverside Elementary School Tuesday to celebrate Earth Day.
|
 |
"This is the way I took lunch to school when I was a kid," the celebrity environmentalist said, comparing yesterday's lunchboxes and thermos to the plastic "Laptop Lunch System" the students brought their lunches in.
The California Department of Conservation approached the school to take part in the event, said principal Alvin Lee.
[Watch the video or read the rest of the story at www.sacbee.com/101/story/882728.html.] |
New Retailers
Gumboot Books
604-980 Seymour St.
Vancouver, BC V6B1B5
(604) 669-4866 |
Whole Foods Oakland
230 Bay Place
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 834-9800 | Country Sun Natural Foods
440 S California Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 321-0376 |
Whole Foods Kitsilano
2285 West 4th Ave.
Vancouver, BC V6K 1N9
(604) 739-6676
|
Taylors Market
2900 Freeport Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 443-6881
| Learning Express
2710 Mowry Ave.
Fremont, CA 94538
(510) 791-9990 |
Paradise Yoga
81927 Overseas Highway
Isla Morado, FL 33036
(305) 778-2529
|
Party Animal Co.
109 Bigsky Dr.
Gulfport, MS 39503
(228) 596-5872
|
Amaranth Whole Foods Market
#7 Arbour Lake Dr.
NW
Calgary, AB T3G 5G8
(403) 547-6333 |
Kahunas Kids
840 13th St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446
(805) 237-9497
|
Mind Play
1985 Squaw Valley Rd. A 27
Olympic Valley, CA 96146
(530) 584-6133
| Whole Foods Cambie
3277 Cambie St.
Vancouver, BC V5Z 2W3
(604) 909-2988 |
AcroSports Gymnastics
1800 W. Nasa Blvd.
Webster, TX 77598
(281) 332-4496
|
Whole Foods Sebastopol
6910 McKinley St.
Sebastopol, CA 95472
(707) 829-9801
| Hedgehog Mountain Alternatives
Hedgehog Mountain Rd.
Deering, NH 03244
(603) 464-9959 |
Organic Family Natural Home
2755 Dunsmuir Ave. #765
Cumberland BC V0R 1S0
(250) 218-6335
www.organicfamilynaturals.com
|
Milkweed Mercantile
3 Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage
Rutledge, MO 63563
(660) 883-5634
www.milkweedmercantile.com
| Baby Awearness
Manoa Marketplace
2752 Woodlawn Dr.
Hololulu, HI 96822
(808) 988-0010 |
The Toyworks
531 College Ave.
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 526-2009
|
The Toyworks
2724 Santa Rosa Ave.
Santa Rosa, CA 95407
(707) 576-8609 | The Toyworks
6940 Sebastopol Ave.
Sebastopol, CA 95472
(707) 829-2003 |
Nature's Emporium
16655 Yonge St., Unit 27
Newmarket, ON L3X 1V6
(905) 898-1844 |
Kaiser Permanente Gift Shop
Fresno, CA
(559) 448-2318 | www.pipersmagicgarden.com
www.taraluna.com
www.goodstewardnaturals.biz
www.jollybums.com
www.projectgreenschools.org
|
Visit www.laptoplunches.com/retail.html for a complete
list of retailers.
Want to
see Laptop Lunches at a store in your neighborhood? Email us at
info@obentec.com, and we'll give them a call.
Is Organic Worth the Cost?
by Angelle Batten M.A., H.H.C.
So, organic food costs more and you may be wondering if it’s worth the cost. I know I used to wonder the same thing. Some of the reasons my husband and I decided organic food is worth the extra expense are: |
|
1. My intuition, along with my analytical side, tells me that knowingly putting chemicals into my children’s bodies is not supporting their health, especially chemicals that are known to be carcinogens.
3. In a study at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, Dr. Lu and colleagues found that when a group of children who ate conventional foods, were switched to a mainly organic diet of the same types of food for five days, traces of the two harmful pesticides being studied immediately vanished from their urine and stayed undetectable until the children resumed their conventional diets.
4. On the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, it is states that, "By their very nature, most pesticides create some risk of harm…Most importantly, each of these decisions must protect infants and children, whose developing bodies may be especially sensitive to pesticide exposure." Read more at the EPA website.
Most tests conducted by the EPA to set acceptable risk levels for pesticide residues used 154 pound adult men, not 0-90 pound children.
5. Organic farmers have been growing safe, nutrient-dense food for years. The use of pesticides and other conventional farming practices have only been around for a relatively short time and because it could take decades to determine the safety of a conventional pesticide, such as what happened with DDT and led to it being banned, we won’t know the full effects on our children and grandchildren’s health until it is too late.
6. Some recently published studies in peer-reviewed journals have shown organic foods to have higher nutritional value. For example, researchers at the University of California, Davis, recently found that organic tomatoes had higher levels of phytochemicals and vitamin C than conventional tomatoes. (source: www.organic.org)
And the truth is, not all organic foods are more expensive than conventional foods. When you buy in season and from local farmers’ markets, you can get great deals. And, the bottom line is that if we don’t prioritize healthier foods in our budgets, our kids will pay the price in the long-run ~ with their health and with the health of the world they are inheriting from us.
|
|
What Works...Success Stories
 |
"I just wanted to write in to let
you know I have used your Laptop Lunches going on 5 years now. I
still have our very first set. (Wow! That $33 spread over 5 years is
quite a bargain price for a lunch box!) And my son has used it
almost every day for school. It still looks new after all this time!
(I do admit, I put the outer insulated bag into a cold water washing
machine a couple of times a year to get it really clean.).
"I now
have 5 sets for the rest of us. Even in summer, we take them on our
outings, which makes it easy for everyone to have and eat their whole
lunch. With three kids (oldest 8, youngest 18 months), these Laptop Lunch Systems are a sanity-saver! |
"To distinguish whose lunchbox belongs to whom,
and to make them more fun for the children, (besides the carrying cases with different colored panels), we add
fun key chains. My daughter has a jeweled heart, my oldest son has
Captain Underpants, and the baby has a skateboard. These key chains
also make it easy for my children to find their lunches quickly at
school.
"Recipes in
your recipe booklet have become staples in our household -
Monkeyphant Madness, Hearty-Breaky and See & Cee, anyone? Your
recipes are quick, delicious and healthy. Fabulous!
"Thanks for making such a
great product that holds up to years of use and abuse!"
-- Mae in Corte Madera, CA
"Hey Gals!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just wanted you to know that I absolutely love our
Laptop Lunches soooo much that we have 5 of them. I feel sooooo good every
day when I pack my son's bento box and send him to school. I REALLY do. I'll
keep showing them off and passing the word on. You gals ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!
Enjoy the sunny weather and have a superb day. Thank you for your insight. "
-- Brandy Cooper, Elko, NV
"I just received my Laptop Lunch User's Guide. WOW! Great resource! Lots of basic, commonsense (to some of us) information on nutrition. Wonderful ideas on how to improve nutrition at home. Fabulous recipes! I applaud your hard work and passion for improving the food choices of children and families. Keep up the good work!"
-- Karen Bergmann,
Mississauga, ON, Canada
Do you have a success story or photo to share? Email
it to us at newsletter@obentec.com.
Featured Web Site: http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov
The Food Stamp Nutrition Connection Recipe Finder is a database of recipes for use by nutrition educators working with the Food Stamp Program eligible population. Staff from other Food and Nutrition Service nutrition assistance programs may also find the recipes suitable for their target audiences. |
The majority of recipes in the database were submitted by nutrition educators in the Food Stamp Program. Additional recipes are from government agencies or other health professionals and organizations.
Evaluate Existing Recipes
Try some of the recipes in the database and submit feedback on the Rate a Recipe page. If a recipe is rated (using a scale of 1-5), the star rating system will automatically reflect the rating. If a recipe is reviewed, the responses will go to the FSNC staff for evaluation and posting.
Contribute Recipes
Send in your recipes. Recipes that meet the scope and criteria of the Food Stamp Nutrition Connection will be included in the Recipe Finder. |
On this site:
- Recipe Finder
- Resource Library
- Photo Gallery
- Professional Development Tools
- Nutrition Education
- Cost Analyses
|
|
For more information or to find or submit a recipe, visit http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov. |
|
June Highlights
Cool Summer Pastas, Green
Opportunities, and Travel with Kids.
© May 2008 Obentec, Inc.
849 Almar Ave., Suite C-323
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831-457-0301
REPRINT PERMISSION
Feel free to reprint or forward this newsletter with
the following acknowledgment and contact information clearly visible:
"Thank you to Obentec, Inc. for permission to use this copyrighted
material. For more information, contact Obentec, Inc. by email at info@obentec.com or by phone
at 831-457-0301, or visit their Web site at http://www.obentec.com. Reprint permission granted
with this full notice included."
|
