|
If you are unable to view
HTML, please copy and paste the following link into your Internet browser:
http://www.laptoplunches.com/newsletters/AugustNewsletter_2006.html
.

August 2006 |
|
In this issue,
you'll find:
- Obentec
Announcements
- Favorite
Photos
- Monthly
Menu
- Picnic Menus
- Green Opportunities
- Laptop Lunches
in the News
- The Ultimate
Secret Weapon For Dieters
- Featured
Web site: http://www.terracycle.net
- What works...Success
Stories
|

www.laptoplunches.com
|
|
Four
Inner Container Sets Now Available!
If you've been sitting on that proverbial fence, trying to decide
whether or not to invest in an extra inner container set for your
Laptop Lunch Bento Set, you may want to check out our sizzling new
colors. Hot-off-the-press pink inner container sets are now available
online at www.laptoplunches.com
and through select retailers.
|
 |
Laptop Lunches: Now available in the UK!
Laptop
Lunches are on their way to the UK and are expected to be in stock
in about 3 weeks. To place an online order for late-August delivery,
please visit www.laptoplunches.co.uk.
Orders are also being accepted by fax (01252 714398) and telephone
(01252 733536).
If you live in Europe, you now have the option of ordering directly
from the UK for faster, less expensive shipping. |
Whether
you're ordering from the UK, within the USA, or from somewhere else, we
recommend that you place your order early this back-to-school season.
(We want to make sure that you receive your Laptop Lunches before your
children go back to school!)
News From Australia...
| Lunch
Matters is an Australian e-business that will commence trading in
the first week of September at www.lunchmatters.com.au. Laptop Lunches
will be available through their Web site along with a great range
of related products sourced from international sellers. The products
have been selected to assist parents wanting to maximize the nutritional
value and minimize the environmental impact and costs associated with
packed lunches. |
 |
The
Web site will also provide daily recipes and suggestions for filling lunchboxes,
along with weekly shopping lists to make life easier. The focus will be
on fresh seasonal produce and great ideas that will make lunches interesting,
healthy, and free of processed foods. Lunch Matters is currently taking
expressions of interest from Australian and New Zealand parents at lunchmatters@tpg.com.au.
An email to us will ensure that you receive all Lunch Matters' updates
and will be informed as soon as Laptop Lunches are available for purchase.
Got a favorite
photo to share?
Email
it to us at newsletter@obentec.com,
and we'll publish it here!
- Grilled
Cheese and Peanut Butter Sandwiches
- Celery and
Carrot Sticks
- Ranch Dressing
- Roasted
Nuts
- Dried Apricots
- Cream Cheese
and Dried Fruit Roll-ups
|
 |
Monthly Menu
Picnic Menus
#1:
Papaya Plus
Summertime
offers so many opportunities for picnics any time of the day. Packing
a Laptop Lunch eliminates the need for single-use plates, napkins, and
utensils. They stack well in a cooler for "park and eat" picnics,
or use your carrying cases so each member of the group can carry his or
her own meal.
#2:
Stuffed Avocado
- Fresh Watermelon,
cubed
- Banana Bread
with Walnuts
- Avocado
Stuffed with Wild Alaskan Grilled Salmon (Use barbecue leftovers.)
- Fresh Sugar
Snap Peas
|
|
Green Opportunities
Some
earth-friendly tidbits that have landed in our office in recent weeks...
- GARDENING
WITH CHILDREN–One of the best things you may ever cultivate in
your yard is a gardener. National Wildlife Federation provides 16 tips
for developing your child’s green thumb and fostering an appreciation
of nature. Take a look at www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?issueID=107&articleID=1354.
- 3
SIMPLE THINGS WE ALL CAN DO TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING*
| |
Educate
ourselves. Visit
these sites which help distill the complex science into language we
can all easily understand and share with family and friends.
www.stopglobalwarming.org
www.pewclimate.org
www.climatecrisis.net
Make better choices. There are many
individual choices we make, from how we heat our homes to what we
eat, that can reduce our contribution to CO2 in the atmosphere.
The single most effective way to reduce CO2 is to change our transportation
choices. Let's do what we can to buy more fuel-efficient cars, take
mass transportation when possible, and choose to walk or ride our
bikes more frequently.
Demand
more from your elected officials. This
year in California there are several bills that will reduce greenhouse
gases. Urge your legislators to support these bills, not just to
slow down global warming, but also to send an important signal to
the rest of the world that decisive action is needed now.
|

Find links to these and other sites on CLCV's Web site at www.ecovote.org.
See the inspiring film An Inconvenient Truth to learn
more about global warming and Vice President Al Gore's lifelong
commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change.
|
*Reprinted
from the California League of Conservation Voters Magazine--www.ecovote.org. |
-
THE PHYSICIANS COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIBLE MEDICINE
(PCRM) is seeking nominations for its third annual Golden Carrot Awards
for outstanding school food service professionals. The grand prize winner
will receive $1,500 and the winner's school district will receive $3,500.
Up to four additional awards will be given, with $500 going to the food
service professional and $500 to benefit the school food service program.
Food service professionals in both public and private schools are eligible
to apply. Awards will be given to schools that promote nutrition education
and offer a lunch program that features vegetarian, low-fat meals, fresh
fruits and vegetables, and nondairy beverages.
Parents, teachers, principals, fellow food service workers, and community
members are encouraged to nominate professionals who make a difference
in their schools. The deadline for nominations is September 18. More
information can be found at www.HealthySchoolLunches.org.
- HEARD
OF ZELFO?–
It's a wood-like material made of hemp, and it's 100% biodegradable.
It's made of pure plant fibers with no resins or glues. It's extremely
strong and looks great. To see some Zelfo products, including a bowl
by Georgio Armani and a stylish chair, visit www.zelfoaustralia.com.
Laptop
Lunches in the News
Every
Day with Rachael Ray (August/September 2006)
"Let
the other kids pack sandwiches and chips. You, my friend, will be
the envy of the school cafeteria with this bento-box lunch.
Seven-year-old
Gaby, from Woodstock, New York, tested Rachaels bento box
recipes. Heres what she had to say:
'Every
time I see wasabi I think of the first time I tried it at a Japanese
restaurant. I ate the whole ball on the side of my plate! It was
really spicy. But it wasnt too strong hereI think it
made the pinwheels taste good!'"
|
|
The
Ultimate Secret Weapon for Dieters
|
By
Joanna C.
The
Laptop Lunch System isn't just for kids! Spend an afternoon
browsing the glorious pictures on the laptop lunches Web site;
then take a good, hard look at your office cafeteria or mall
food court. Ask yourself if it's fair for the kids to have
all the fun while you spend half your hourly wage on over-priced,
grease-infused, chicken-flavored polystyrene!
|
 |
I
am an adult Laptop Lunch user, and I have found that my box is not
just a glorified ziploc bag, it's a secret diet weapon too. Before
I got it, I ate a ton of convenience food. I knew it was bad for
me, but it tasted so good. And when the only handy alternative was
a peanut butter sandwich in a smushed-up ziploc bag, I found it
hard to resist the call of the food court. Having a lunch that is
accessible, attractive, and full of interesting things has been
my best defense against temptation.
Lunch
is not the only meal that has changed for me either. I used to eat
convenience food for dinner too, but all those single-serve microwave
meals left me foraging later. Now I cook foods which yield leftovers.
A third of my dinner fits nicely in the portion-controlled lunchbox
containers, and when supplemented by fruit and snacks, make for
a well-rounded day of eating. A third of my dinner is a small enough
quantity that I don't miss it. I can make up the lost plate real
estate with side dishes such as salad or vegetables, which add bulk
but do not add many calories. These used to be blue moon foods,
but now I eat them twice a day---at dinner, and as a snack in tomorrow's
lunchbox.
The
laptop lunchbox has made me a more well-rounded cook because those
little containers inspire me to think creatively. I consider it
sacrilege to pack the same food in more than one container, so it
has become a game to find four separate foods to pack each day.
I got out of my cucumber and carrot sticks rut with asparagus, squash,
cauliflower, edamame, yellow peppers, cole slaw mix, baby corn and
snow peas. The protective hard containers opened me up to fruit
choices beyond the sturdy apple, and I have enjoyed pineapple, orange
slices, strawberries, canned pears, grapes, cherries, plums and
watermelon.
I
am skipping the junk, eating less packaged food, having smaller
portions, eating more nutritionally balanced meals and enjoying
both my lunches and dinners a lot more than I used to. No wonder
I am losing weight!
|
What
Works...Success Stories
"We
received our Laptop Lunches last week. Wow. Love them! My son was
so excited, and the next day he had it in hand ready for school. His
teachers told me he was showing it around school. He loves taking
his lunch to school. His 2.5 year old brother is always asking 'mine,
mine?'"
--Rogelio Fernandez,
Miami, FL
|
 |
"I
really love the lunchboxes, and now I'm an even bigger fan because of
your excellent customer service. My daughter is in 7th grade, and she
is apparently the unofficial 'Nutrition Referent' at her table - she says
she's had to fuss at her friends who spend their lunch money on five packs
of HoHos or three ice creams and a coffee. Makes me feel even better that
I'm packing her an interesting lunch in a colorful container."
--Eugenia Davis, Kent,
OH
"I have 2 Laptop Lunch kits and we love them!!!! I originally heard
about you all on KCBS radio (San Francisco) on the “Eco-Talk” segment.
I am active in our school’s “Go Green” initiative program (recycling,
reducing, school garden, etc.) and I have passed your info on to several
other people. Keep it up!!"
--Ruth Gray, Pleasanton, CA
Do
you have a success story or photo to share? Email it to us at newsletter@obentec.com.
Featured
Web Site: www.TerraCycle.net
|

TerraCycle
(www.terracycle.net) produces
a potent, organic, eco-friendly plant food that is the first mass-produced
product in the world to be packaged in used plastic soda bottles.
In fact, the entire product is made out of garbage - from the contents
to the packaging.
In
only three weeks, organic garbage destined for landfills is converted
to plant food through a revolutionary process developed by the company's
founders.
Proven
at Rutgers University to outperform the chemical alternatives, TerraCycle
Plant Food is more than simply environmentally friendly - TerraCycle's
products are environmentally beneficial, from production to application.
TerraCycle
collects used soda bottles through environmental fundraisers at
hundreds of elementary schools across the US, and through partnerships
with numerous recycling centers.
TerraCycle
Plant Food can be sprayed or misted directly onto houseplants, lawns,
and gardens. It is also applied in mass agricultural settings, distributed
through the existing irrigation facilities of farms, vineyards,
golf courses and parks.
|
|
TerraCycle
Plant Food is the first mass-produced consumer product to
have a negative environmental footprint.
Visit their
Web site to:
- Learn
more about their plant food
- Help
collect bottles.
- Find
a store near you.
-
Subscribe to their newsletter.
- Enter
a bottle cap contest.
|
|
September Highlights
Creative
Sandwiches, Green Opportunities, and Tips for Personalizing your Laptop
Lunches
©
August 2006 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."
|