Raw Food Lunch Tips Part 2

In the First part of Raw Food Lunch Tips, we gave a variety of menu ideas for what to eat for lunch.

Now comes the hard part if you are not prepared.

How are you going to bring
your lunch with you?

Here are some products that might be the perfect lunch solution for you:

Lunchboxes and Lunchbags:



Laptop Lunch Box: So many people have emailed me professing their love of the Laptop Lunch Box. I like the Laptop Lunch Box for many reasons:

• It is larger than a typical lunch box.
• It is made out of some of the healthiest plastic available
• It has multiple compartments to hold a variety of food
• Many people love the Laptop Lunch Box so you'll be hangin' out with the cool kids in the cafeteria.
  
  Laptop Lunchbox is great, but are a few things I wish they would do better:
  

• Not all compartments have separate lids, so you need to make sure the items in those containers are dry and not messy. No pudding in these compartments!
  
• The color selection is limited. Black and red, blue with some muted colors, purple with vibrant colors, or pink. If that works for you, great. I think sometimes the Laptop Lunchbox seems drab compared to the bright colors of raw food recipes, but that's just me.
  

One of my favorite things about the Laptop Lunch Box is that they are supposed to be available at every Whole Foods store through the Back to School season. For those who are not into online shopping, now is a great time to pick one up at your local Whole Foods.

Here are some other great lunch containers to choose from:


Lunchopolis: Lunchopolis is a brand of environmentally friendly lunch containers that I have seen around town, including some of the local co-ops. It is an insulated lunch container with polycarbonate containers and a reusable drink box. They are really marketing the "lead free" aspect. One of the things I liked about their website is that they are very clear about the manufacturing process, and their FAQ does answer some of the questions I had about the product. For more information you can check out the Lunchopolis FAQ here.


Land's End: Land's End has lots of choices for different lunch containers. You can see many of them here.



Lunchsense: Lunchsense is the lunchbox container option that I would use if I needed to bring my lunch anywhere. It is a set of Lock and Lock Containers with a fabric lunchbox "container" that can be opened up to be a placemat! It's a really neat invention, and I love the compact deisgn - very space saving. Also, they offer three different sizes, so there are great options for every member of your family!

Lunchsense is Heidi's top Lunchbox pick!

What are Lock and Lock containers? These are the only containers I recommend for lunches because it is nearly impossible for these containers to leak. Yes, most of the Lock and Lock containers you find in the stores are plastic, but the company does sell ones with plastic lids and glass bottoms. You might be able to find the glass bottomed Lock and Lock containers at your local Bed, Bath and Beyond store.

Beverage Holders:


Sigg Water Bottle: Sigg bottles are quite unique in their design, as they are enameled on the inside with a patented process from Switzerland that keeps bacteria and odors away. They are lightweight and easy to hold, and come in a variety of sizes. They are also very easy to find at most outdoor/camping stores and can be found at Whole Foods.

Check out all the different varieties of Sigg bottles on Amazon.com here.

I love my thermos!

Nissan Stainless: For warmed soups in the winter, the Nissan Stainless vaccum sealed thermos keeps things warm for hours. This thermos is a great investment for fall and winter. The stainless steel containers are virtually unbreakable. I have been using my Nissan Stainless thermos since 1995 and it works just like the first day I used it. The thermos is also a great way to bring your own herbal tea from home made from water you can trust. (is anyone else out there freaked out by the water available at workplaces?) Bring tea from home, or soup from home and you'll be all set.

Quick Tip: I'm not saying I put boiling hot water into my thermos. What I am saying is that when I use my thermos, I am using nice very warm water, and my finger is my thermometer. When it's too hot for my finger, I know it's about 110 - 118 degrees. That's my temperature test for teas, soups or anything else warm. My Nissan thermos keeps things warm for literally hours, sometimes up to 8 hours, due to the special vacuum seal technology. Cool... I mean, that's hot!

• Nissan Thermos - my personal preference. This is what I have at home.
  
• Thermos Food Jar - small and compact, perfect for soup
  

Nalgene Bottle: Nalgene bottles are great for kids who are tough on their stuff, or even grownups who tend to drop glass. The only thing I don't like Nalgene bottles is that they tend to get "funky" after months unless you are really fanatical about keeping them clean. But on the upside, the price investment on Nalgene bottles is relatively cheap at about 6-12 dollars a bottle that you are going to reuse for months. Also, Nalgene has recently announced that their new plastic is BPA free. Nalgene has recently offered some awsome smaller sizes that are great for kids.

You can check out all the different Nalgene bottles at Amazon.com here.


Mason Jars with Plastic Lids: You probably know already that those of us here at RFRN love our mason jars with plastic lids. Mason jars are really inexpensive - about the price of one Nalgene bottles gets you about a dozen mason jars. Add some plastic lids and you've got a great beverage solution for pennies a day. Glass is about as healthy as a container that you can find anywhere in the world. The Downside of Mason Jars? Glass is breakable, and is heavier than plastic.

• Quart Mason Jars at Amazon.com
• Quart Mason Jar Plastic Lids at Amazon.com
  

Some people like the standard jars, other people like the wide mouth jars. It's up to you to decide which ones you like best. Isn't it great that we have options?

• Wide Mouth Mason Jars at Amazon.com
• Wide Mouth Jar Plastic Lids at Amazon.com
  

Final Tip:

Get Creative.

If you see a bag that looks large enough for your raw food lunch stash, try it out. Tote bags can become lunch bags. Backpacks can be lunch bags. Anything can be a lunchbag if it is machine washable or able to be wiped down with a sponge. If you want you can put granola in a tiny mason jar, and then pour almond milk in the jar when you get to work.

Here's an example of what we mean:


Target Lunch Totes Found in the Women's Accessories Department: Target has some great mini totes that could easily be lunch totes. This one has a cute brown and magenta butterfly pattern. This particular style of tote bag came in many different colors at all the Target stores I have checked, so there is something for everyone. I really liked the size of this tote bag when I was at Target, and though that it would make a great little lunch bag. Because of its ample size it would be great to hold a variety of different lunch items throughout the week!

Other color choices of this tote bag:

• Multicolored hearts - very cute!
• Black and White - I call this design, "groovy minimalist"!
  

Got a lunch tip? Email me and if I get enough tips, I'll post an update to help everyone.

~ Heidi
Raw Food Right Now!

Related Links:

Raw Lunch Tips Part One
How Raw Food Saved Me From Being A Packrat Forever


Raw Food Right Now: The Raw Food Blog that Brings Raw Food to Your World
http://www.rawfoodrightnow.com