Lunchbox Revolution Resolutions

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

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98superfriendslunchbox Here Here are just a few of the steps I've taken to keep good on my new year's resolution: to eat healtier as a family.

1. I started having a box of fresh, organic fruits and veggies, milk and eggs delivered to our house every week, from Timber Creek Farm Organics. On Thursday mornings, I wake up, step out onto our back porch where a big cardboard box awaits me, and the grocery shopping is pretty much done for the week. On the TCF Farm website, you can choose the type of box that best suits your family: for us it's the "Box Just for Me" - I get a little bit of everything - a couple peppers, a head of lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, a bunch of grapes, a grapefruit, a mango, etc. The selection varies from week to week, which happily forces me to increase my range of fruit and veggie colors. And the cost: $24.94 - which includes delivery. For that price, you could not even get a large box of waxy, bruised, pesticide-sprayed fruits and veggies from Jewel. I do run to Dominick's or Whole Paycheck every once in awhile to pick up staples, but I cannot even tell you how much easier life is since I started this service. Pretty soon, I'll also be making fresh babyfood for the baby with these beautiful organic fruits and veggies.

2. I bought Daniel and I high tech lunch boxes. During the summer, I read the book Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat, and I liked the idea of the bento box (EVERY good Japanese mom sends their kids off to school with a healthy lunch - one of the many reasons that Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat). Laptop Lunches are perfect little bento-style lunchboxes for school-aged children. A carrying case contains a plastic box with a set of five colorful, divided containers which seal when you close the box, thus no need to waste money on ziploc bags. Daniel is officially the slowest eater in the world, and I so I can fill each separate container with five small portions of something healthy - so that he has time to eat a little bit of everything instead of just half of a PBJ or a bag of crackers. I have also made a point of cutting up fresh fruit or veggies, and there is even a small container to put dips in - ranch for carrots or some cinnamon sugar for apple slices.
For myself, I bought the Zojirushi Mr. Bento Stainless-Steel lined Lunch Jar, a portable "jar" with four sealed bowls that you can stack up inside. One bowl is specifically created for rice. So each morning I dump my rice in my rice cooker as I shower (it's usually done by the time I get out) then heat up last nights left-overs or boil some edamame beans for another bowl. In the two other bowls, I add chopped veggies and fruit. It even comes with a fancy set of chopsticks. By the time I eat my lunch at 1 p.m. it's still warm - so I no longer have to reheat anything in the crusty faculty lounge microwave.

I hesitated posting earlier about my wonderful lunchbox, as I feared that before long it would be collecting dust in my kitchen cabinet - but I am proud to say that I've used it every school day. I've saved money and...I've lost weight without so much as uttering the word diet, which I contribute to this healthier eating plan. If I can avoid getting fat AND old, I will consider myself one lucky lady!