^[1]How I wish these contemporary bento boxes were available when my sons were growing up! I stood there in the kitchen at 6:30 a.m. every school day for 14 years, packing healthy, but for the most part boring lunches. My sons were vegetarian until ages 10 and 12, then vegan, and never wanted to buy lunch at school. They would have loved these Laptop Lunch kits ^[2], I’m sure, and I would have loved using them.

These ingenious bento box lunch kits can help your child enjoy his or her homemade lunches, and help you enjoy making them! Older kids and teens will eventually be inspired to make their own lunches in these colorful kits. And lest you  think, “oh, no, unhealthy plastic!” these containers are safe in every way, including being BPA-free.

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^[3]If you like the idea of having your school lunch info in one neat package, you might enjoy VegKitchen’s affordable, 47-page e-book (available in an instant pdf and in other electronic formats. These recipes and ideas (more than 50 in total) will make the task of making school lunch for kids who are vegetarian or vegan a bit easier and even more fun. The recipes here will also be useful for those following dairy-free diets due to allergy or intolerance. For more information, go to Healthy School Lunches: Recipes and Ideas. ^[4]

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One of the wonderful things about the company that makes Laptop Lunches is that it grew from the conversations of two new moms (that would be Amy and Tammy, back in 1995)—who shared an interest in nutrition, fitness and the environment. From the Laptop Lunches site: “It has been estimated that on average a school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year. That equates to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school.”

Here are just a few sample lunch ideas from their site, which I’ve linked with some recipes on VegKitchen. The possibilities are truly endless, and you’ll find tons of other ideas in the menu library on the Laptop Lunches site.  ^[5]

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photo by Laptop Lunches

Sliced Asian Pears and dip
Spicy Asian mix
Simple Sesame Soba Noodles ^[7]
Steamed spinach

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Photo by Laptop Lunches

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Sliced kiwi fruit
Whole grain crackers and toasted almonds
Brown rice

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Photo by Laptop Lunches

Your favorite simple cole slaw ^[10]
Sliced bananas
Vegan Macaroni and Cheese ^[11]
Diced butternut squash

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Photo by Laptop Lunches

Classic Vegetarian Chili
Lightly steamed snow peas with dip
Whole-grain crackers
Seedless orange
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These bento boxes aren’t just for kids! Adults who would like to save money, calories, and the environment can trade in their brown bags as well. Laptop Lunches also offers bento kits for taking to the office.

I can’t say enough about the entire concept behind Laptop Lunches — it’s veg-friendly, environmentally conscious, and makes lunch fun, economical, and nutritious for everyone involved. These products are made in the U.S. Visit the Laptop Lunches site ^[5]to shop online for their wide array of bento lunch box systems as well as other attractive, waste-free products like thermoses, lunch jars, and drink bottles. And how smart of them to offer a free e-book with orders, titled Go Bento: 101 Lunchbox Menus for Busy People.

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Read Amy Hemmert and Tammy Pelstring’s other helpful articles on VegKitchen:

• Do You Have a Picky Eater in Your Family? ^[14]
• Making Lunch? Make it Nutritious! Make it Waste-Free! ^[15]