Welcome to Week 9 at Lunch Matters

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NEWS

A quick turn around time between blogs this week as last week's went out a little late. It's been a great week at Lunch Matters with the interest in what we are doing, gaining momentum. We have had interest from a whole range of groups, some that we had hoped for and others that that we would never have anticipated. We are expecting some media coverage in a range of publications over the next couple of months, so keep your eyes peeled for Lunch Matters in the press.

What I have marvelled at throughout this process has been the generosity and openess of all those that we have dealt with. From the outset Amy and Tammy from Obentec were extremely helpful and supportive. The Latop Lunch Times for November is out today and if you haven't signed up for that it is well worth your while. They share great ideas for the LTLB and are committed to following through on the environmental issues so there is always plenty of food for thought in their free newsletter.

In recent weeks Jennifer McCann has also been amazing. It would come as no surprise to those of you have read her blog that she is one of the world's nice people. Her efforts over the last week have meant that the Vegan Lunch Box cookbooks are on a plane as I write and we are expecting them in about 8 days. The whole experience has left me with a strong sense of being a global citizen, people all on the same page trying to get things up and running. It is such a lovely change to be able to make things happen without getting bogged down in the burocracy that hinders progress in some of the big organizations.

Web2 is upon us and the way in which it is able to be used to bring people together is amazing. There is such creativity out there and we can bring it all into our homes just by logging on. I am still chuffed that somewhere, way over on the other side of the world, people take the time to comment on the photos that I post to the Laptop Lunches flickr site. For thoses of you who haven't found Flickr it's well worth a look. Remember too, that when you're looking at the Lunch Matters photos, if there's something in a photo that I've posted that you'd like to know more about just post a comment and I'll get right back to you.

On that note let's have a look at this week's suggestions.

With the warmer months coming I though that it may be useful to think about the logistics of how you pack your lunchbox.

Below are a few hints for packing foods that need to be kept cool:

• Put your lunchbox in an insulated case and remember to put an icepack in.
• Where possible pack some or all of the lunch the night before and place the whole lunchbox in the fridge for the night so that it is lovely and cold when it goes into the case.
• Keep a couple of healthy frozen foods, like blueberries (have you seen enough of them already??? - The Farmer's Markets in Melbourne have a fantastic blueberry man who sells big containers of blueberries that are delicious) or edamame in the freezer so that on particularly warm days they can go in first thing in the morning. They will be thawed by lunchtime and they will also serve to keep the lunchbox cool.
• If you are packing your child's lunch, try and find out where their lunchbox is stored in the morning. If it is in locker in a bright, sunny corridor it may be that even with the best insulation, their lunch is going to warm up. If this is the case then be particularly careful to avoid packing any of the 'risky' items, like dairy, smallgoods, fish, chicken whenever it's warm.
• Some foods are just not worth the risk - I've found children's lunchbox recipe ideas for raw fish sushi and there is no way that can be a good idea for kids or adults unless they have a fridge at work.

RECIPES

Wholemeal Pita Crisps

This is a super easy and delicious lunchbox filler that is an excellent way to increase the wholemeal quota for the week. For those children who may be surrounded by kids with chips they have all the qualities of a chip, ie. they are crunchy, look pretty much like a chip and they taste great but they don't have all the rubbish of their prepackaged counterparts.

The other good thing about them is that they are a great way to use up the remainder of the pita if you have used some left over from making wraps.

INGREDIENTS

Wholemeal pita
Olive oil
Parmesan or cheddar cheese or both

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180C (If you are cooking something else just bang them in the oven underneath - to save heating an oven especially)

Brush the top (and bottom if you like but not necessary) lightly with olive oil.

Cut the pita into the desired shape - you can use metal cookie cutters if you really want to make fancy shapes but otherwise just cut wedges, etc. with scissors, you could just tear it if you're in a real rush.

Sprinkle tops with cheddar or parmesan or a combo and bake in the oven until crisp (about 5 minutes - depending on what sort of pita you are using)

Serve with homemade dips or just as they are. I find that they never last long enough for me to test the theory that they will store well in an airtight container for a week!

Broccolini, asparagus and smoked tofu salad with toasted sesame seed/seaweed sprinkles

INGREDIENTS

Broccolini - read this to find out all about this superfood
Asparagus
Organic Smoked Tofu (Japanese)
Toasted sesame seed and seaweed sprinkles

METHOD

Cut the broccolini and asparagus into pieces and blanche then plunge into iced water (this keeps them looking beautiful and green and makes them retain their natural crunch).

Slice smoked tofu into thin slices.

Heat a splash of sesame oil and soy in a wok and toss the vegetables and tofu in the hot wok for a couple of minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Place in your lunchbox and sprinkle with sesame/seaweed mix.

This salad remains crunchy and delicious when made the night before so it's a great dish to serve hot for dinner and then use the left overs for lunch the next day.

LINKS TO OTHER SITES OF INTEREST:
If you haven't had a look at this site it is worth spending a couple of minutes looking through what Dr. Fuhrman has to say. I have linked here to a post on Heathly lunchbox packing but there is much more there that's worth looking at too.

Diseaseproof.com

If you're into podcasts, I found this podcast of his particularly interesting: http://www.diseaseproof.com/mp3/Healthy_Food_for_Your_Family.mp3

WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST: Remember for optimum health the aim is to have 3 fruit and 5 veg a day...

Fruit:
apples
mango
strawberries
banana
watermelon
lemons

Vegetables:

cabbage
green pepper
yellow pepper
red pepper
cucumber
avocado
broccolini
asparagus

In the pantry:

wholemeal pita
Smoked organic tofu
sushi rice (to make use your Laptop Lunchbox User Guide)
frezze dried apples
cranberries
bagels
oven baked sesame pretzels
macaroni
rice paper
Organic Australian peanut butter from the Farmer's Market
soy
rice vinegar
honey

In the fridge:
Frozen blueberries from the Farmer's Market
Frozen Edamame (soy beans)
Organic chicken drumettes
yoghurt
Babybel cheese
parmesan
cheddar
gruyere
mozzarella
feta

NEXT WEEK: Slices, muffins or biscuits - something wholesome but a little sweet :o)