24 Aug Green your Little One’s School Lunches with Bento-ware
Active children need the right kind of food – healthy, clean fuel to power growing bodies and minds. Wholesome lunches and snacks help to keep them focused in class and fighting-fit for after-school sports. But nobody likes opening up a lunchbox to be greeted by soggy sandwiches, crushed crisps and mushy fruit! And of course, busy moms often find themselves using single-use plastic baggies and foil to wrap up leftovers, which can lead to a lot of waste and expense. Luckily, our green team has just sourced a fantastic solution designed to make your little ones school lunches tastier, healthier and even greener.
Laptop Lunches Bento-ware boxes are designed to fit all sorts of healthy goodies, and they’re made with eco-friendly plastics that won’t leach any nasty chemicals.
Here’s a look at how these groovy lunchbox sets make school lunches better:
- Durable & sturdy: Won’t squash sandwiches or fruit & veggies
- Food safe & eco-friendly: No lead, no BPA, no phthalates & no PVC
- Leak-proof: Containers have perfectly fitted lids to prevent leaking & mixing
- Hygienic: Easy to clean & dishwasher-safe
- Cute: Available in a range of colour combinations boys & girls will love
- Neat: The boxes fit perfectly inside each other, for easy stacking & storage
- Cost-effective: No more need for foil, cling-wrap or single-use bags!
The Low-Down on Common “Nasties” Found in Ordinary Plastics:
- BPA (Bisphenol A): A common industrial chemical used in plastic containers and drinking bottles. BPA mimics oestrogen hormones, which can cause problems in young children’s reproductive development.
- Phthalates: These endocrine-disrupting chemicals can mess with your hormonal balance, and even cause hormonal disruptions like early puberty in children.
- Dioxin: Used to manufacture polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics. Dioxin is an endocrine disruptor and has also been classified as a carcinogen by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).
- Vinyl Chloride: Also used in the production of PVC plastics; this chemical has been deemed carcinogenic.
- Styrene: This is a type of plastic found in disposable bowls and cups, plastic cutlery and yes, you guessed it, disposable polystyrene containers. Styrene has been classified as a possible human carcinogen.
Over time, as the integrity of the plastic breaks down, these chemicals start leaching out of the containers and into their contents. Can you say yuck?! Nobody wants these bad guys leaching into good wholesome food! Especially not when it’s the food our little ones are eating. Choosing eco-plastics over chemical-laden containers and disposables is the healthier and safer choice, as well as being the greener option.
Laptop Lunches Bento-ware
Here’s a recipe for a yummy homemade snack you can pop into your kids’ Bento-ware boxes.
Lunchbox Recipe for Healthy Rice-Crispy Treats
These marshmallow-free treats are so delicious!
Ingredients:
- 4 cups puffed rice cereal
- ½ cup brown rice syrup
- 3Tbsp butter or margarine
- 1tsp vanilla powder
- 2Tbsp carob chips
- ¼tsp coconut oil
Method:
- Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown rice syrup & stir until combined. Bring to a rolling boil.
- Immediately remove from heat, add the vanilla & stir.
- Quickly add the puffed rice & stir together until it’s completely coated.
- Press the mixture into a coated baking pan. Cool in the fridge for at least an hour.
- For the chocolate drizzle: Melt together carob chips & coconut oil on the stove.
- Using a fork, drizzle the chocolate over the cooled cereal. Return to the fridge till the chocolate is set. Cut the cereal into bars & refrigerate.
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