Back in my previous life when I worked in a big American law firm in London I used to buy my lunch and snacks every day. This used to involve too much coffee, too many processed foods, way too much packaging and a lot of money. When I look back on it I’m quite shocked at how much I used to spend. To buy a sandwich, a small snack (like a granola bar), a fruit salad and a juice in central London cost about £5 a day. And then there would be a couple of Starbucks coffees and a croissant. We’re talking nearly £10 a day, that’s £50 a week, on lunch! Not particulary nice lunch either. Lunch that wasn’t very good for me, full of secret fattening ingredients and preservatives. Not to mention all that plastic packaging that I threw away every day.
Dear Earth and Bank Account. I am truly sorry. Love, Me.
Anyway those days are behind me. Now I have a nifty little Bento Box.
I got this lunchbox from Laptop Lunches. I think this is the child’s size (I don’t eat very big portions) but you can get bigger ones. The website is great and has a nice little blog with loads of lunch ideas.
I’m a particular fan of the bento box because it means you can take a variety of food to work with you without it all spilling out or mingling with adjacent foods (I should point out at this stage that one of the bigger sections has a lid for food with sauces), and it comes with a little cutlery set. The containers are microwavable should you want to take something to heat up. It means you can take something a little bit more interesting than sandwiches. However, if you do want to take sandwiches you can take some of the little boxes out to make space! And there’s no waste! And it’s dishwasher proof! And it fits in my bike basket! Plus it comes with a recipe book – genius eh?!
Have I mentioned I’m a huge fan? I’m not even getting paid to write this either! 
I tend to take the previous evening’s meal with me to work. I always make a little bit extra for lunch. Pasta dishes, curries, stir frys, salads all work. This particular taste combo that you see in the picture is cous cous and a sort of vegetable tangine (recipe below) with a handful of pretzels and half a mango on the side. That along with a couple of pieces of fruit is perfect for me (there is space for a pieces of chocolate or two down the side as well – not that I would ever sneak chocolate in my lunch )
Quick Vegetable Tangine (serves 3)
Chop up one onion, a few mushrooms and one red pepper and gently fry in a drop of olive oil over a medium heat for a couple of minutes.
Add one tin of chopped tomatoes and one tin of drained chickpeas.
Add a teaspoonful of Bart Ras El Hanout Spice Blend (or any other spices you like)
Allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the sauce has started to reduce
Serve with cous cous and maybe a green salad.
What are your lunchtime favourites? Do you take lunch to work?
ouuuu, this is really cool! I’m a little sad that it’s plastic, but then glass is SO heavy and stainless steel is not microwave safe. Also- I tend to bring my own lunches, but Andrew never does. and he reports that he eats… KFC (EWWW!) every day and feels gross.
I think something like this might help him- he doesn’t like his food to touch, and he doesn’t often have something to put his food in to bring with him. Sadly though, he also doesn’t like the smell of food in plastic containers (did I ever tell you how weirdly sensory Andrew was??? lol).
very cool- I am going on over to their site to check them out!
(ps- just watched MasterChef New Zealand, and was surprised. Not quite like Top Chef- as they have amateur chefs. Kinda like a mesh between Top Chef and American Idol…. and we LOVE their accents!!!)
Love, love LOVE it! What an adorable lunch. Yes, it’s a little sad that it’s plastic but I’m not going to be picky. I work in Big Bad Corporate America and struggle with lunches every day!
A very belated thank you for stopping by my blog. I too am a huge fan of packing lunch, and have been wondering about this laptop lunch. Good tip on the child size – when I first looked into laptop lunches, they seemed to only have one kit/size, so good to know they have expanded.
Taking lunch to work is not at all hard for me. I am a lawyer, work for a company, and bring lunch every day. I use glass containers (they do have plastic lids) that are not made in China. I carry them in an insulated, padded bag and have never had a problem. As for what to bring, we cook on the weekends and always have plenty of leftovers. I have gotten so used to this, that on those rare occasions when we haven’g cooked or I’ve forgotten lunch, I have a serious quandary over buying food in disposable contiainers and will usually go to a place where I can get a simple sandwich wrapped in paper.
It is sad it’s plastic but better one plastic box than many many plastic packets.
Thanks everyone for great comments as always.
Lisa – I luuurve the Kiwi accent too! And yes Masterchef is amateurs, that makes it even better.
we have a bento box and other portable lunch systems and they’re great…more for the 3 yr old than anyone b/c it makes all the food neat and cute…which makes it more appealing to little mouths
My bro-in-law has one of these for work, and he and my sis like it a lot. I have a metal tiffin that I love, but it limits you to cold/lukewarm food.
I covet these lap top lunch boxes. I’ve yet to get me one. However I am down to working at the office only 2 maybe 3 days a week. So when I have the extra cash maybe I will finally get around to getting one.
Keep sharing these recipes!
I think this is a great idea! Yeah sure it’s plastic but seriously, so much better than buying lunch everyday and making more waste. Plus I need to reheat my leftovers as well and the only option at work is a microwave, no stove. I like the *black* one!!
This is so cute!! I am lucky enough to be able to come home for lunch almost everyday but if I couldn’t, I would totally consider something like this. I like those little round stainless steel ones too that all stack on top of each other nice and neat.
Tajine – yum!