I often check out the blog Charade. It give tips on how to live on a student budget which I think is great, even though I’m not even a student anymore! Well she’s having a great week of giveaways so you should go check it out.
Click the link above to go.
As the new school year is about to start, many parents are wondering, “What will my child be eating?”. There has been a lot of controversy lately over school lunches and their nutritional content. When I was in school, lunches weren’t so great – french fries, dehydrated mashed potatoes, and cold vegetables with no flavor were the norm.
But if you’re willing to put in a little effort, you and your kids can make healthy and delicious meals at home. Bento boxes, much like American style lunch boxes, come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and have many different cool characters on them. Some even have smaller containers that fit inside for different types of foods. Once your child has selected their favorite bento box, it’s time to go to town!
I recommend checking out some bento blogs online (like this one) to get an some ideas on how to arrange bentos and what foods stay fresh throughout the day. Kids have the disadvantage that they normally don’t have refrigerators or microwaves to keep and prepare their food, but there are alternatives. Using ice packs or thermos’ are a good option.
You and your child can make it an evening routine to make their bento for the next day. This is a great way to teach kids about different foods and they’ll be excited about showing off to their friends. So help your kids ditch bland, unhealthy school food and embrace the art of bento boxes!
Below are some links to my favorite sites that have bento boxes and meals.
bento boxes and accessories:
JBox (warning some areas of the site are NSFW)
Laptop Lunches
Or search ebay
You can also find bentos at your local Japanese or Asian Markets.
bento blogs:
The other day I stumbled across an article on BBC that shows thatr tea is healthier than water. Apparently the rumors that tea is dehydrating aren’t true and the antioxidants in tea are what make it better for you. I have always loved drinking tea but worried about drinking too much because I had heard it was dehydrating. Now I am pleased that I can drink as much tea as I want and be healthier for it!
My favorite type of tea is Jasmine Tea, either cold or hot. I also have my favorite cup for tea. It’s vintage and I think it’s so cute!
Do you have your favorite cup to drink tea/coffee out of?
In Portland, Oregon there is a new strip club in town which is a little different from the others…. it’s all vegan. They serve the traditional club food with a vegan twist, the strippers even wear pleather.
This concept has gotten many people (i.e. women) in the area upset. As a vegan woman, I am not upset by this at all. There will be strip clubs no matter what, so why fight one that at least is trying to help people become familiar with vegan food and ideas? Although I consider myself a feminist, I do not think that strip clubs are a problem when they are safe for the women that work there. The women choose to go there and work, they are not forced, and they can quit if they don’t feel comfortable. I think it is wrong of other women to try to regulate what other women are doing. Everyone has the right to choose what they want in life, and if that includes working at a strip club, I say go for it.
If there was a vegan strip club where I live, I would visit. I am always open to new vegan eateries, and although I’ve never been to a strip club, I think it would be an interesting experience.
I just finished reading an article that shows 20 things you can do to help cut down on the amount of food that you throw away. I am always trying to think ahead when I shop and try to find things that I’ll be able to use before they get bad. And because my local store is within walking distance, I buy the perishable foods I need daily, which are a couple of the tips outlined.
Another tip that I thought was especially useful are to buy nonperishables in bulk. My Mom does this and puts them in large pickle jars. This way they are sealed and it’s very easy to see what you have.
I’m going to focus on two tips right now and see how that goes. One is to buy frozen food items. I buy some frozen foods, but I normally buy canned foods which can be more expensive at times. The other tip is to grow your own herbs and vegetables. Right now I’m in between two houses, but once I get back to my apartment full time I’m going to get some basil and cherry tomato plants for my place.
It seems PETA has finally wore down KFC – at least in Canada. They have now agreed to serve “unchicken” in their restaurants. Unchicken is a type of mock meat and is popular for vegetarians and vegans alike. KFC has also agreed to use gassing as their form of slaughter, which PETA feels is the most humane form of slaughter developed. But still it is only in effect in Canada. When will the US KFC agree to these new practices? Only time will tell.
I just read an interesting article that somewhat coincides with the TED talk I posted yesterday. It explains how there’s a molecule in animals that, when ingested, can cause problems such as arthritis, cancer, and heart disease, among others.
Here’s a very interesting TED video with Mark Bittman about food in America. It shows some of the reasons I’m vegan (and it not about animal rights).
