Bento Box Lunches

We're loving our bento boxes! They make it so easy to think "what veggie today? What fruit today? What grain today?" ...etc. I don't like making lunches much, but this makes me love it! It really is fun for me, because I like variety, and I hate shopping...so I always have stuff on hand. Not to mention that I love the idea of not creating tons of trash by using a reusable container (and water bottle).

And it helps that I have three different types. Because all are great, but have different purposes.

One for paul that stacks and typically has a salad in the bottom and hummus and veggies on top, or nuts and fruit or cracker mix on top...something snacky. (the top compartment has a removable little container where we put the hummus. It's fine for a thick dip like that).

Ethan has a large and small one to choose from, depending on if he takes a an apple and granola bar on the side or something (then I'd fill a small bento box with the rest of stuff). If I put olives or pickles in this I just wrap them in a napkin or papertowel to absorb the excess moisture, so it doesn't seep into the other compartments. (no one likes pickle-flavored berries) =P

None of these do well with wet items, so we have a set of small leak-proff containers we use for dressings or yogurts, etc.

build-your-own ants on a log

salami pesto sandwich bites

egg salad sandwich

build-your-own pesto open-face

salt and vinegar chips

pb jam rollups and homemade marshmallows

chef salad

pb honey rollups

pickle and cheese ham rollup with pita chips and hummus

sweetpotato/root veggie chips, salami and babybel cheese

pesto, spinach leaf and tomato open-face bites and veggies straws

pecans and dates (Doritos for a special treat)

chicken and pesto bites, pirate booty, snap peas

pasta lugano (peppers, ham, sausage, mozarella), olives

pickle and cheese chicken rollup and honey mustard pretzels

Here is a breakdown of the lunches we've enjoyed this year....
I just try to have a lot of these on hand in my food pantry or freezer and pull out different things each week to keep variety

Sandwiches
- pb jam rollups (or pb honey)
- pesto, tomato open-face
- meat and cheese with cucumber and tomato
- homemade pizza lunchable (crustless bread rolled flat, premade tomato sauce I freeze in cubes and add one to a sauce container in the morning to thaw during day, and toppings--don't forget the knife to spread the sauce)
- egg salad

Sandwich alternatives
- stackers (cut up apples, pickles, cheese, ham, cucumbers, etc. and use a toothpick)
- parfait (yogurt, granola and a fruit)
- cottage cheese and a fruit (or BBQ chips)
- pickle and cheese roll-up (breadless--in a slice of canadian bacon or sandwich meat instead)
- Chicken salad (like tuna salad, with pickles and dill and sunflower seeds, on lettuce, not bread)
- Apple rounds with peanut butter and raisins

Cracker Stuff
- pita chips with hummus
- pretzels with hummus (or cheese)
- mustard pretzels
- veggies traws
- pirate booty (or "Natural" cheetos)

Veggies
- cucumbers
- carrots
- pickles
- canned olives
- edemame (organic soy beans)
- canned green beans
- frozen peas
- celery (with cheese slices or build "ants on a log" style)

Fruit
- pineapple
- mandarins
- tangarines
- blueberries (other berries)
- grapes
- apple slices
- dried fruit: raisins, apricots, figs, etc.

Meat and Such....
- canadian bacon slices (or cubed ham)
- pepperoni
- salami slices
- left over chicken and turkey pieces
- thin sandwich meat slices
- canned chicken or tuna
- hard boiled eggs

Desserts (we typically do fruit, but throwing in a fun surprise now and then keeps it fun)
- dates
- gingersnap cookies
- plums
- bark thin/fruit or nut brittle
- fruit leather

Other
- trailmix
- jerky
- nuts and a dried fruit combo (almonds and craisins)



Typical Week Menu Breakdown
Monday - Sandwich
Tuesday - Stacker
Wednesday - Parfait or cottage cheese
Thursday - Sandwich
Friday - Build-your-own Style (pizza, sandwich or ants on a log type thing)

Notes: 4 Rules for Eating Healthy

I sat through some of a food lecture by Angie Christensen. I liked her four main points of fundamental healthy eating based on God's laws. Here are the few notes I took. Nothing surprising, but refreshingly simple.

1. Eat what God created in nature

2. Eat the form God created

•  sourdough--natural yeast vs. instant yeast--synthetic (doesn't pre-digest/is fake)

3. Eat in the right quantities God designed your systems for
He certainly didn't design us to eat so many chips, bread, cookies, crackers, cake, etc.

• eat seasonally
• eat locally (home grown is best)

4. Eat "by the sweat of your brow" (effort)

• there are no fast food examples in scriptures...even the miraculous food examples (they even had to prepare the manna. The manna descended in the night in the form of coriander-seed of the color of bdellium (Num. xi. 7), so that in the morning the ground looked as if it were covered with hoar frost. The grains were ground or pounded into flour, and then the flour was prepared and baked in the form of cakes, the taste of which was like that of "wafers made with honey" or "as the taste of fresh oil" (Ex. xvi. 31; Num. xi. 8)--from 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia)
• effort is connected to Joy/meaningful (input--output)

Got Parasites?

Apparently, most people have some sort of parasites in their body. A healthy body has more good bacteria and a healthy working system to fight minor problems. But some parasites cause large problems and are worse than others. Apparently I just found out I have a parasite that is wreaking havoc inside me. (I wonder if I got it in Vietnam on my trip with school when I went swimming and remember swallowing water. Yuck.)

Some symptoms of having parasite problems
(found on mindbodygreen.com--you generally won't have all these symptoms, but some)

• You traveled internationally and remember getting traveler’s diarrhea while abroad
• You have a history of food poisoning and your digestion has not been the same since.
• You have trouble falling asleep, or you wake up multiple times during the night.
• You get skin irritations or unexplained rashes, hives, rosacea or eczema.
• You experience fatigue, exhaustion, etc.
• You rarely feel satisfied or full after your meals.
• You've been diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia.
• You have an explained constipation, diarrhea, gas, or other symptoms of IBS
• *I would add gurgly belly (specifically related to moon cycle, when parasites egg hatch...as disgusting as that sounds)

I found it interesting to know that some parasites infect your blood, nervous system, other ares, etc. If you want to understand more about the three types of parasites and where they cause problems in the body google it. I read the government site and some nutritional sites.
------

Anyway...there are things to implement in your life to help. Like staying away from foods that feed parasites, like simple carbohydates--sugars and dairy. And then adding in foods that don't create a hospitable environment for the parasites. These things listed below are things I've read on various sites that I am trying. So this information is to aid others who may have something, but not a totally solution.

Natural Things You Can Do...

• Pumpkin seeds
• raw garlic cloves
• probiotics to boost good bacteria
• Betamine HCL (digestive aid to help neutralize stomach acid)
• homeopathic, specific for the parasite you have (I have one from Butterfly Express)
• pomegranate juice, papaya, carrots and beets
• eat more fiber

*side note for any interested: I recently have had gum recession that might lead to periodontitis if not controlled. I haven't wanted to take the antibiotic, because I feel it related to a deeper issue. After lots of searching, I came across a holistic dentist's site who explained that periodontitis is frequently related to the Amoeba parasite being in your blood and affects your lungs or colon too. It eats red blood cells. Hmmm! Very interesting! And if you look at this map of teeth being related to areas in the body, you can notice the lung/large intestine labelled teeth on the bottom is exactly where my issue is. So now I'm looking into that.

Greenreads: Nourishing Traditions, Sprouted Grains, Deep Nutrition

So our Nourish section of this blog is based on our perspective of healthy eating: real food in it's most natural state (least processed etc.). No, this isn't vegan, paleo, atkins, etc. A lot of it is actually in-line with the Weston A. Price Foundation and this book. This book is great because it explains the pros and cons of foods and why, along with recipes to go along.

There are some great lists of good, better, best type food options to help you decide with sweeteners, which oils, etc. are the best options. They also include what cookware is best to use and why and what ways to cook to preserve the most nutrition. And that's the key: how to maximize nutrition to nourish your body...and not just feed it. White flour and sugar alone will not sustain you. But, everything in moderation also.

This book explains the nutritional content of whole grains, but also explains that ideally they should be soaked or sprouted. Why?  This means the seed isn't ready to bring on new life, so the nutrients are not readily accessible. There is phytic acid which keeps nutrients from producing new life. Once the seeds have been soaked in water, the phytic acid is reduced, so the seed can start to pull out those nutrients needed to grow new life (picture springtime when the rains fall and seeds are ready to grow).  We harvest foods that are living and eat them because they go bad and die, right? And you are what you eat, right? We eat the grains when their nutrients are most readily availble, because they will be nutritional powerhouses for us. And I think when we don't, over time we could develop digestion issues if we are not careful.

Here's another good book that explains the following: seeds, grains, beans, etc. are in a dormant state.

This book also advocates easting probiotic-rich foods. You may think of yogurt with active cultures, but there are so many more options if you're willing to try some other areas of interest. (I'll post on my cultured food adventures later) Other foods along this line are traditional saurkraut and kimchi. Or water or milk kefir. Whey is also pro-biotic rich (this is the liquid you can strain from yogur


You can read more about Weston A. Price and the research he's done on the Foundation's website.
Here's a great article to summarize his findings and provide a good list of foods to eat, foods to avoid, and nutrition myths explained: http://www.westonaprice.org/basics/principles-of-healthy-diets

Here is another book along the same lines, though I haven't read it all yet.

Weight-Loss Tip

It was about 2 1/2 years ago that I tried this and lost 20 pounds and have kept it off...because I actually changed my lifestyle forever. Don't give up though. Find a buddy to help do it with you and even when you feel like it's too hard, wait until your sweet day and you'll find yourself not wanting as many sweet treats at all! I had a withdrawal a couple times, but persevered and am glad I did...

So, this is what you do. Try eating healthy fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, and NOTHING with added REFINED SUGAR Monday-Friday... only Saturdays and Sundays are your sweet/junk food days! A salad a day is what I did to cut back a little on the breads and it will help you to achieve your goal weight. If you do get cravings (which you will if you are like me), substitute a fruit like a banana to satisfy your craving. When you shop, go AROUND the store, not through all the aisles... and cook from SCRATCH, simple meals!

NO DIET will be 100% guaranteed, but I know that if you change your lifestyle one step at a time...you will succeed. Try this helpful tip and you won't be sorry you did!
I GUARANTEE!!!

*written by Charise