Cooking with Trader Joe’s: Easy Lunch Boxes Cookbook is a new release designed to help anyone brown bagging it put together fab meals without resorting to pre-packaged junk. The recipes and suggestions in this collection include goodies for all ages.
Let’s face it – dining out at lunch can be expensive. And school lunch? I know my kids are not big fans. More often than not, my son grabs the a la carte sandwich and side rather than the full lunch entrée. Brown bagging (well, thermal bagging if you want to get technical) allows hubs and the kids to have what they want for lunch and guarantees they’ll have a healthy, balanced meal. But menus can get repetitive. Hubs always wants something he can eat at his desk if need be and the kids ask for sandwiches. And repetition leads to boredom which leads to wasted lunches and money spent on fast food or vending machine munchies.
To keep lunch ideas fresh, I check a lot of blogs, Pinterest, and Facebook timelines. One thing I noticed is many of the lunchbox posts included references to Easy Lunchboxes. Kelly Lester is the brains behind Easy Lunchboxes, a system designed to make packing lunches from home an easy and greener process. Lester offers compartmentalized food containers, mini sip and sauce containers, and cooler bags for sale and shares lunch ideas that please any palate. Not satisfied with just tempting taste buds with lunch suggestions, Lester collaborated with several food bloggers to create Cooking with Trader Joe’s: Easy Lunch Boxes Cookbook. This recipe collection is full of healthy and fab lunch ideas that work for all tastes and ages. Vegetarians, vegans, omnivores, kids, and gluten-free eaters will find something to love. Lester offered the chance for me to review the book and I went for it. I collect cookbooks, love Trader Joe’s, and pack lunch for the family. It was a win all around.
I prepared a few side dish recipes to add to hubs’ usual lunchbox fare and saved entrees for home lunches or dinners. We enjoyed them all. The Cucumber Feta Salad, Hummus Dip, Israeli Salad, and Ensalada Verde all held up nicely in the lunchboxes and in the fridge. The quiches, Cauliflower Crust Pizza, Full of Spice Vegan Burger, and Garlic Potato and Chicken Sausage were all winners. The fab Sweet Potato Apple Cheese Muffins were inhaled by all, including the picky surly teens.
If you need healthy meal ideas, this recipe collection is for you. If you need tips and ideas for packing lunch, this is for you. If you don’t live near Trader Joe’s, no problem. While some ingredients are Trader Joe’s brand, you can easily make substitutions. Get to a bookstore near you or take a peek on your favorite online bookstore. This one is a keeper!
Disclaimer: Sherrie T has personally reviewed the product listed above. Sherrie has not received any monetary compensation for her review. Sherrie did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ. Two Classy Chics is not responsible for delivery of any giveaway items won from this blog. We are not responsible for injury or mis-use of any products won from the Two Classy Chics Blog. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering our giveaways. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook or Google+ in any way. Thanks!
Wow! This sound like a great cookbook and not just for bagging it.I especially want to try the Cauliflower crust pizza and the Sweet potato apple cheese muffins
Love this idea! I really like that the ingredients are simple enough Trader Joe’s products but substitutes can be found if you don’t live near a Trader Joe’s. My daughter-in-law would really enjoy reading this to help with lunches for my grandkids. Plus, I think my daughter and I could also benefit from some easy, healthy, and unique lunches.
Besides the Easy lunchboxes these recipes offer a nice change in lunches. The Cucumber Feta Salad and Hummis Dip are two I’d definitely love to try. I too collect cookbooks so this is a good one to add. Thanks for the review.
Carol L