Book Review

The Natural Lunchbox
by Judy Brown
Review by Rebecca Hess

Being a brown-bagger myself, I was thrilled to read The Natural Lunchbox: Vegetarian Meals for School, Work, and Home. I was getting tired of my routine lunches and found many great ideas from this book. This book is invaluable to parents packing kids lunches, working stiffs like me who want a nutritious, tasty lunch, or anyone looking to prepare delicious foods for themselves at home or for a festive luncheon.

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Ms. Brown offers ideas and suggestions on how to be a successful lunch planner such as how to pack your lunches, how to pack lunches your children will love, and how to incorporate leftovers into your lunches. Her recipes are quick and easy and generally involve few ingredients. I appreciate that all her recipes can be used for a party platter or spread for a child's or adult's gathering.

Her simple, delicious recipes are absolutely delicious! The book is broken into chapters covering: sandwiches, burgers, and spreads; salads, dressings, and soups; beautiful beans and great grains; Mexican ole cuisine; veritable vegetable dishes; hot cha cha entrees; healthful snacks and festive fruits; sweet tooth desserts; fun snack ideas; little tykes lunches; birthday party lunch; power lunches; and special occasion brunch. As you can see, this book is a wealth of information. Ms. Brown also includes an ingredient glossary at the end of the book.

A beautiful dish for a party or brunch is the Cauliflower Pie with Grated Zucchini Crust. This low fat, delicious dish will get you many compliments from your guests. Children will love sandwich kabobs with all their sandwich elements stacked on a wood skewer. My new favorites for work are the low fat reuben, baked rice (super easy), and the tricolor bow tie salads with sesame dressing. Although there are no photos, each recipe is very clearly written with familiar ingredients, so I was able to guess what they might look like. Over all, this book is an amazing resource for anyone looking to liven up their own or their loved ones lunch time. Instead of the same old boring routine lunch has become a meal to look forward to every day!

Order The Natural Lunchbox Now!

Rebecca Hess lives in New Jersey with her husband Steve and their crazy cats. She holds a masters degree in theatre and loves being part of vegfamily and getting to try so many great vegan products!

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