Brown Bag Makeovers for Ladies Who Lunch

It’s official. Pack and go lunches have made a comeback. Eco-freaks, time-starved techies and health conscious celebrities like Kate Bosworth and Alexander Skarsgard have been spotted doing it, so there’s no longer any shame in brown bagging your lunch to work.  It’s a great way to save dollars, eat more sensibly and squeeze more hours into the workday plus, if done properly, it’s better for the environment.

In pace with this trend, people are trading in those russet-colored paper bags for stylish totes, bento boxes and food pods. These newfangled lunchboxes make it easier than ever to transport hot, cold, cheap and/or better for you eats and treats, safeguarding you from the ominous vending machine.

Are you ready for a brown bag a makeover? Here’s a list of portable, affordable and food friendly carrying cases and accoutrements to which you can upgrade:

Hadaki Lunch Totes: These stylish and vibrant carrying pods are available in 15 fun designer patterns (bright floral, wild stripes and flirty polka dots) in either nylon or glossy coated fabric. All totes are wipe-and-clean friendly, insulated to keep foods toasty or cold on the inside and shaped with a rounded handle that makes them easy to carry.

Mario Batali Lunch Totes: This Chef and restaurateur sure knows how to build a better brand, and now he wants us to pack our own lunches using his eco-friendly line of totes, satchels and shopping bags. The reusable carriers help reduce plastic bag consumption and keep waste out of our oceans and landfills. All bags have an easy-to-wipe insulated copper lining to keep food and drinks at their appropriate temperatures, as well as pockets and compartments to ensure all around convenience.

LapTop Lunches: A line of bento box solutions for travel, play (picnics and outings), take out and work --- even for casual lunch dates, designer lunch dates or a power lunch. Each unit comes with removable and microwave friendly inner containers, all-stainless steal utensils plus a user guide that features recipes, healthy lunch suggestions and packing tips.

Lunch Bots: These durable stainless steel foods containers are healthier for the environment and come in  four sizes including the Uno (a single unit container that’s perfect for a sandwich, pasta, chicken or fish), the Duo which has a built-in divider to store snacks and the Eco for larger portioned meals. The best part about these units is no plastic baggies or wrapping needed!

Vivo Lunch Boxes: These melamine bento boxes are the Cadillacs of the adult lunch box category. They resemble old-style thermoses but are stackable units that store food separately so there is no spilling over from one container to the next.  The metal handle makes it easy to carry the ensemble, and pieces are dishwasher safe for super easy care.

And if you are looking for utensils, check out To-Go-Ware. They have various flatware and chopstick sets all made from bamboo to take with you wherever you may roam with your stylish and ecofriendly new lunch box!