lunch

Comcast is ramping up its Internet Essentials program to cover more low-income families and students eager to get online.

Launched last September, the program provides cheap Internet access, low-cost computers, and literacy training to poor families and their school-age children.

Families who have at least one child getting a free lunch through the government's National School Lunch Program (NSLP) have been able to receive 1.5-megabit-per-second broadband Internet for only $9.95 a month, compared with the $41 that Comcast typically charges.

Detailing the program in a blog post this week, Comcast noted several accomplishments, such as promoting the … Read more

With the flavor of great home-cooked meals still on our tongues, the new year finally gets under way this week and that means it's time to get back to work.

Holiday hangover or no, we still need to manage lunch, and microwaved meals can only look so appetizing. Luckily, there is an easy way to keep the home-cooking cooking while at work.

The Crock-Pot SCCPLC200-G Lunch Crock Food Warmer offers a go-to solution for hot and ready meals on the go. Composed of a warming base and a 20-ounce food container, the two-part system offers a clever way to … Read more

I gave up on trying to eat a healthy lunch long ago. I'm at the mercy of the burger joints around me. In theory, I could bring my own lunch from home, but I'm 34 years old, so that just sounds silly.

Maybe if I had someone to make my lunch each morning, I might change my tune on that. But not if I'm using this new lunchbox concept from Ochanomizu University in Japan. It has an integrated camera and video touch screen that's activated when the lid is opened.

It's an experiment in family communication. If someone's packing the lunch, it records them doing so to play back later when the lunch is being eaten, and vice versa. The idea is that the eater will see the care that went into packing the lunch, prompting them to return a "thanks, that was tasty!" or something equivalent to the lunch packer. Conversely, the packer gets the satisfaction of a thanks, and can see what the eater liked and didn't like.

It's cool in theory, but I don't like people watching me eat as it is. A noontime Eye of Sauron keeping an eye on me as I munch my Lunchables isn't my idea of a relaxing lunch break. That said, I could see this being very popular with the helicopter parents crowd if it ever makes its way to production.

Check out the video after the jump to see it in action, and maybe get some ideas yourself.

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Instead of automatically sending your junk mail to the trash bin, send it over to the burrito artists at Chipotle. The casual food chain is now accepting your spam at nojunk@chipotlejunk.com and will donate $10,000 to The Lunch Box for every 500,000 junk mails it receives.

The campaign is an effort to bring higher-quality, healthier food with sustainable ingredients to school kids, but not to worry: Said food does not include Chipotle burritos, which contain 1,179 calories, according to Livestrong.com. Unfortunately, the call to action does not include sending Chipotle the other kind of SPAM.… Read more

I'm a big fan of advance preparation. Before my kids go to bed, I like to set out clothes for the next day, set out their schoolbags, and pack their lunches. But my kids love to have things like soup, rice, couscous, or other need-to-heat items in their lunches, and those get packed in thermoses. Which cannot go in the microwave. So I either have to make them in the morning and stress myself out or heat them in a different container and make more of a mess. Neither option appeals.

The Aladdin mini lunch bowl is a clever … Read more

The typical method of transporting your sandwiches to work or to school is to put them in baggies. Of course, that means that you use a new baggie every day you make a lunch. That's not particularly good for either your pocketbook or the planet. The Wrap-N-Mat offers a simple alternative, however. The mat has a food-safe liner that allows you to wrap up sandwiches without worrying about mess getting out or dirt getting in. When you get to lunch, you just unwrap your meal and eat on the unfolded mat. The Wrap-N-Mat wipes clean between meals, and it … Read more

If you're looking for an alternative to plastic containers and zip-top bags for food storage, consider LunchBots. The containers and their lids are available in four sizes and are made from 18/8 stainless steel that won't leach chemicals into food. Designed to fit in lunch boxes, backpacks, and even purses, LunchBots are dishwasher safe and are lab certified to be lead-free.

The Uno and Eco models each offer a single storage compartment: the Uno is sized for a burrito, sushi, or a sandwich, and the Eco is designed to hold larger portions. The Duo and Pico have … Read more

A few months ago, I got a sample of the Kids Konserve lunch bag, gave it to my daughter, and wrote about it. My other daughter was furious that no company had sent me an eco-friendly lunch box for her to carry. Well, that's still true, but I've at least tracked down another option to write about, even if I can't make my daughter a tester.

The PlanetBox is a funky retro-looking stainless-steel lunch box. It's slightly bento-style in that it separates food into distinct, built-in compartments. Food goes directly into the box, eliminating the need … Read more

Camping enthusiasts, lunch packers, and people who avoid cooking of all types have something to celebrate. These HotCans provide a way for you to cook meals on the go without the need for microwaves, stoves or ovens.

The technology relies on an exothermic chemical reaction that takes place when you follow the instructions. After piercing the outer layer and opening the lid, your can of food is ready to eat in only a few minutes.

As convenient as the idea is, it'll most likely have trouble taking root in markets that focus on the more central aspects of dining, … Read more