Brown Bag Lunches VS Cooler Lunch Bags

A packed lunch is brought from home typically in a brown paper bag, a plastic bag or a lunch bag. People bringing lunch to their workplace now will likely utilize a paper bag that is either plain or showing their company logo. In the modern era, school children generally opt to use a lunch bag with their favorite cartoon character or superhero pictured on the outside.

A great number of people throughout the world count on a packed lunch for their afternoon meal. A packed lunch is brought from home typically in a brown paper bag, a plastic bag or a lunch paper brown bag. Carrying around ones lunch has been a practice of many for a long time but it wasn't until the 20th century where it became a marketable concept. Before this time, lots of folks still brought their own lunches to work or school but they did it in a more creative way. Workers had what was called a lunch pail. It was made from toolbox grade metal. People bringing lunch to their workplace now will likely utilize a lunch bag that is either plain or showing their company logo. School children during this era used old tin boxes that previously stored biscuits, cookies or tobacco. In the modern era, school youngsters generally opt to use a paper brown bag with their favorite cartoon character or superhero pictured on the outside.

With a packed lunch, the lunch is typically made the night before and kept in the refrigerator until right before the person that will be eating the lunch leaves for the day. In the past it wasn't viewed as a good thing to bring your own lunch. Times have changed and now there are quite a few reasons a parent will prepare a lunch for their child or even make one for themselves to bring to their workplace.

The lunch paper bag has clearly evolved over the years and it continues to get better. In today's world we now have the Packit Cooler Lunch Bag. This lunch bag has been featured on The Martha Stewart Show and Good Morning America and for good reason.

One of the best things about the Packit Cooler Lunch Bag is that is keeps your food cold and fresh for up to 10 hours. Before the Packit Cooler Lunch bag, an alternative to try and keep the food cold was using an icepack. An icepack is only good for around 2 hours whereas the PackIt Cooler Lunch bag doesn't require an icepack and it can keep food cold for up to 10 hours.

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Reasons to Choose Office Party Catering

There are a lot of corporate entities that will choose to reward their clients or their workers with an office party. Throwing an office party for a large group of people can be fairly costly, but there are a lot of options that can help you save time, money, and not interrupt the daily workflow of your office. By hiring an office party catering service, you will be able to serve your employees beverages and food throughout the day, without having to disrupt their productivity.

There are many different reasons why you should consider hiring an office party catering service to cater your corporate events. A few of the top three reasons why it is a good idea to hire a professional catering service for the event is because they can provide peace of mind, competitive pricing, and present the event in a professional manner.

Presentation - When hiring a professional office catering service, the first thing that you will notice when hiring a company is their level of professionalism that they take while performing their job. The food that the company will bring to your office will come ready to serve, and if you choose to rent tables for the event, the catering company will set up the tables in a professional manner to suit the venue that the party is being conducted in.

Pricing - Instead of taking all of your employees to an expensive restaurant or purchasing large quantities of food from a nearby eatery, you can choose to have an office catering service come to your office and provide you with a wide variety of options to choose from, for a relatively low cost. You will be able to feed every employee within your office, and still have enough food leftover for the employees to take home with them, if they desire to do so.

Peace of Mind - Instead of spending your valuable time coordinating different pieces of your party together, office party services can take care of every aspect of your party for you. You will be able to call one company and get your food, drinks, and desserts delivered to your office without having to stress out about the event plans. You will not have to take any of your employees away from their work to help you plan the occasion, because all of the planning can be done by one person, when you have a team of caterers to help you with the rest.

Presentation, pricing, and peace of mind are just three ways that office catering services can help make your office party an eventful and stress free event. Office catering services can be used for a lot more events than office parties. You can utilize the services at wedding receptions, birthday parties, and other special occasions as well. The office party catering service will be able to adhere to your needs, whatever they may be.

Instead of having to burden yourself with the stresses that come from feeding a large group of people, let someone else do the work for you. An office party catering company will prepare all of the food, drinks, and décor for the party that you are hosting. They will bring all of the items to your office for you.

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A Quick Crash Course in Bread Machines and Why You Need One

The bread machine is one modern invention that doesn't get nearly as much credit as it deserves. In fact, compared to toasters, blenders and coffee makers, bread machines are the unsung heroes of kitchen appliances.

It's a real shame when you think about it. Good kitchen appliances are prized because they make life a little easier. And bread machines take one of the most time consuming, labor intensive things you can do in a kitchen-making bread-and makes it both fast and easy.

There's just nothing like eating a slice of warm, homemade bread fresh from the oven. And not only does homemade bread taste great, it also smells heavenly. In fact, the smell of bread baking in the oven can do anything from improve your mood to help sell your house.

Most people would eat fresh, homemade bread every day if they could.

So why don't they?

For most, actually making the bread from scratch is the problem.

If you've never tried making your own bread before, it can seem like a complex and mysterious process you're too intimidated to tackle. And the truth is that making bread completely by hand, even if you're using a simple recipe, really can be a challenge.

If you're an experienced bread maker, time might be the problem. Making a simple loaf of bread by hand can take several hours. If your life is as busy as most people's, you probably just don't have time to make homemade bread.

That's where the bread machine comes in. First of all, they're fast. You can set up a machine to start making homemade bread in just minutes.

Bread machines are also user-friendly. Even absolute beginners can turn out a beautiful and delicious loaf of bread with the help of a bread machine.

Whether you're an experienced baker or a newbie bread maker, there are countless reasons why you need a bread machine in your kitchen.

The Advantages of Using a Bread Machine

Compared to making bread by hand, using a bread machine has several benefits.

You Don't Have To Do the Kneading. Kneading is the most arduous part of the bread making process. It's tiring, tedious, and leaves you with sore arms and tense shoulders. Yes, it can be therapeutic. Pounding on a lump of bread dough is a good way to work out your frustrations. However, if you've had a lovely day and just want to make some bread as quickly as possible, let the machine do the kneading for you.

There's No Big Mess to Clean Up. Making a single loaf of bread can require the use of several bowls, pots, pans and utensils... all of which needs to be washed and put away.

It's also hard to make bread without ending up with flour all over your countertop and, more often than not, the floor. And that mess has to be cleaned up too.

But you don't have to worry about cleaning a big mess when you use a bread machine. All of the stuff that can create a mess takes place inside of the machine. So aside from the bread maker itself, all you'll have to clean is a measuring cup or two.

Worry Less About Making Mistakes. There are so many things that can go wrong when you make bread completely by hand. You might not knead the dough enough. Or you might knead the dough too much. Or you could make a mistake with the yeast, causing the dough not to rise properly. Any of these mishaps can result in a loaf of bread that's hard, tough, and about as appetizing as a shoe leather.

Luckily, using a bread machine makes bread making nearly fool proof. You don't have to worry about how much to knead the dough, or whether or not the bread dough will rise. The machine takes care of all of that for you.

Now that you know the advantages of using a bread machine, it's time to pick one that's right for you.

How to Choose a Bread Machine

There are a lot of machines on the market. They come in a multitude of shapes and sizes, and can have a variety of features. So how do you decide which bread machine is right for you?

Ask yourself these questions.

How Much Do You Want To Spend? There are cheap machines that can turn out a decent loaf of bread. However, they are usually pretty small, so you can only make small loaves. Cheap bread machines also tend to be lacking in features. Still, if you only want to make a small loaf of bread every week or so, a cheap machine might be all you need.

How Much Homemade Bread Do Your Really Need? For some people, bread making is a hobby. They only make the occasional loaf of bread, usually when they find an interesting recipe they want to try. For these hobbyists, a machine that makes small loaves might be enough.

For some people, bread making is a huge lifestyle change. For example, if you have a large family, and have decided to stop buying store-bought bread altogether, you'll need a bigger machine. Look for a bread machine that can make at least a 1-pound loaf. You can even find larger machines that make 2-pound loaves.

But keep this in mind. Homemade bread has no preservatives, and will go stale faster than store-bought bread. Will your family be able to eat a 2-pound loaf of bread before it goes stale? If not, stick with the 1-pound loaf bread machine.

Do You Need a Machine with a Timer? Some bread machines come with delay timers, so you can set the bread maker to start at a certain time. Using a timer, you can set the machine to start while you're asleep or out shopping. If you time it right, your bread can finish baking just as you arrive home from work. And what can be better after a hard day at work than a slice of warm, freshly-baked bread?

Getting the Most Out of Your Machine

Yes, bread machines are nearly fool-proof. But there are things you can do to get the best results possible from your machine.

Choose Recipes Carefully. Not every recipe will work correctly in a bread maker. Fortunately, a quick Internet search is all it takes to find bread recipes that have been modified for use in bread makers.

You can also find ready-made mixes especially made for bread machines. These mixes are convenient, affordable, and almost impossible to screw up.

Don't Leave Bread In the Machine for Too Long. Homemade bread is the best when it's still warm. Some machines can keep bread warm long after it has finished baking. However, bread left in the machine for too long could end up being soggy, and not a lot of fun to eat.

Make the Bread Easy To Remove. Thoroughly spray the inside of the machine with cooking spray before adding the ingredients. This will make the bread easier to remove after baking.

Use Bread Machine Yeast... Always. Some recipes don't specify the kind of yeast you should use. But, for the sake of convenience, use bread machine yeast whenever possible.

Bread machines are a modern marvel that many people are just starting to discover. If you've never made bread from scratch before, a bread machine will have you turning out beautiful and delicious loaves of homemade bread in no time. If you're an experienced baker, but just haven't had time to make much bread from scratch, a bread machine will help you step back into the homemade bread making game with ease.

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Green Party Foods

So you consider yourself a pretty good earth steward... you're clean, green, low impact and you're hip on global warming. What does it take to transform your squeaky clean green image out into the backyard? I see it like "taking your green on the road." Make it fun... you're about ready to get your barbeque freak on and you ask yourself, "What can I do to make this Cool Q as green and earth-smart as it can be?" Here's a couple pretty simple starters.

GO OUTSIDE

Simply by getting outdoors and turning your indoors off, you're already saving mega loads of electricity. Even turn off your air conditioner if you're bold. Find yourself an old school "Smokey Joe" kettle grill and let the magic come to you. No propane or other gases needed- just stamped wood and wood bi-products charcoal briquettes. Get the cheap ones and please don't use the lighter fluid for the start- use a couple sheets of wadded up newspaper and a charcoal chimney if you've got one. See, you're getting greener already.

BUY LOCAL

So the grill is going leaving you just enough time to quaff about 1.5 beers before the cooking begins. Whatever you throw on the grill, make it local. Local chicken is very easy to find, in fact you can even grow them in your backyard if you're so inclined. It's common for municipalities to allow up to a half-dozen birds per property and that's a pretty steady source of eggs when you think about it. Obviously, your local farmers market is your best means of participation and a shining endorsement for the "Locally Grown" movement that is afoot. Beside the fact you're doing your neighbors a good, you're keeping the revenue in the community and not paying someone else the unit cost of the product- plus fuel, shipping, distribution, labor, taxes etc. to get that cold, dry, stamped chicken breast from Chili.

WHAT'S ON THE MENU?

Straight from the farmers market down the street, scratching the back of a local guy I don't know, we've come up with a pretty green, well-rounded, eco-friendly and healthy faire for a cookout. No appetizers required. Beer.

Mixed Greens, Mint and Radish with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Local Asparagus shoots in lemon butter and rosemary

(1) 4x4x4 Slab 'o Cornbread

New baby rounds and golden potatoes with chives and lemon butter

(3) Beer Can Chicken, smoked in a brightly scented Applewood riff raff and soaked (marinated) in Jack

Dessert... Strawberry shortcake with ice cream made by the local dairy that picks up our local farmers milk ( they make a mean batch of curds as well) It's a perfect blend of garbage in garbage out, Local.

SERVE IT UP

This is pretty simple and sometimes I feel silly even mentioning it but have you ever wondered what the backyard barbeque would be like without all the plastic and paper products we've become accustomed to? Try it sometime - Eliminate all the paper plates, plastic forks and cups and all the Tupperware type plastic containers that swell from your cupboards and instead, take a step back and use your regular indoor plates and silver. It works- It's easy. To compliment that idea is something else taking shape slowly but surely... Bamboo dinnerware. This is a great hybrid and compromise between indoor and outdoor 'ware'. The bamboo stuff is nice because it's like washable picnic ware. I like it. Finally, (and this one kills me) throw away all the plastic water bottles and drink responsibly from glass, the end of the hose or from the nice metal bottles that flood the market today. No liners, no BPA. It's all good.

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Easy Pumpkin Pie Crust For Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving dinner is not Thanksgiving dinner until after you have a delicious, rich slice of pumpkin pie! Even the strictest of dieters has to succumb to a slice of this all time most popular Thanksgiving dinner pie! These are made different ways, but the most important step in creating a wonderful pumpkin pie is a fabulous pie crust! After you have a great base for the pie, making the filling is as easy as pie. No pun intended!

One way to make sure you have surefire delicious pie on Thanksgiving day is to buy a package of Pillsbury pie crust in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. I always keep a package of these on hand in case something does not turn out as expected. These can be a great back up source of perfect pie crust, and no one will ever know they are store-bought crust!

Now that you have some extra pie crust on hand for the big day, we can talk about making some delicious crust from scratch. After you have made this recipe a couple of times, it is so easy you do not even need to try to remember a recipe. I like this recipe because the crust is buttery, flaky and rustic - the perfect vessel for any Thanksgiving pie.

To start this recipe you will need 3 cups of flour. I like to use all-purpose flour for my baking needs. To this you want to add a teaspoon of salt. Mix to combine. Next you want to add 1 1/2 sticks of cold butter and 1 cup of vegetable shortening. The key is to make sure the butter is cold so the dough comes together nicely! After you have added the butter and vegetable shortening to the flour mixture, you simply want to mix it together using a pastry cutter. Once you have joined the fats with the flour, you want to add one beaten egg. After you have completed that step, you want to add 5 tablespoons of cold water and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. You want to add the vinegar as this result in a softer pie crust. Mix until well combined and form into a disk.

At this point I like to put my dough mixture into a plastic bag and let it rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. When you are ready to use, simply take out of the fridge and roll to the desired shape!

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Protein - How Much Do You Need And Where to Get It?

I challenge everyone to write down what they eat each day. Do that for a full week and then you can focus on what you are consuming. Few of us pay attention to what we eat, and it may just surprise you. For anyone trying to make a change in his or her eating habits, knowing what you consume is always a great start to knowing how to reduce what you shouldn't be eating.

If you really want to get crazy, copy all the labels on the canned, frozen or packaged foods that you eat and figure out how much sugar, sodium and fat you are ingesting, too. If you eat out, you can easily get the nutrition information from fast foods online.

Now compare your weekly intake with a look at a balanced diet chart. Notice that you should eat the least of the following: fats, oils, salt, sugar and alcohol. After these the next grouping includes meats and dairy products. If you eat more of the foods that you should, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, you will find that you don't need to copy any labels to see what you are eating, because what you are eating is what you are buying with no added preservatives. Even if you don't buy organic, fresh produce with its pesticides are better than canned and processed equivalents.

Add up your totals and try to compare them to a balanced diet. Is yours heavy on the protein or meat side? Do you have eggs and bacon for breakfast, a ham sandwich for lunch and steak and potato for dinner? Where are the whole grains (also a good source of protein), fruits and vegetables? If you must have meat, fish and poultry are better for you. But if you are going for the protein, beans and nuts are the best and they are as filling as meat, too.

Most immigrants to America in its first 300 years of settlement preferred pork and chicken to beef. It wasn't until the Civil War, when these two meats became scarce, that beef got the upper hand. Today we eat on average about 75 grams of protein each day. For a person weighing about 160 pounds you should have about 58 grams. That overindulgence might be justified if you eat more meat in order to replace or cut back on pop, white bread or sweets, however.

A diet of moderation usually provides us with all the protein we need. If you must have meat, then try to focus on those that are most lean and less processed (that means avoid the lunchmeats, sausages and hotdogs.) The fact that about 80% of all antibiotics sold every year are used in animal production that we end up eating is enough to give you pause.

Do yourself a big favor by eating out less and choosing salads or beans more when you do eat out. It not only will thin your waistline, it will fatten your pocketbook. Perhaps that is why we don't keep track of what we are eating. It might just turn us all into garden growing, chicken raising, canning and food dehydrating paranoids!

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Restaurant Budget Techniques to Save Money

A field like the restaurant business requires scrupulous attention to every last cent. Eliminating wastefulness, purchasing the best products at the right prices, and above all, composing the best quality staff are some means for keeping you well under budget while letting you maintain your high standards of excellence. Keep spending reasonable and continue to give your customers the experience they deserve.

The Right Janitorial Supplies and the Best Employees

Your staff represents amazing money-saving prospects, without using pay cuts. Boost employee productivity by assigning certain jobs during slower times of day. For instance, cooks can prepare foods with good shelf lives, especially sauces, in advance. Record which times of day are busy and which are slower until you see a clear-cut pattern. Then manage staff presence accordingly. Cautiously let staff members go home, particularly if business fades within a couple of hours of closing time. Take on employees who get the job done as thoroughly and quickly as possible. People who can finish the usual start- and end-of-shift cleaning jobs twice as fast only need to be there when the restaurant is closed for the time that those tasks take. High quality industrial janitorial supplies help all staff members reach higher standards faster. Pay them slightly higher rates to reward their efficiency and you will still spend less than paying average wages to people who take longer to complete the same tasks. The same idea applies to chefs. Hire chefs with greater productivity levels who create fascinating, business-drawing dishes. They will help you gain more profits, so choosing them over average chefs for average pay will be worth it.

Ingredient and Restaurant Supply

Food waste reduction results in the biggest savings in the food service industry. Use as many vegetable scraps as possible with the aid of a mandolin slicer set. Offer distinctive but inexpensive additions such as specialty sauces for low-cost main courses to increase the price potential of your dishes. Of course, using seasonal, local produce generally translates to better prices as well. Discuss bulk prices and discounts with suppliers and find out whether you will get a better deal on essentials by diversifying or by purchasing everything from one supplier. This approach works with both ingredients and professional restaurant supply.

Continuing to proffer exemplary food and service while maintaining acceptable menu prices is one of the greatest challenges that a restaurant owner faces. Using these techniques will enable you to meet that challenge and go above customers' expectations. Equally important is the fact that your staff will recognize that you value them and their loyalty to your establishment will increase. Add worth to your restaurant while subtracting dollars from your overheads.

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