Cooking with Trader Joe's Cookbook: Easy Lunch Boxes [Hardcover]

Kelly Lester (Author), Marla Meridith (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 20, 2012 | Series: Cooking With Trader Joe's

Lunch Packing Madness - SOLVED!

Now you can pack lunches FAST with food from Trader Joe's and EasyLunchboxes. Meet Kelly Lester - mom of 3, avid Trader Joe's fan, and creator of the ingenious EasyLunchbox System. With wit, warmth, and imagination, Kelly and 32 of her friends (who just happen to be lunch-packing experts!) share their stories, favorite recipes, and time-saving tips to make lunch-packing madness a thing of the past.

Now it's EASY to:
   ► Ditch expensive, processed "convenience" foods
   ► Prepare yummy food even your pickiest eater will devour
   ► Pack lunches FAST

You'll find dozens of easy-to-prepare meal ideas that will appeal to both kids and adults, such as Holy Fritatta!, Mangia Muffins, Dog and Bone Sandwiches, Work it out Veggie Wraps, Ham and Cheese Hug-a-bles, All Thai'd Up at the Office, Reuben Pasta Salad, Guyana Finish That Rice, Slap Yo Mama Vegan Burger, Caprese Heaven, Husband-Tested Chicken, Cauli-fornia Dreamin' Pizza, Salad You'll Swim Upstream for, Pasta-tively Delicious, and many more.

Gorgeous full-color photos for every recipe and nutritional info throughout. Includes gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, and kid-friendly chapters, as well as substitution ideas for nut, dye, and other allergies. And like the other books in the Cooking With Trader Joe's Cookbook series, the ingredients are easy and wholesome because they come from Trader Joe's, yet can be substituted if the reader shops elsewhere.

"With the combination of Kelly's ingenuity, recipes from the EasyLunchboxes community, and Trader Joe's fabulous specialty foods, this book provides everything you need to create delicious, healthy, and enticing meals-to-go." - from the book's foreword by Bettina Elias Siegel of The Lunch Tray

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kelly Lester is a singer and actress with over three decades of stage, film, and TV credits (KellyLester.com). She is also a successful entrepreneur with no formal business training. In 2009 she founded her second company, EasyLunchboxes.com, which was born out of her innate ability to do things efficiently while on a shoestring budget, and her desire to send her daughters to school with waste-free, healthy lunches. With no money for advertising, Kelly turned to social media. Relying solely on word-of-mouth-marketing, she grew her sales via positive blog reviews and lots of "likes". EasyLunchboxes have been the #1 best-selling lunch boxes on Amazon.com since 2011, and her "seller success story" was prominently featured on Amazon's home page. Her EasyLunchboxes Facebook fan page was named a Top Ten Small Business Facebook Page by SocialMediaExaminer.com. Consequently, she has added "Social Media Expert" to her resume. Kelly is in demand as a public speaker, inspiring and motivating other entrepreneurs and small business owners with her story and self-taught marketing skills. As a solo mompreneur with no employees, Kelly enjoys personally communicating daily with her fans and followers, and relishes the true friendships she's made and the enthusiastic support she receives from her online community. Postings from her network of nearly 25,000 Facebook fans are the foundation for Cooking with Trader Joe's Cookbook - Easy Lunch Boxes. One of Kelly's book contributors, Cristi Messersmith, who pens the blog BentOnBetterLunches.com, explains Kelly's unique marketing skills: "In my opinion, it's absolutely her personal touch, her "chatterboxness" that gives Kelly an edge and has helped make EasyLunchboxes so popular. Sure, they are fabulous containers, but it's her social networking savvy and her creativity that's helped them gain so much notice..." Kelly and her husband, actor Loren Lester, live in Los Angeles. They have 3 daughters who all pack their own lunches.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Brown Bag Publishers; 1 edition (September 20, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1938706005
• ISBN-13: 978-1938706004
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kelly Lester is a singer and actress with over three decades of stage, film, and TV credits (KellyLester.com). She is also a successful entrepreneur with no formal business training. In 2009 she founded her second company, EasyLunchboxes.com, which was born out of her innate ability to do things efficiently while on a shoestring budget, and her desire to send her daughters to school with waste-free, healthy lunches. With no money for advertising, Kelly turned to social media. Relying solely on word-of-mouth-marketing, she grew her sales via positive blog reviews and lots of "likes".

EasyLunchboxes have been the #1 best-selling lunch boxes on Amazon.com since 2011, and her "seller success story" was prominently featured on Amazon's home page. Her EasyLunchboxes Facebook fan page was named a Top Ten Small Business Facebook Page by SocialMediaExaminer.com. Consequently, she has added "Social Media Expert" to her resume. Kelly is in demand as a public speaker, inspiring and motivating other entrepreneurs and small business owners with her story and self-taught marketing skills. As a solo mompreneur with no employees, Kelly enjoys personally communicating daily with her fans and followers, and relishes the true friendships she's made and the enthusiastic support she receives from her online community. Postings from her network of nearly 25,000 Facebook fans are the foundation for Cooking with Trader Joe's Cookbook - Easy Lunch Boxes.

One of Kelly's book contributors, Cristi Messersmith, who pens the blog BentOnBetterLunches.com, explains Kelly's unique marketing skills:

"In my opinion, it's absolutely her personal touch, her "chatterboxness" that gives Kelly an edge and has helped make EasyLunchboxes so popular. Sure, they are fabulous containers, but it's her social networking savvy and her creativity that's helped them gain so much notice..."

Kelly and her husband, actor Loren Lester, live in Los Angeles. They have 3 daughters who all pack their own lunches.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Cookbook- even if you don't have a TJs around you September 26, 2012

By Laura Fuentes

Format:Hardcover

This cookbook shows you exactly how each recipe will look once it's made and packed inside a lunch container. I saw another review say that if you don't have a TJs don't buy it--well that's not true! A cracker is a cracker, tortilla wraps are tortilla wraps and yogurt is yogurt no matter the brand. Ingredients are just that - ingredients. There isn't anything you can't buy in another store (I personally don't have a TJs in my state).
As far as "a bunch of people tooting their own horn" I'd like to think of it as a collaborative approach to putting together a cookbook with over 30 different points of view on how a fresh lunch can be made. We all have different recipes that work for us and when something is good, don't you want to share it with friends?
Unlike other cookbooks who photograph 1 out of 8 recipes, in this book everything is pictured. HUGE bonus.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Had higher expectations October 24, 2012

By ybot

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am disappointed in this book. Way too much "talk" where there could have been more recipes. While there are some good ideas, I was disappointed in the part of making the lunch all cute since I don't have time for that as I make 3-5 lunches for boys everyday. Some of the recipes looked good for an adult's taste buds, but would never fly in my kids' lunch boxes (and they are generally not picky). I love the Easy Lunch Box containers and have been using them for over two years so really wanted ideas for foods that would fit these. Maybe 1/4 of the book's ideas/recipes is doable for us. It is just an odd assortment of ideas/recipes which I suppose happens with so many contributors, but I just expected more.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally an end to my lunch packing rut! September 19, 2012

By MomofTwo

Format:Hardcover

I'm not sure why I find packing lunches for my kids so tedious, but I do! Even though the school year has just begun I'm already in a rut, packing the same two meals every day. No wonder my kids are bored... but all that is about to change! This book has tons of gorgeous looking, "outside the box" lunch ideas. Who would have thought to make PB&J Sushi (rolled up on flatbread) or "Un-Fried Rice" (brown rice, diced avocado, and edamame)? The latter is served with sides of fresh pineapple and cashews. Healthy, wholesome, and nutritious... and best of all, not just another ham sandwich!

This book is kid-friendly, but not kid-centric. I can't wait to try the Lentil & Quinoa Salad, as well as the Vegetable Gyoza over Brown Rice & Veggies. Each recipe is accompanied by a picture, but be warned: looking at this cookbook will make you hungry!