Comments on: Plastic Challenge: Sara, Week 1

By: Eve

Eve — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:10:39 +0000

One of the best sources for meals I have found is thestonesoup.com/blog. Her ideas are healthy, simple (5 ingredients or less), quick (15 min.) and she’s now including lots of variations to customize or vary for taste & preferences. And you can make any of them plastic-free if you shop the bulk bins!

By: Helga

Helga — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:48:24 +0000

I also make yogurt from scratch since number 5 containers are not recycled in my town. You should be able to find tons of recipes online. It’s also cheaper. I wonder what pasta/pasta sauce you’re buying in plastic containers (especially the bad plastic number 7) since I buy my sauce in a glass container, and my pasta is usually in a cardboard box. But good luck, going plastic free is tough!

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:09:24 +0000

Hello :)
Somewhere on this site Beth has a link to the kitchen stewardship which has an ebook for sale (cheap) with healthy snacks to go – several granola bars etc. We used to get cereal in bulk, but now we eat a lot of oatmeal. It could be fun for the kids to customize – different fruits or peanut butter, chopped nuts, shredded coconut – sometime I want to try chocolate. Or smoothies! As to bulk bags, can you sew? Maybe you could turn some old shirts into bags. I actually reuse the plastic bag I got sugar in once because it has a resealabls top. I was surprised that a lady at the grocery store did the same thing with several resealable bags!
You might want to check out crunchy Betty’s website http://www.crunchybetty.com/a-week-in-the-life-of-crunchy-bettys-face she has recipes for all sorts of cleaners – one day I cleaned my face with just honey and the other with a mixture of ground oats, ground almonds, honey & yogurt. Soo nice. No poo wasn’t working for me until I actually measured it & skipped the vinegar rinse.
Planning meals sucks! I love brown minute rice because it is plastic free & quick. If I have that & better than bullion and an egg I’ve got a quick soup. The kitchen stewardship also has some mske ahead meals. Before I dated the human garbage disposal I cooked enough for a second meal. Maybe cook double & freeze for a future dinner?
Newman’s Own pasta sauce is pretty good & in glass. There are some other brands that are on sale often and in glass.
Are there any good pet food brands that come in a paper bag? You could store it in the bag or reuse a tub.

By: Kristin

Kristin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:38:16 +0000

Welcome Sara! Kids can be tough… they always seem to want the things we don’t want them to want! I have a fantastic recipe to make granola bars at home (and it really doesn’t take long!)

http://slightlyirritatingandinconvenient.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-favorite-chewy-granola-bars.html

I’ve found some pretty awesome cloth bulk bin/produce bags on etsy, so that would be my suggestion for finding some that you love. Getting an assortment of sizes helps too!

A few months ago we started meal planning. We have a white board in the kitchen and we sit down on Friday’s (we shop on Saturdays) and figure out what we’re going to eat for the week. Making a grocery list based on the meal plan, and only one shopping trip during the week saves so much time! I enjoy cooking as well but often find it challenging making the time for it.

This website has a huge support base and we’re here to help! I’m excited to see how you do next week :)

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 07:22:50 +0000

Hi Sara. Welcome to the challenge! (If you can email me the picture directly I can upload it for you.) beth [at] myplasticfreelife [dot] com.

Using less plastic does mean more planning ahead for sure. But many plastic-free meals don’t actually take very long to cook. Let us know what kinds of meals you like to eat and I’m sure many people will chime in with suggestions.