My kids love (organic) cranberry juice, can’t find one that is sold in glass that is not super expensive. Any ideas for put together homemade recipes?

Location:Chicago, Illinois, United States

Name: Valerie Teruel

Week: 4

Personal Info:

We are a vegetarian family of 4, I am including all of us in this challenge!

Valerie Teruel’s personal blog:

List of plastic items REFUSED this week. (Yay!)
It doesn’t show in my photo, but this week I barely bought anything in plastic.
My photo shows stuff that is still pouring out of my cupboards and the freezer.
I guess I was quite the food hoarder!

Total items collected: 50

Total weight:

Items: Recyclable
# 04 plastic from mirror purchase
McCormick spice jar # 02

Items: Nonrecyclable
20x various food packages:
Crackers
Spinach
Tortilla chips
Chiuahua Cheeses

Other stuff:
McCormick spice lid and sifter
Wrapper from my really expensive glass bottled yogurt ugh!
2 plastic net bags (avocados)
Cover from shoe inserts
2 x Hangers from sandals
Cracker tray
Aloe plant packaging! I bought the plant to replace buying commercial Aloe in plastic bottle!
3 glass jar seals
Toothpick packaging
Lid from tin can
Chiquita pineapple tag
Ready made appetizer tray (didn’t know it was wrapped that way )
2 x olive oil cap insert
6x almond or soy caps from cartons
Shower curtain packaging (it’s a keeper)

What items can I easily replace with plastic free or less plastic alternatives?

What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic free alternative doesn’t exist?

What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?
We cook mostly Mexican recipes and I can’t find a good replacement for Chihuahua cheese.
I can only find it pre wrapped.

What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption?

What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?
I have run out of packing tape. I will buy the old fashioned kind you have to wet.

What other conclusions, if any, can I draw?
This has gotten very expensive, we eat only organic. I suddenly realized that I should probably be more precise with portion size, so there is no waste.
Then it occurred to me to eat a little less (just for myself at least) and really relish what I’m eating. Smaller portions but the best quality food, I may even lose some weight!

It seemed like a bad week looking at my photo, and yet I’ve made so many changes for my entire family. Some of it was sabotage from my family, but they are being pressured hard to change, so I can’t blame them. I’ve always disliked all plastics in households now I really can’t stand it.