Lunches, Leftovers & A Winner

Today was a beautiful day and I wish I could have spent most of it outside. Unfortunately, I only enjoyed the weather on my lunch break.  I will start off with the winner for the 3 energy efficient light bulbs from Day 2 of the Earth Day Challenge.......

Congratulations Gidget, email me to work out the details!  

Today's challenge covers lunches & leftovers.  B leaves the house every morning by 6:30, so I usually make his lunch for him.  Yes, I'm that good whipped--haha!  The guys he works with refer to me as a hippie (which is where I originally got my inspiration & idea for my blog theme).  The reason they refer to me as a hippie is because we use reusable bags and glass containers to pack our lunches in. You will very RARELY find zip lock bags or plastic containers in our house.  This has been great for our budget since we are not constantly buying reusable bags that end up in the trash/landfill. 

The reusable bags we use I have purchased from ReUsies. I love the company motto on their home page--check it out here.  They are easy to rinse out if there is peanut butter, jelly, mayo, mustard, and anything else that might get on the inside of the bag.  All you have to do is turn them inside out, wash them with warm soapy water, rinse and let dry. To dry them I just get out a glass and slide it on top to air out.  I would love to have a wooden rack to dry them on some day so I do not have 3-4 glasses sitting by the sink with reUsies draped over them! For crumbs that are left, I just shake them out into the sink. B did not like having to use these at first, but after I purchased our second set in solid colors (not fun chic patterns) he has grown to appreciate them.

Every few months, or when one gets pretty messy, I turn them inside out and throw them in the washer with my reusable grocery bags.  I hang them out on the line to air dry.  This is a small investment, but looking at what we save from not buying Ziploc bags that end up in the trash is worth it!  

The other items in our lunches that do not work in reusable bags get put in glass containers with lids. I have purchased a good supply of Food Network glassware at Kohl's.  They have snap on lids that are tight enough to not leak. Check them out here.  I use them for both lunches and leftovers. 


The challenge for today is to try and cut back on the amount of waste you use for lunch and leftover food storage.  Our lunch "boxes" are actually just insulated lunch bags, so we do not have any waste from using paper lunch bags.  


Do you pack your lunch? If so, do you use reusable things or Ziploc?  

Here are a few other websites that offer reusable sandwich/snack bags. I have not tried any of these, but have thought I might the next time I order some. 


Ecoditty

WasteNotSaks On Etsy


Lunch Skins


Do you have something you would like to change in your life to become more earthy friendly?  If so, email me or leave a comment. I might even have it be one of our challenges!  


Til' next time,