Reusable Produce Bags

I really hate going to the grocery store with my reusable bags and then coming home with a handful of those annoying clear produce bags...

So I did some searching and I found these reusable bags and have been using them instead!

You get 5 bags that have drawstring closures. Very nice!

Fruit-infused water

While I was shopping around for my new eco-friendly snack bags, I stumbled across this fruit-infusion water pitcher and thought... This appeals to me because I know I need to drink more water, and I tend to drink more water when it is flavored. There are those handy little flavor packets that you can add to your reusable water bottle, but most of those have artificial sweeteners and articial flavors, which I consume on a regular basis, but wonder what the long-term effects could be.  So I decided to give the whole fruit-infused water a try with my own pitcher.

The Takeya 2L pitcher from reuseit.com

The whole advantage of this pitcher would be that it keeps the fruit
 in the pitcher instead of flopping into your glass. But I have a pitcher with a built-in strainer, so I gave it a whirl.

I started by cutting up some strawberries and some peeled kiwis as I saw in the picture.

Now, in real life... the strawberries float to the top and the kiwis sink to the bottom. So not quite as visually appealing as the lovely advertisements show.

Then I let it sit in my fridge overnight before giving it a taste in the morning. The result is a light fruity taste that isn't too sweet or overpowering. I like it. The strawberries actually started to sink to the bottom.
Now to be practical, I transferred the mix to a less pretty plastic pitcher that has a built-in strainer so that everytime I pour the fruit doesn't come flying out at me.

I think I'll try a citrus version next with oranges and lemons.

As I did some more research, there are some pretty creative recipes out there... like Citrus Cucumber or Watermelon Basil and Lemon Lavender...not sure I'm ready to be that adventurous, but maybe someday;)

Ziplogic

I’ve recently made the commitment to cut back on my plastic bag usage, so I’ve started bringing my own bags to the grocery store- like many others I know.

However, my next step towards ‘Green’ living is going to be reducing the number of plastic baggies I use. Let me start with a little ‘Ziplogic’

If a person uses 2 plastic baggies every day in their lunch (on average- or maybe just me… I usually have a sandwich and a snack) this would be 10 baggies a week. Multiply this by 4 weeks, this is 40 every month and could add up to 480 a year! (give or take) And this is just for one person’s lunch… imagine the amount of trash we generate just in plastic baggies. Ick!

SO… I’ve recently purchased these reusable baggies, which come in a sandwich and snack size in lots of colors and designs. I decided to try out 2 different brands to see which one I liked better.

sandwich size

snack size

 The website states that the Lunchskins brand can be washed in the dishwasher (one reason why I picked these) I also liked the patterns available and the material seemed like it will resist messier items. The material is slightly stiffer and the snack size is pretty tiny... but very cute!



SnackTaxi bags



The website says that the SnackTaxi brand bags shouldn't be washed in the dishwasher because the colors could run, but they say they're easily handwashed or wiped clean.

I picked these because they fold over themselves, creating more of a spill-proof seal for loose items, like nuts or pretzels. The outer material is actually pretty soft and the inside is more vinyl-y than I expected (a good thing... and sorry for making up a word there...) I think these are my favorites!

Eventually, I would like to make my own, but since I am lacking a sewing machine (and, let’s face it, sewing skills) this will have to wait.

Where did I get these awesome baggies?