More Eco-friendly Lunch Gear: A New Reusable Food Pouch, Plus 2 Other Cool Products
| October 12, 2012 | Posted by Stacy under Eco friendly lunch gear |
Just when I had forbidden myself (or wait–was that my husband?) to buy any more eco-friendly reusable lunch gear: along come two products that are seriously testing my will. Since they are pretty cool, I figured you’d want to know about them. As I’ve found, using reusable containers can save a lot of money and help alleviate a little guilt about clogging up our landfills. But in case my husband is reading this post, I will vow not to buy either one of these products. At least not today. Tomorrow, I can’t make any promises. So here goes:
Reusable squeeze pouches No doubt you’re familiar with those uber-popular pouches of baby food, fruit purees and apple sauce from companies like Plum Organics, Peter Rabbit Organics and Ella’s Kitchen. Even Starbucks sells them these days! Now, thanks to the Little Green Pouch, you can make your own. The BPA– and phthalate-free, 6-ounce plastic pouch can hold anything from homemade applesauce to yogurt to warm oatmeal. It has a zipper seal at the top that allows you to open and fill it. The set of 4 pouches will set you back $14.99. But that’s not bad considering the store-bought pouches typically run $1.50 to $2.50 a pop.
Smoothie pop molds I discovered these via Lisa at 100 Days of Real Food (a fabulous blog about striving to eat unprocessed in a preternaturally junk-filled world). I just love her idea of filling them with homemade smoothies then popping them in the freezer. She says the frozen pop is usually thawed by the time her daughter eats lunch. They are made of silicone, dishwasher save and BPA-free. Amazon sells a set of four for $9.26.
Glass beverage bottle with silicone sleeve My kids bring water bottles to school, but occasionally I like to add a milk box or some other sort of drink option. However, I hate all the packaging waste, and those organic milk boxes are pricey. So I’ve been shopping around for a small reusable bottle. Many of the stainless steel containers that I checked out were either too big or got some bad reviews for having a metallic taste. Made out of thick and durable soda lime glass, the Lifefactory 9-ounce flat-cap glass bottle ($14.99) looks like a winner to me. It features a colorful silicone sleeve to lessen the chances of breaking. The whole thing (including the silicone sleeve and cap) can be thrown in the dishwasher. I think the possible downside would be the risk of losing the cap, which isn’t attached to bottle. But I guess that’s why replacement caps ($4.99) are sold in sets of four.
Got any great lunch gear that you just can’t live without? Please share it by leaving a comment in the box down below.
I created this blog to raise awareness and start a dialogue about the various issues involved in school food. By writing about it, I hope to provide parents and educators with ideas and inspiration for making healthy changes in their own schools. Since healthy eating habits start at home, I also address common feeding challenges faced by parents.
I’m with you on the thin resolve to stop buying eco-friendly supplies. Those glass bottles are the best. Haven’t seen those smoothie pop molds, but awfully tempting. Thanks.
Katie, I couldn’t agree more! Thanks so much for stopping by!
I have similar smoothie pop molds and I LOVE them! (Not to weaken your resolve or anything 😉 But that reusable pouch is really cool…kids LOVE eating from those squeeze pouches but I just cannot bring myself to pay the money or keep throwing them away…but I am really tempted to give these a try!
Alissa — Ahhhh…good to know! I am wondering how those smoothies hold up in the lunchbox?!? Oh, and I’m very excited that Little Green Pouch saw my post and sent me some free samples. I can’t wait to try them out!
I realize this is a fairly old post, but if you haven’t tried the reusable food pouches yet, you should! I have a few similar ones that I use for myself. I keep a few filled with oatmeal in the fridge for crazy mornings. After 30 seconds in the microwave, I have a healthy breakfast I can eat while driving to work!