I confess that I am deeply guilty of filling my local landfill. If something is broken, I throw it out and buy a new one. Every piece of makeup I buy comes packaged in more plastic than product. I buy food that I never cook and end up throwing out, and I often forget my lunch box at work, and when I remember to bring it home, it’s mouldy and smelly and I toss it out.
This year I am trying to reduce my overall consumption. I don’t fit the mould of “being more waste-conscious” or “becoming a minimalist” or any of the other millennial catchphrases that come with a ton of rules and judgements. I’m simply focusing on reducing the amount of garbage that goes out every week, taking the time to fix broken items instead of replacing them, and choosing ethical products over industrial ones.
Tackling my kitchen practices seemed like an impactful start. Long ago, I replaced plastic wrap and bags with reusable plastic containers, but that seemed to come with its own set of problems. We now know that all plastics, even BPA-free ones, degrade over time, leeching plastic into our food, as well as the fact that plastic is porous which means bacteria can easily embed themselves in the walls of the container.
The more practical problems with plastic containers were freezer burn, lids breaking, melting in the dishwasher and STINK. Forget your protein shake in the car one hot afternoon and you will never get that smell out!
My solution is to move away from plastic and welcome back glass! Glass is reusable, recyclable, microwave-and-dishwasher-safe. Most importantly, you can sterilize it and SAY GOODBYE TO STINK!
Replacing your plastic containers with glass can be expensive, but I was able to source all my meal-prep essentials for less than $50 CAD, including:
- 7 glass food containers
- 8 reusable straws
- 4 smoothie/protein shaker cups
- 1 reusable coffee cup
Here’s how I did it:
Glass food containers ($30 for 7)
Amazon has a great set of glass containers in their Amazon Basics line for $30 CAD.
Now, for the purposes of this post, let’s be cheeky and gloss over the carbon footprint of these items being shipped/couriered to my address, and the packaging they came in, OK?
I like the size of these containers, ranging from 1-cup snack size to 3.6-cup meal size. The lids are lock-tab style, creating a leak-free experience.
IKEA offers even more affordable glass food storage containers, starting as low as $1.99 per container, and the IKEA company is known for having environmentally-friendly manufacturing and shipping practices.
Whichever brand you choose, glass food containers are dishwasher-safe, microwave-safe, and won’t degrade over time. They are also sterilizable, so even if you do leave your lunch at work for awhile, you can bleach, steam, or boil them.
Mason jars ($1/each)
I used to go through plastic shaker bottles like crazy. I’m notoriously bad for not rinsing them out right away and nothing smells worse than day-old-whey.
I tried a stainless steel shaker bottle, but the lid was plastic and the plastic-steel combo didn’t create a leak-proof seal, so it spluttered everywhere when I shook it, and the plastic lid still smelled like butthole when I didn’t wash it promptly.
Enter the glass jar. With a wide mouth for pouring in powder scoops and ice, tightly-sealing lid for a leak-proof shake, and absolutely no plastic pieces to get stinky make this the perfect shaker bottle. At around $1/each, I feel stupid for ever buying the plastic ones!
For those that don’t do whey protein shakes, but enjoy a good smoothie, you can even buy jar lids with straw holes in them.
Reusable straws ($13 for 8)
Some restaurants and even towns are banning plastic straws for their impact on the environment (click here to read more about that). Even if you are washing and re-using your straws, they aren’t BPH-free. Thus comes the advent of reusable straws. There are three options at the moment: silicone, bamboo, or stainless steel.
Silicone straws are likely the safest option and they come in a variety of fun colours, but I believe their design still needs a little refining as they tend to collapse when one sucks too hard (on a thick smoothie, for example.)
Bamboo straws are made from a flexible yet solid wood and can be sterilized. However, wood is porous, which makes me wary of bacteria growing inside the straw if not cleaned properly, and I’m a little paranoid about micro-size wood splinters coming off over time if the straws were manufactured cheaply. I haven’t done enough research on bamboo straws to gauge their value.
Stainless steel straws are the most sterile option, but can you imagine tripping and chipping a tooth?! Luckily someone thought of this, and many purchase options include a silicone rubber tip on the straw.
If reusable straws are something you are interested in, it is vital that you check on the package that they are made from your country’s government-approved food-grade materials. This is especially important when shopping online!
Reusable coffee cup ($2-25)
There are so many options when it comes to travel mugs, ranging from a $2 reusable plastic cup from Starbucks to a $14 bamboo mug . My only advice when it comes to purchasing one of these is to find an insulated one so your beverage doesn’t go cold too quickly!
Fails and Disclaimers
I took a loss with silicone Ziploc baggies. I’ve tried four, and only two remain, unused in my drawer. First of all, they aren’t as roomy as they look; a regular sandwich-bag-size holds only 1/2 of a sandwich, because the silicone is so thick it impedes storage space. They were difficult to wash; if I didn’t prop them open all the way to dry, two sides of silicone would stick together when wet, and when I went to pull them apart, they had formed a vacuum seal and I ended up ripping a hole in the bag. (2 bags, actually!) Lastly, they were NOT leak-proof. They are good for small servings of dry goods, like nuts or seeds.
I also learned from experience the importance of buying the silicone tips for your stainless steel straws by burning my lips on my coffee one morning. Not fun!
Finally, I would like to keep in frame the amount of meal prepping I do. Hardcore food preppers often prepare 7 days’ worth of meals, and my $50 solution would last them one day. I meal prep every 3 days. My foundation is pre-washing and cutting veggies to keep in the fridge which I can throw together in a bowl at home or in a container for lunch, as needed. If I make dinner, I double the recipe and store the extra helpings in food containers for lunch/dinners for the next 2-3 days.
- Glass is an environmentally-responsible alternative to plastic and with a little comparison shopping, can be an affordable replacement option.
- If shopping online for food containers, look for your country’s government-approved food-grade materials
- If you buy reusable straws made of stainless steel, always buy the ones with silicone tips so you don’t burn your lips on hot beverages or accidentally chip your teeth
Splurge Items
If you have some extra cash to splash on kitchenwares, these are my three favourite “splurge” items!
I would never have considered dropping $45 on a travel mug, but was fortunate enough to be gifted one, and I’m impressed! It keeps your beverage at the temperature it was when you poured it in, which is important to me because I won’t drink my coffee/tea unless it’s the temperature of the sun, and I also like to sip at my smoothies over a period of time, so I appreciate that the Yeti keeps all my beverages at the temperature that I like until I am ready to drink them!
Yes, I paid $80 for a lunch bag, but bear with me because it’s more of a “portable food system” than a lunch bag. It’s got enough room to fit in all your meals for a full day, the dimensions fit the fitness-standard shaker cups and food prep containers, it comes with food containers and ice packs that keep your food safe and cool all day. Great for athletes on a feeding schedule, or anyone who doesn’t have a fridge at work.
Pro tip: you can often knock $20-$30 off the price tag by shopping other websites like Bodybuilding.com or checking the Fitmark website for sales and promo codes.
Kleen Kanteen water bottles. ($21)
Again, I was fortunate enough to be gifted one of these, otherwise I probably would have never even looked at them, as they are marketed to camping enthusiasts. I like these stainless-steel, insulated water bottles. It has a nice wide mouth for adding ice, and like the Yeti, keeps drinks cold all day. I like that the bottle doesn’t “sweat” in hot weather, and it has different types of (affordable) tops, for those that like a sports nipple, or those who like a screw-top.
Fitness Mrs. Blogs 