January 2019 - Life of an Earth Muffin

The Ultimate Guide to Meal Prepping!

Posted on January 29, 2019July 30, 2024

It seems like meal prepping is always on my Pinterest feed, so over the summer I decided to try my hand at it… I think meal preps are the perfect way to ensure that you are eating healthy foods regardless of how much time you have to cook lunch/dinner, so I would definitely recommend trying it out sometime! 🍽 If you have any questions about anything regarding meal prepping, look no further because I have the Meal Prep 101 guide in store for you all today. Let’s get started!

Step 1: Figure out a day and time that you will do your meal prepping – I personally liked to do it on Sundays after lunch, as it allowed me to get everything cooked and ready before dinner (thus, giving me the whole night off to enjoy before work the next morning).

Step 2: Find the containers you will be using – Before you start cooking, I suggest finding all the containers you will need. There are many options:

Bento boxes – These containers are perfect for meal prepping and come in plastic (try to be sustainable and avoid!), wood, and metal/stainless steel.
Stainless steel tupperware – As part of my journey towards zero waste, I bought a set of stainless steel tupperware to use for meal prepping, takeout, and storing leftover food.
Mason jars – Easy for one dish meals (like stir fry, fried rice, etc.), salads, and yogurt.
Reusable sandwich bags – I mentioned trying to replace Ziploc bags in my post about plastic alternatives, and I love my reusable sandwich bags!
Plastic tupperware – While these aren’t the sustainable choice, most people have them already in their kitchens… Do what is easiest for you!

Step 3: Plan out what foods you will want to make – This depends totally on what you want to eat for the days you are meal prepping! If you don’t have any good recipes in mind, I would recommend looking through Pinterest… But, make sure you remember that meal prep doesn’t need to be fancy – prepare the foods you would usually cook! Here is my formula for the perfectly prepped meal:

Protein (meat, tofu, beans, etc.) + Carbs (grains, rice, bread, etc.) + Vegetable + Something sweet (try fruit instead of baked goods!)

= The meal prep of perfection

If you think you will be hungry, try adding some sort of snacky food as well (nuts, pretzels, anything else from bulk bins)!

Step 4: Actually cook the food – This will take however long each component of your meal takes to cook. 😃

Step 5: Put the food into your containers and put into fridge/freezer until needed – After packaging up everything nicely, let cool for a bit before closing the lids (this will prevent steam from making anything soggy). I put half of my meals into the fridge for the upcoming days, and the other in the freezer to take out mid-week… Do what works best for you (which also depends on how many days you meal prepped)!

Step 6: When ready to eat, heat up in microwave/over the stove. Enjoy! – I hope your meal prepping has allowed you to enjoy healthier meals without the stress of trying to cook right after getting home from work. 👍

What are your tips and tricks for meal prepping?

Feel free to pin this to save it for later!

Love,
Jenna ♥

Review: LUSH Jumping Juniper Shampoo Bar

Posted on January 24, 2019June 18, 2024

Hey earth muffins, I hope everyone is having a great week so far! 😍 As part of my journey towards zero waste, I have recently been switching out my bathroom essentials to products that are more sustainable… Recently, I swapped out my shampoo to the Lush Jumping Juniper shampoo bar. I was a bit wary of trying a new shampoo, as my scalp produces this weird oily substance that is hard to maintain. I had been using Paul Mitchell’s Tea Tree Shampoo ever since I was in 6th grade, and this product was able to at least control my scalp a little bit.

When I was looking to find a more sustainable alternative, I immediately knew I wanted to try a shampoo bar from LUSH. When looking through their “flavors”, I decided to buy the Jumping Juniper one that is aimed to “sort out oily hair problems by washing away grease and managing oil production”. I have been using it for about a month now, so I thought I would share the pros and cons of the product. 👍

Pros:
~Works great on my scalp: While I thought the Tea Tree shampoo had been helping my hair, it clearly was not doing that great because this bar does an excellent job of washing away ALL the oil! I was actually blown away the first time I used it, and the oil has still been controlled after using it for a month.
~Smells great: I can’t place what this bar smells like (I am pretty sure it is some sort of candy or dessert), but it smells amazing regardless. Sometimes heavily scented things can irritate my nose, but this one has just the perfect amount of scent to it.
~Easy to use: I actually love how easy this is to use! You basically just use it as you would with any bar of soap (get the bar wet, lather it up, and lather your head!)
~Looks ascetically pleasing: Who wants a brightly colored plastic bottle in their shower? Not me! I love how simple naked products are 😃
~Sustainable: Because this has no packaging, it is definitely a great sustainable alternative. I would recommend giving it a try!

Cons:
~It is difficult to keep the bar dry: To last for all 80 washes (which is how many washes the website say it will last for), it is essential to keep the bar dry when it is not in use. I bought the round tin to hold this product, but I would recommend not storing it in this container unless you are traveling, as it doesn’t allow the bar to fully dry.

*Update: This shampoo bar lasted me a total of 98 washes!!! 😲 *

~Makes my hair full of static: This is a minor thing, and I am pretty sure that is the dry air of my dorm…
~Kinda pricey: One bar is $10.95, which means you will need about 5 bars per year (if you wash your hair every night). While $55ish isn’t that expensive for a whole year of shampooing, there are definitely cheaper options out there if you are concerned with price.

Overall, I think the LUSH Jumping Juniper shampoo bar is an excellent product, and I will continue to use it! ♥ Would you ever try out a shampoo bar?

Love,
Jenna ♥

The Best Places to Buy Sustainable Products!

Posted on January 15, 2019June 9, 2024

As many of you know, I have been on a journey towards zero waste since May of 2018. If you also embark on a mission to live a more sustainable lifestyle, you might be curious about where I buy my sustainable products. Look no further – this post is dedicated to a list of my favorite places to shop! 😊 Let’s jump right into it!

1. Family and friends! – When you have a list of sustainable items you would like to buy (such as stainless steel containers, reusable produce bags, etc.), try to find them from people close to you! This will ensure that you get it for a better price (or even for free) and is best for the environment, as the product that they might not use will be heavily used by you instead of ending up in the landfill.

2. Freecycle (or Facebook Marketplace) – This is basically the same idea but with strangers in your town/city! If you don’t know what Freecycle.org is, it is a website where people can post things that they would like to get rid of. This stuff is all free, which is amazing, and it prevents perfectly good items heading to the landfill. In my city there is currently a dining room table, TV, firewood, etc. being offered.

3. Amazon – When I first started my journey, I was looking for many products to replace the plastic or unsustainable ones in my life. I found that Amazon sells almost all kinds of stainless steel, bamboo, and other sustainable products that you can think of… It is definitely a great place to start to at least understand how much certain things will cost you! If you plan on buying a lot from Amazon, I would recommend making a list and buying everything at once, which will reduce the amount of environmental impact when it comes to shipping materials and carbon used for shipping.

4. Ebay – Like Amazon, this website has some great sustainable products, but I like Ebay because you can buy more things used… Again, this prevents any excess waste from going into the landfill (but make sure you try to avoid as much shipping pollution as possible!).

5. Thrift stores – After looking for a product on Amazon and Ebay, why not try to find it in your local thrift shops? I am a huge promoter of the Salvation Army, but you should be able to score some great finds where ever you go! Hint hint – thrift stores tend to carry lots and lots of glass containers for a perfect zero waste pantry!

6. Yard sales – Just like the thrift store, yards sales are a great place to find great deals.

7. Craigslist – I never usually use Craigslist (as I have been able to find sustainable goods from the above places), but it is another way to find products close to you for decent prices. Make sure you don’t meet people at their home or sketchy locations!

8. Zero waste/plastic free websites – There are a bunch of websites that specialize in sustainable products that will even use as little packaging as possible. Here are some of my faves: