Month: April 2019

bookmark_borderThe Ultimate Non-Meat Protein Guide!

Posted on

Hey earth muffins! As I continue on my zero waste journey, I have often thought about trying to stop eating meat. 🥩 It is obviously much more sustainable to not support the meat industry, but whenever I try to avoid them I never get enough protein and end up feeling really sick. To fix this, I thought you all would appreciate a post dedicated to some meat alternatives – by writing this, I hope to inspire myself (and others) to stop eating as much meat. 😃 Let’s jump right into it!

1. Chickpeas – I am a sucker for some tasty garbanzo beans. If necessary, I would be able to eat a whole can of these by myself… 😝 You can also buy them dried in the bulk bins, and they are super easy to rehydrate and cook with. You can use the beans as a substitute for meat or as a side dish. My favorite way to eat them is with a bit of balsamic vinegar on top!

2. Tofu – I used to love tofu when I was younger, but then I just stopped eating it for some reason. Now, I absolutely love it again! Tofu has a lot of protein in it, and it can definitely be cooked in a way that doesn’t make it soft or tasteless (which are the two major complaints I hear about it). If you are lucky, some international grocery stores actually sell fresh tofu without plastic, so you can bring your own container to be totally zero waste! 🎉

3. Lentils – These are a great meat substitute because they are extremely cheap to buy in bulk bins and aren’t super tricky to cook. There are a lot of international recipes that already use lentils instead of meat, so check out Pinterest for some inspiration! 🍲

4. Seitan – This food was a total mystery to me until I tried some this year, and it is actually pretty good! It is made of wheat gluten and can take the place of chicken, beef, or pork in a lot of recipes. While the texture is a little off from the texture of meat, if you season it well it is a really nice substitute! You can also make your own seitan to challenge yourself in the kitchen.

5. Other Beans – Even though chickpeas are my favorite, there are many other beans that can be used to substitute meats. The best burger I have ever eaten was made of smashed kidney beans (and some other vegetables), so I would definitely recommend stocking up on beans in the bulk bins as well. Cheap and delicious!

6. Nuts – While you can’t really use almonds in place of chicken in a stir fry (or maybe you could I don’t know!), nuts are a great source of protein. I used to absolutely hate the texture of nuts, but I have been pushing myself to eat more of them… And I am starting to really like them! 🥜


What other ingredients do you use as a source of protein?? 

Love,
Jenna ♥

➡️ Subscribe to never miss a post! ⬅️

bookmark_borderReview: Ethique Heali Kiwi Shampoo Bar

Posted on

Hey earth muffins! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday if you celebrated Easter this weekend 🐰 I got to spend some marvelous time with family, which was super great to relieve some stress during finals. 😀 At the end of January, I reviewed the Jumping Juniper shampoo bar from LUSH… After finishing that bar, I wanted to explore some other package free shampoos as part of my journey towards living a zero waste life. Ethique has some great zero waste products, so I decided to try out their Heali Kiwi bar. 😁 Here are my thoughts so far:

Pros:
~Fits nicely in my shower container: I mentioned in my How to Zero Waste Your Bathroom post that I have an Ethique container that keeps my shampoo bars/soaps dry in the shower. I love that the bars from Ethique fit perfectly in this!
~Sustainable: This bar is package free, which is amazing for the planet. I also love that the box it comes in is compostable 💚
~Smells nice: Compared to the Jumping Juniper bar, it smells a bit more earthy – but it still smells really good!
~Larger than LUSH bars and more cost effective: The bar at LUSH was $10.95 for 1.9 oz, which is about $5.76 per ounce of product. Compared to that, the Heali Kiwi bar can be bought on Amazon for $16 for 110 grams (which is about 3.88 oz). This means that you are only paying $4.12 per ounce!

Heali Kiwi (left) compared to Jumping Juniper 



Cons:
~Doesn’t lather as well: I have found that this is a common problem with many organic and natural soaps so this isn’t a big deal for me… Just make sure to wash your hair well if you want to avoid grease! 👍
~Seems like it won’t last as long: Even though the product is larger than the bars at LUSH, it seems like it won’t last as long. The soap is softer than the hard bars of LUSH, which makes it more susceptible to water. Just make sure to keep it out of water to make it last as long as possible!

What shampoo are you currently using? Would you switch to a shampoo bar?

Love,
Jenna ♥

➡️ Subscribe to never miss a post! ⬅️

bookmark_borderHow to Zero Waste Your Bathroom 🚽

Posted on

Hey earth muffins! For the second installment of my “How to Zero Waste Your [insert room here]” series, I thought that I would tackle the bathroom. 😁 On my journey towards zero waste, I have found that this room has some pretty easy switches to reduce your impact, which makes it a great place to start when trying to make your home more sustainable. Let’s jump right into it!

Beauty & Bath Products
–Purchase bar products!: Instead of buying soaps, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, etc. in plastic bottles (in hideous bright colors I might add), try buying them in bar form! These can be purchased at LUSH, Ethique, and many local places… I have found that they work extremely well 👍

Check out my review of LUSH’s Jumping Juniper shampoo bar! 

–Buy yourself a safety razor: This is super easy and will let you never use another disposable razor again! I was a bit scared at first, but shaving with a safety razor is incredibly easy.

–Basically, purchase things in glass or metal containers: Try to avoid plastics as much as possible when buying bath, body, and beauty products. If you feel comfortable, you can even DIY your own!

Shower Curtains and Other Bath Accessories
–Get an apartment with a shower door instead of a curtain: Most curtains are made of plastic and have to be replaced every once in awhile, so do the planet a favor and use shower doors! If that isn’t an option, there are some other options: organic cotton, hemp, and biodegradable curtains (but, these tend to be a bit pricey!
–Purchase a bar soap/product saver: Letting water eat away at your bar products is just wasteful, as you are losing valuable product. I personally have a soap container from Ethique that I absolutely love! It has openings in the bottom to let water out and air in (to dry the bars), and after a few years of use it is compostable 😍 I suggest purchasing a similar container, avoiding anything that is plastic.

You can purchase this soap saver for only $15! 

–Replace those loofahs: Loofahs are plastic (so avoid please), but you can find many sustainable alternatives! Try getting a natural loofah or a bamboo brush (or refrain from using a loofah in general, which is what I do).

Cleaners
–Avoid plastic toilet wands: Just like with loofahs, there are many bamboo alternatives that can be composted after use. 🎉

–Make your own cleaners or use natural brands: The chemicals that are used to clean bathroom are both smelly and bad for you (and the environment), so try something a bit more natural! There are so many DIY cleaner recipes out there, as well as brands that strive for low impact (like Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyer’s).

Toilet Paper
–Use natural and unbleached toilet paper: Toilet paper is bleached to be white, which makes you poor butt exposed to some pretty harsh chemicals. Look for unbleached toilet papers (like Who Gives a Crap) and try to use a decent amount instead of ten squares each trip to the restroom.
–Try a bidet: If you are super ambitious, try getting a bidet attachment to replace toilet paper completely! 😉 I know this might not be for everyone, but it is super sustainable!

Towels and Bathmats 
–Use towels from relatives: Many people buy way too many towels in their lifetime, so see if any friends and/or family are about to replace theirs. This is cheap and extremely low waste!
–Buy natural fabrics: Organic cotton, hemp, and any other sustainable fabrics are what you should look for. Also, don’t buy more towels than you actually need!

General Water Usage
–Take short showers: I have mastered a full shower in about 6 minutes, which leaves me more time to do other things when I am getting ready for the day or getting ready for bed!
–Don’t run the faucet when brushing your teeth, etc: I feel like this is pretty self explanatory…

–Use the saying, “If it’s yellow let it mellow” in regards to flushing: This might not be everyone’s style, but for someone who lives alone this would totally save water!


What are your tips to reducing waste in the bathroom?

Love,
Jenna ♥

➡️ Subscribe to never miss a post! ⬅️

bookmark_borderShopping in Bulk: My Favorite Stores!

Posted on

Hey earth muffins! Since starting my sustainable journey in May, I have been dabbling in bulk shopping in an effort to reduce the plastic packaging of certain foods. As I am still in college (in a dorm with a dining hall), I haven’t been doing much bulk shopping recently… But I will be doing a lot of it after graduation and when I have my own apartment! 🎉 I found quite a few quality bulk stores during my internship last summer, so I wanted to create a post dedicated to the best bulk stores (those I have visited and those that I can only dream about haha). 💚

If you are interested in learning how to shop in the bulk section (it is super easy!) make sure to check out that post (Shopping in the Bulk Bin Section 101) also!

1. Fresh Thyme Farmers Market – This was the only store that had a lot of bulk options in the city I was in for my internship, so I shopped here often! 😀 I also loved this store because they sold mainly organic foods, so I knew that the food that I was buying was better for the planet. While this store has a large bulk section (including a lot of candy, spices, and liquids like honey and oil), I found that it was missing pastas and snack foods. Certain bulk options would also be on sale often, which allowed me to save money on the already good prices!

2. Whole Foods – While Whole Foods has a reputation for being a bit pricey, they have a HUGE bulk section. As you save by purchasing only the food that you need when you buy in bulk, I can justify spending a bit more for the options that they have. They also have things like tea which is super awesome ☕

3. Local Co-op and Organic/Natural stores – Most local organic/natural stores have a bulk section. While there may not be as many options, it helps support the local businesses of your town! Plus, they will be more likely to allow you to bring your own containers, jars, and bags to fill (as some chain stores are not as accommodating).

4. Bulk Barn – This is a Canadian company, and I am honestly so jealous that I don’t have access to one! This store is ONLY bulk bins, and it carries absolutely everything and anything you could ever need. It even has soap berries that I mentioned in my How to Zero Waste Your Laundry Room post 😊

5. Winco – This store has both a bulk foods and a bulk liquid center, which is awesome! It is mainly in the West Coast, so definitely check it out if you live in that region of the US!

6. State and Local stores – If you want to see if there are any other bulk stores specific to your region, I suggest checking out this lovely zero waste “Where to Shop” guide on litterless.com. You can click on your state and each city has a list of the bulk food stores with links to their websites – so nifty!

Where do you like to shop?

Love,
Jenna ♥

➡️ Subscribe to never miss a post! ⬅️