Every day last school year, I packed a lunch for my husband, who is a teacher. It was pretty formulaic and nothing fancy: a sandwich, an apple, baby carrots, dry-roasted chickpeas and a granola bar. This seemingly innocuous lunch, however, had a pretty shameful environmental toll: Three plastic sandwich baggies went straight to the landfill, five days per week. I felt a twinge of guilt each time I loaded up an individual baggie, but regrettably, not enough to actually wean myself from using them.
So this summer, when my children’s day camp challenged parents to pack our kids a completely waste-free lunch, I decided it was time to turn over a new leaf to be more environmentally sound. The camp requested that lunchboxes and utensils be reusable, and that lunch contents not be wrapped — in other words, no single-serve yogurt tubes, no applesauce squeeze pouches, no mini bags of chips and no individually wrapped granola bars.
What started as a morally compelling but mildly annoying directive turned out to be a surprisingly economical and rewarding experience. Trips to the grocery store became less frequent and less costly, since I was forced to buy foods in bulk rather than in more expensive single-serve “convenience” packaging. Freed from the tyranny of the sandwich-centric lunch by our new reusable lunchboxes, I was able to pack leftovers for my kids’ lunches, which reduced the amount of food waste in our home. As a result of purchasing less food packaging and throwing away fewer leftovers, we wound up producing two less bags of garbage per week during camp season! Finally, the reusable lunchbox’s design opened up new possibilities as far as what a packed lunch could contain (ours had a vacuum-sealed, leak-proof container), which made me feel less constrained and more inspired to create appealing, nutritious meals for my kiddos.
[See: How to Make a Healthy, Tasty Sandwich.]
So if you’re ready to help save the earth — and some money — by ditching those plastic zip-sealing sandwich bags, over-packaged snacks and juice boxes, here are some tips:
Start with a reusable lunchbox. A good reusable lunchbox will last you for years, and many are made with recyclable materials so you can dispose of them without guilt when they’re finally ready to be retired. While there are many options, lunchboxes generally fall into one of two categories. There are “bento-style” boxes, or compartmentalized lunchboxes that seal tight to keep each food separate and sealed in its place so that it need not be wrapped. There are also cooler-style lunchboxes, which are insulated bags that you fill with individual reusable plastic, glass or stainless steel food containers, and often an ice pack as well. Some bento boxes have room for a slim ice pack to fit inside, while others are designed to fit into an insulated carrying case.
The type of lunchbox you choose will depend on the type of lunches and the amount of food your kid eats. Traditionalists who favor the basic sandwich-centric lunch may do well with a simple bento-style box that has a larger sandwich-sized compartment flanked by two smaller compartments for fruit, veggies or snacks, such as the Fit & Fresh Kids Divided Meal Carrier with Ice Packs or Blüm’s Bento Lunchbox with Insulated Bag. Younger kids who like to graze on lots of little things may do well with a multi-compartment, bento-style box, such as the popular Lunch Buddies, Yumbox and Bentgo Kids products — or their pricier stainless steel cousin, the PlanetBox. If you’ve got a soup lover like I do, Omiebox’s vacuum-sealed, leak-proof compartment allows for the option of hot soup as part of a kid’s bento-style lunch.
Older kids and teens — or kids of any age who need multiple packed snacks for after-school activities — may prefer a cooler-style lunch bag with larger containers inside to accommodate the bigger portions they require. Well-rated options include the Fit & Fresh lunchbox systems, Rubbermaid’s LunchBlox system, Zojirushi’s Mini Bento Stainless Lunch set (which contains a vacuum-sealed jar to keep liquids at temperature) or Built NY’s insulated lunch bags to surround the food containers of your choice with cuteness.
[See: 10 Healthy Meals You Can Make in 10 Minutes.]
Get a reusable water bottle. Individual drink boxes and bottled water are wasteful in terms of packaging and money — and kids are unlikely to benefit from the sugar calories that a juice box adds to their lunch, anyway. A reusable water bottle is a must for any eco-friendly, healthy lunchbox. If you have an insulated lunch bag, the high-quality, straw-style products, such as those from Thermos, Klean Kanteen or Camelbak, should generally fit in without the risk of leaking. More slender bento-style boxes can sometimes accommodate a soft, collapsible water bottle, whether inside the box itself or within the insulated carrying case.
Try silicone baking cups. These are a terrific way to separate larger compartments within a bento-style lunchbox to keep loose items such as nuts, trail mix, granola, berries, grapes, dry-roasted chickpeas or cookies separated without a plastic baggie. They’re washable and reusable, and you can use them for baking muffins and cupcakes to boot.
Don’t forget reusable utensils. Ditch the disposable plastic ware and pack reusable forks and spoons with your kid’s lunch. Some lunchbox companies sell accessories that are scaled down to fit their products, but if not, whatever you have in your kitchen should certainly suffice.
[See: What 10 Nutritionists Learned About Cooking From Their Moms.]
Get inspired on Pinterest. There’s no better place for lunchbox inspiration than Pinterest, where you can voyeuristically peruse the lunchbox contents of thousands of children — including mine! Pinterest is where I learned how to tattoo a banana, find year-round uses for my holiday cookie cutters and make a sandwich on a stick. By the time my kids are in eighth grade, I have every intention of becoming a master bento lunch packer, transforming hard-boiled eggs, rice and fruit into edible baby animals worthy of an anime comic. After all, getting creative with lunch packing certainly takes the drudgery out of this much-maligned chore!
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How to Pack an Eco-Friendly Lunch originally appeared on usnews.com
