PACK A WASTE-FREE LUNCH

Our Guide to Green Family, Kids & Pets is full of good ideas.

Be sure to check out our 'Guide to Greening Your Lunch'.

One of the first tips you will hear from both frugal and green proponents is to pack a lunch. Packing a lunch saves money over going out every day of course, and it also keeps excess packaging, highly processed foods and weird chemicals out of your meal. If you pack individually packaged chips, snack cakes, lunch meats and juice boxes you’ll still be getting the packaging and chemicals in your lunch. So, what can you do?

First of all, go for a homemade lunch and second, go for a no-waste lunch.

The homemade lunch is not all that difficult to accomplish. A little preparation time on the weekends will have everything ready for quick lunch packing in the mornings. Peanut butter, jelly and bread can all be made at home or you can look for brands with fewer preservatives and calories if you’re pressed for time. Cheese and crackers can also be filling and quick to put together. Cut up vegetables make a nice, crunchy snack and dried fruits or fruit leathers made in a dehydrator at home can provide affordable sweetness. You could also make muffins or cookies to include in lunches without too much of a time commitment. For adults, dinner leftovers and salads make nice lunch options. Soups are nice in cooler weather and can be made ahead and frozen for an easy to pack option.

Usually by bedtime on Sunday one shelf in my fridge has little lines of reusable containers full of soup, beans and rice or some other main dish along with precut fruits and veggies already portioned out. Near the lunch boxes sit sweet or crunchy snacks that only need to be placed into a bag to be ready to go.

The no-waste lunch is not as hard to accomplish as you might think. Simply consider reusable alternatives for your normal packaging routine. Find a lunch box you like to replace that brown paper sack or plastic grocery bag first of all. Sandwiches can easily be wrapped up in the Wrap-N-Mat. If you’re on a budget, the internet is full of tutorials on how to make your own.

Leftovers, salads, soups and cut up fruits and veggies (if they are moist like apples, cucumbers or bell peppers) can be placed in reusable containers. BPA-free plastic, stainless steel and glass are all available.

Snacks like chips, cookies or even carrot sticks can be placed in small, reusable cloth bags. You can make your own out of breathable cotton or even recycled net bags from the grocery store cut down to a smaller size and closed with a clothespin or tied with a bit of ribbon.

Another option is a stackable Bento or Tiffin style box which has several individual compartments to hold each type of food.

If you need to keep your lunch cold, simply put a reusable water bottle partially full of water into the freezer the night before. In the morning add more water. Your lunch will stay cold and you will have nice, cool water to drink at lunchtime.

Finally, remember to pack reusable silverware and a cloth napkin. If you’re packing for a child, especially on that has taken a lunch full of disposable items before, make sure to take a lot of time to explain the idea of the no-waste lunch. And be prepared to lose a few bits and pieces of your lunch kit in the learning process. Having really kid-friendly items may help. If a cloth napkin is made out of Spiderman fabric, your little guy may be more motivated to hang on to it than if it is a nice, floral pattern.

Have fun with lunch. Use fun containers, interesting napkins and break out of the sandwich and chips routine. A homemade, no-waste lunch is anything but boring.
Be sure to check out our 'Greening Your Lunch Guide' too.

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