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People often think "going green" means you have to spend a lot of money. However, it doesn't have to be that way. Making school (or even work) lunches green doesn't require a huge outlay of cash. In fact, by packing eco-friendly lunches, you are more likely to save money, your children are more likely to eat healthier foods, and you are taking care of the earth by producing less waste. It's a win-win-win!
Time is often an important factor when it comes to packing lunches (at least it is for me). And while some of the following suggestions take time to prepare, if you do your prep work on a weekend, you will have food conveniently ready to toss into lunch containers throughout the week(s) ahead.
When shopping for school lunch foods, be mindful of greenwashing - "a term used to describe the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly." Just because a product claims to be "natural," contain "whole grains" or even "organic" doesn't mean it's healthy or what it claims to be. Read labels carefully. The more processed food is and the more ingredients it has, the less likely it is to be healthy whether it's organic or not. I mean seriously, organic Oreos? Give me a break!
If you buy individually packaged foods, like organic fruit snacks, how green are you really being? Think about how much plastic and packaging is involved there. A great alternative is to make your own organic fruit snacks. If you can use locally-grown fruit from your own garden or farmer's market, all the better. Package them in a reusable container like these reusable sandwich bags found in the Cool Mom Picks Back to School Guide and you have a tasty "green" snack ready to go!
Far better than buying food that contains a label is to buy label-less food, like fresh produce! Chopped fruits and vegetables, paired with a dip or nut butter, bring color, taste and healthiness to every lunchbox. Try to choose fruits and vegetables that are in season and grown locally whenever possible. You can even buy large quantities of in-season fruits or veggies and then dehydrate them to throw into lunches year-round.
Granola bars are another great snack, but when you buy them from the store, they are often full of unwanted ingredients, additives and preservatives and come with excessive packaging and waste. When you make them yourself, you control what goes into them and you significantly cut down on trash. Check out these tasty do-it-yourself granola bar recipes. You are sure to find at least one that your kiddos will eat. Some don't even require baking! Make a batch on the weekend and you are set for lunches for the week. Put them in a reusable container and they are good to go.
- Groovy granola bars
- Peanut butter granola squares
- Cinnamon cherry granola bars
- No bake chewy chocolate chip granola bars
- Raw granola bars
Nuts are a great protein-filled food that can easily be packed into lunches. I just read a post by a woman on Freecycle asking for used Altoids containers. She said she uses them to pack nuts in her kids' lunches. What a great idea! If your school has a no peanuts policy, ask if other nuts such as almonds, cashews, pecans or walnuts are acceptable.
Does your child like yogurt but you don't like all of the waste (recyclable or not) produced by individual cups? Here's another thing you can make at home (even in your crockpot), then scoop into your reusable container and you're set. If you run short on time and have to buy yogurt from the store, buy it in the larger containers, then scoop out the desired amount into your child's reusable container. Less waste.
If your child's school doesn't have the option for them to compost their leftover food (perhaps you can inquire about it and get a system started), ask them to bring home their leftovers rather than throw them into the trash so you can either save them if they are salvageable or compost them yourself. This will also allow you to gauge how much and which foods your child ate for lunch.
Along the same lines, check with your child's school to see if they have a recycling system in place. If not, find out how you can get one started.
Michelle at What's Cooking blog has an
