WHAT are Snack Bags and HOW do I use them?
In honour of Earth Day coming up this weekend (which, by the way, I feel should be everyday) I wanted to share a little more info about my snack bags, what they are exactly and how best to use them. They are relatively new to the “green lifestyle” scene but they are gaining momentum and have become a “must have” item in your office lunch or your kids back pack.
I started making these several years back as a mother/daughter project. Wanting to help my kids have an understanding about some of the issues around consumption and reduction and our dependency on single use plastics. These seemed like such a simple and elegant solution for our fast paced lifestyles. People are on the go all day and if you are trying to stay healthy it can be very easy to throw some snacks in a zip lock bag everyday OR to be continually buying snacks that are so heavily packaged that the garbage piles up at a shocking pace. These snack bags are the solution to all that.
The bags are made from a beautiful and stylish food-safe laminated organic cotton from France. One side is coated with the acrylic and the other is not. The bags close with a strong 1/2 inch wide velcro strip. They come in 2 sizes which is perfect depending on what you plan on using them for. you can see all the options here.
Some things that they are really good for are:
Sandwiches, bagels, GORP, crackers, baby carrots, cut up apples, popcorn, cut up vegetables, muffins, banana bread, cookies, pretzels, DOG treats. And more! Whatever is your favourite snack. They are perfect for almost all food items except the really wet juicy stuff. They are also great as a toiletries bag for toothbrushes, hair accessories, make-up and tampons etc.
The best part for me is that when you are done eating they just fold up very small and compact unlike a Tupperware or sandwich box. And unlike a ziplock they are reusable for years.
They are very easy to clean. I usually just turn them inside out and shake out the crumbs. If needed I then use hot soapy water in my kitchen sink and give it a quick scrub with my cleaning brush. Twist out remaining water and hang over something to dry overnight and they are ready for you the next day. And once and awhile when I am feeling lazy or I think they need a good clean I just throw them in the washing machine and hang to dry.
These little bags are such a great addition to my efforts to go plastic free. I bring them with me everywhere: School, hiking, road tripping, work, camping, skiing, all the good times that need snack times!
It’s so hard in this life to be continually focused on “green living” and I refuse to succumb to the guilt of it all. I don’t think guilt adds anything to the conversation. I just strive to do little things everyday and to educate my family thru doing these little things. Life is busy and its hard to be perfect! Keep on having fun and keep on snacking…but ditch the ziplocks and go green with some snack bags :)