Grocery shopping is quite an ordeal for me. Not only do I like to thoroughly scope out every aisle for things I need but once I start making my way towards the store with my reusable bags in tow, I start to calculate how must more I can reduce my packaging consumption that trip. As you know, I've given up the produce bags because I find them ridiculous (although, I know the checkers find ME ridiculous). But I've been trying to up the ante by considering what type of packaging my potential food choice uses, if it is really necessary for me to have (find a non-packaged alternative), and if I do need packaging, is it readily recyclable/reusable?
I don't buy cookies or chips or candy so I'm good in that department. But what about my oh-so-convenient Lean Cuisines and its store-brand copy-cats? It's been really hard for me to let those go because they are so cheap and easy! But I am proud to say that I said 'nay' to them, just cold turkey, because since I've been monitoring my trash (even at work), I find myself tossing that black tray. So no more Lean Cuisines. My alternative for this week? Veggie sandwiches. I'm clear in the packaging front with veggies because I grab from the bulk bins and reach for unpackaged veggies in the produce section. But I faltered a bit in the bread department. Plastic!
It was annoying and moment like this I yearn for boulangeries so I can get my fresh baked bread from Mme. and slip it into my canvas bag. Sigh, indeed. But I figured I can just buy the packaged bread and reuse the bag for my next visit when I want to buy snowpeas! Yes, every trip I stare at the snowpeas, wanting to buy them to add into my delicious meals but knowing it would be a 'mess' at the checker because I forget to bring a smaller reusable plastic bag. So note to self: redeem myself by reusing that bread bag.
Faltered in the dairy department, too. Needed cream cheese to spread in my sandwiches and veggie cheese slices. I can easily reuse the cream cheese container as Tupperware. It's a "#5" plastic so a tough one to recycle. (Yes, don't get me started on the plastic types. You can definitely find me flipping over plastic containers to check for their number and hope for #1 or #2 plastics since they are readily accepted in curbside recycling programs). The plastic film on my veggie cheese slices, though, are a lost cause and will be noted in my personal trash monitoring.
Other purchases:
- cans of soup (I can recycle the cans)
- tofu (in #2 plastic -- readily recyclable)
- fake chicken nuggets and fake ground beef for my tacos (#7 plastic -- cringe -- but recyclable paper packaging)
- flour tortillas (I know, I know. Will have to visit a local tortilleria with my own packaging)
- pasta sauce (reusable & recyclable jar)
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