Trying to cut out single use plastics and reduce waste on this Earth?

Here are 3 life-changing products that I bought at the beginning of 2021, that have already saved me money and made a huge difference in reducing my day-to-day trash!

1. Silicone Baking Mat

These have been LIFE-CHANGING! As someone who meal-preps and refuses to use the microwave, I found myself going through a lot of aluminum foil while using the toaster oven every day. I’d try to use the same sheet of foil twice in a day if possible, but with the amount of reheating I do, reusing wasn’t going to be enough!

I looked for a solution and discovered Silicone Baking Mats on Amazon. They’re safe to cook with in the oven and the silicone material prevents any food from sticking to it. That makes them super easy to clean, too! The silicone mats come in a few different sizes- I have a small one for my toaster oven that I use almost every day, and two larger ones for my regular oven. I can’t rave enough about these and I have gifted them to so many family members now because I think anyone who cooks needs a set!

My Thoughts on the Product: My food never sticks any more! That’s a win in itself, let alone cutting out aluminum foil from my life. These can be awkward to clean at first since they’re flexible- but you find a system. Plus everything rolls off super easy because it’s silicone!

2. Collapsible Food Storage Containers

Aside from meal-prepping, I do dine out often! American meal portions are huge and I usually find myself bringing home almost half my meal from most restaurants. The “doggie bag” is usually a styrofoam box which I use to carry the food home, then immediately re-box it into a sealed container so it stays fresh. Luckily, styrofoam can be recycled at my local grocery store, but it was still something I wished to cut out. Obviously, I’m not going to bring my food storage containers to a restaurant… OR AM I?

These collapsible silicone food storage containers FIT in my FANNYPACK! and they’re PINK! Ok so you can get any color you want, but how cool is this Amazon find?! Now when I go out to eat, I always throw at least one of these in my bag! No more asking for a box, no more waste!

My Thoughts on the Product: Easy to clean, easy to collapse. Some collapsible silicone products are too thin and fold in weird when pressing down, but these seem to lay perfectly flat every time I collapse it. It can take a minute to get the lid on until you get used to lining up everything perfectly lol but they get the job done and I haven’t had any issues of the lid popping off.

3. Reusable Food Storage Bags

Of course, there is some food that just makes more sense in a bag than in a box. Thats why my 3rd favorite eco-conscious change I made for 2021 was buying reusable food storage bags. I got a mixed set with sandwich bags, quart bags, and gallon bags, all of which can be washed and reused, so I’ll never have to buy ziplocks again!

My Thoughts on the Product: I have not tried other brands, but I chose the brand linked because of their easy open lip. I read some reviews that other bags can be difficult to open. I find that these open and seal very easily and they feel really durable.