“What is your biggest struggle with being sustainable with your kids?”
(If you missed it, Read Part 1 - TOYS here)
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From Crisps to Cookies, Yogurt to Sweets, and even Fruit & Veg - this was the most popular response to our question. How can we snack more sustainably when everything is packaged in plastic? As busy parents we don’t always have the time to DIY our own plastic free snacks, convenience = survival! And when the kids want a cereal bar, they want a cereal bar - am I right?!?!
Some Tasty Solutions
Plastic-Free Packaged Snacks:
Okay, plastic free packaged snacks are hard to find, no question. There are options however! Our favourite is Freddie's Farm Snacks who not only have a zero-plastic approach but also grow all the ingredients on their farm here in the UK.
For sweet options there's always PLAYinCHOC who offer sustainably and ethically sourced chocolate (which is also dairy, nut, gluten and of course plastic free!) that is delish!
Bulk Up!
Another great alternative is to buy in bulk and package your own (I know what you're thinking… I don’t have time for that, but hear me out...). With a single trip to your local bulk food or zero waste store, you will find a plethora of snack options: pretzels, nuts & granola, cereals, chocolate buttons (for special occasions!), even cookies, and crisps in some cases! No zero waste store - no problem, buy the ‘Family’ size at the supermarket and make that one piece of packaging go the extra mile. You can fill up some cute Marie Kondo style tubs and have your pantry looking FRESH, and all you have to do is pop single portions into a reusable container (like a used yogurt container, stasher bag, or Huski Home lunch box, or use a ziplock bag over, and over and over) and BAM packaged snacks are ready for camp! BONUS - it's generally much more economical.
Forgotten Cupboard Staples:
But, you don’t always have to search out and buy the latest snack trend innovation (which are often premium priced) or go out of your way to pop by a zero waste store, there are also store-cupboard, super simple snacks that maybe you’ve forgotten about!
Friendly Bake-a-thon?!
DIY-ing your own snacks is a chore that many parents don’t want to take on (definitely not us). BUT, what if we make it a team effort? Circle up that parent group and have a bake-a-thon one weekend. Everyone pulls out grandma’s recipe for cookies, muffins, squares, dried fruit or whatever it is and make a BIG BATCH - then everyone swaps and all of a sudden your freezer is full with a variety of homemade snack options! Yummmm.
Plastic Free Produce:
What about the Fruits & Veggies’? They often come with plastic tagging along too! Here are just three great options we found for the naked variety!
Plus of course, fruit, from the loose produce section! I mean technically, fruit is “pre-wrapped”, why do we need plastic on it at all? The issue is probably explaining to your kids why this is better for them and the planet than the pre-dried, sugar-added, plastic-wrapped version. Tackle that conversation, they might surprise you when you explain why it’s best.
Summer Snack Ideas & Family Fun in One!
There’s no doubt that a hunger for plastic free snacks puts you in a bit of a pickle, but it’s not about pear-fection (you see what I did there) and we hope these idea’s help to spark some positive change in your snack game.
Let us know what you think and make sure to share any extra ideas that we should include!
