I love getting creative with lunch and don’t like a whole lot of extra packaging for my kiddos. One thing my girls like is muffins. Entenmann’s Little Bites are easy and fun and a great addition to my kiddos lunch box! We were sent some fun products and tips to share! Little Bites “Recycle…Reuse…Replenish” Fully Recyclable Lunch Tips: Recycle

• Check-it: look for numbers and recycling symbols on plastics to know what types get reused
• Not sure what to do with your Little Bites pouches? Now you can recycle them with the TerraCycle program and sign up for your school if they are not already. Check out what other lunch items TerraCycle recycles here.

Reuse

• Put your sandwich in reusable lunchbox container to take home and use over again
• Before you toss anything away, stop to think about ways you might be able to use it again.  TerraCycle’s team of designers makes products out of wrappers and packaging.  Check out the website for ideas.

Replenish

• Have any leftovers from lunch? Before you throw away, make sure to check out what biodegradable foods can be brought back home to be added to a compost pile
• Make a compost at home! Be sure to include the three basic ingredients: Browns (dead leaves, branches, twigs, cardboard, newspaper), Greens (grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, coffee grounds) and Water to make an effective outdoor composting area.  Check out more info from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) here.

Spending time outdoors makes me hungry. That’s why picnics were invented. Who wants to have to go back INSIDE when you’re having so much fun OUTSIDE!? We have a cute picnic basket that, frankly, needs to see more sunlight. However, since it’s not insulated, I can only use it for quick trip-to-the-park picnics. For longer trips, I use an insulated cooler. Terracycle, Inc. sent us a roomy Ozark Trail 36 Can Cooler with Removable Hardliner. This particular cooler has a special hardliner – it’s made by Terracycle out of recycled Frito-Lay chip bags! And, it’s antimicrobial (no clue how that happens, but true!). The Ozark Trail Cooler from Terracycle has zipper and mesh pockets front and side pockets, as well as a 3″ expandable top for dry storage, so you don’t have to pack just cans. The 36-can size is perfect to hold one lunch for our family – we sit it between our seats, and I can grab snacks as we go and zip it back up! If we happen to stop, we don’t have to unpack the whole car, I just lift out the cooler and we’re ready to eat!