Making snacks and drinks plastic free

Earlier this year, several members of the Green Tulip team took part in The Big Plastic Count and will also be taking part in   Plastic Free July. 

We discovered that trying to cut out plastic meant that we struggled to find savoury snacks and drinks other than water. So we thought we'd have a go at making our own, with some successes! 

Savoury snacks

First up - savoury snacks. We wanted that snacky, crunch that you get with crisps and crackers.

• Buy large packs and decant into smaller reusable containers, this won't cut out your plastic all together but can reduce it. Try popcorn, fruit and nuts, and big packs of crisps. Pop into a  snack bag or stainless steel container for pack lunches and days out.
• Buy packaging free using reusable containers and cut out the plastic all together. Recommended for nuts, seeds and chocolate. Find your nearest packaging free store and get exploring. We love Packaging Not Included in Marlborough 💚
• Make your own, it's not as scary as it sounds. Have at look at our post on how to make flaxseed crackers Serve with dips and save some for later in an airtight container.
• Other good ideas are oven dried sweet potato peelings and slices, kale crisps and chick peas. Shake them in a container with a little oil, salt and pepper and paprika or other spices,  pop them in a low oven whilst cooking dinner and enjoy the crunch.

 Drinks

Smoothies, apple juice and cordial are all family favourites but often come in single use plastic bottles. How about:

• Check local Facebook groups and noticeboards for apple juice pressing. You'll be surprised how many people have excess apples and often communities or local business have pressing days. Take reusable bottles and fill up with fresh juice.  
• Make cordial with whatever fruit you either grow or can pick up from farm shops, neighbours, markets. There are a lot of recipes on the internet and it is really simple. Soft fruit, sugar, citric acid or lemon juice and water are the only ingredients you'll need. Elderflowers can be foraged in spring for free!
• Save glass bottles for storing the above. Clean with a bottle brush then  dishwashing or rinsing with hot water will help to sterilise them. 
• Fresh smoothies can be made with any fruits you have hanging around, a great way to use them up. You can freeze fruits that are going soft and use them in your smoothie to prevent food waste and make the drink thicker. Just use a stick blender to whizz up and serve with an extra thick smoothie straw.
• Make a milkshake with strawberries or raspberries, with plant based milk to cut  down on dairy. A few treats like these will go a long way to persuading family members to go plastic free for their drinks 💚

I hope you have found some useful ideas for plastic free snacks and drinks. If you have any recipes or tips please leave them in the comments! 

Head over to our Green Guide to saving money and the planet to download your 100 great money saving eco tips checklist.

Kate