When you start to switch out items in your home for more natural or reusable items, the kitchen is a great place to start, and what better way then with sustainable snacking and food storage.

So you are asking yourself the question…….Am I super crunchy? Super frugal? Super DIY?  Did I make my Beeswax wraps right after I attended my underwater basket weaving class?  The answers is NO to all of the above.

I simply want to make more sustainable environmental choices.  So In honor of Back-to-school and the dreading task of making lunches.  Here are a few of my favorite sustainable snacking and food storage wins.

I was Introduced to this recipe in a “party”  format, through a beautiful soul that  is part of my village of amazing mom friends.

This process is fairly labour intensive.  So unless you have a large group available for cutting,  and grating  (I found that wine helped with this process. 😉 )   I suggest washing,  cutting the fabric, and grating the beeswax  in advance.  I have  made them in a smaller group with my mother in-law and sister in-law , we did the prep work ahead of time, and the process was still time consuming as you cannot make was melt any faster than the temperature allows.

That being said,  once you get the hang of it, this is a fun and effective DIY project for a group, and a great gift giving ideas for hostesses.

DIY Beewswax wraps

These Sustainable food storage cloths are lightly coated with jojoba oil, beeswax, and tree resin to make the cloth moldable and sticky enough to stay in that molded position until you unwrap it.

Supplies:

• Thin cotton material like quilters cotton (organic would be preferred since this will be touching food); I used this pattern for mine.
• organic beeswax pellets (they also have white ones that would yellow your fabric less)
• Jojoba Oil
• powdered pine resin 
• new paintbrush
• Pinking shears (optional but helpful)
• Baking sheet and parchment paper

Instructions:

1. Wash your fabric to remove any chemicals still on the fabric and dry.
2. Cut your fabric into squares with pinking shears (this will help your fabric not unravel at the ends).  Ensure the squares will fit on your baking sheet
3. Preheat your oven to 225°
4. Lay out parchment paper on your cookie sheet and place your fabric square on the sheet. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon jojoba oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons pine resin, and 2 teaspoons beeswax pellets over the sheet as evenly as you can.
5. Place your sheet in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until you can see that all the elements have melted.
6. Once you see everything has melted, use your paintbrush to smooth out the mixture all over the sheet.
7. Flip them over and lightly squeegee the excess mixture from off the sheet so only a light coating remained.
8. Once you have thin coating after brushing, place the sheet back in the oven for 1-2 more minutes.
9. Use tongs to pick up the sheet off the tray and wave it around in the air for a few seconds to allow it to cool (it cools pretty quickly), and then hang it over something to allow it to fully set.  I waited 24 hours to give them time to fully dry.

While I love using these for food storage, be advised that they are not completely sealing in your item like it would be in a glass container with an airtight lid. So if you want a little extra closure, you can also use a rubber band or a piece of string to tie your item with to keep it a bit more closed. So it’s more like sticky wax paper that you can reuse over and over rather than an airtight jar situation

Colibri Snack bags:

My sister in-law recently introduced me to the  Colibri Snack Bags,  which I immediately loved.  These Sustainable snacking bags are convenient, reusable, sealable, water-resistant wonders.

Formally called the Sling Sisters, Colibri is a Canadian Company, owned and operated by 2 fabulous sisters who do all the designing and manufacturing at their home in Manitoba. Their bags have beautiful cotton exteriors featuring a huge variety of amazing prints to suit any taste, décor, or child’s preferences. With fresh new colours and prints being released every few months, there is a fabulous selection for everybody.

Colibri Snack Bags have a nylon inner liner that is water-resistant to keep moisture in. The durable zippers are CPSIA tested lead- and nickel-free, and the bags themselves contain no BPA and are approved as food safe by the FDA. The snack bags come in 3 sizes: Large, Small, and Wide, and can fit pretty much any type of snack conceivable. But here’s the thing: they can be used for so much more than snacks!

Do you have sustainable food storage ideas you would like to share, Hit me up in the comments below….I want all your tips.