Update on Reducing Plastic in the Kitchen

Let's get real about my ongoing goal of plastic reduction in the kitchen. Because, to be honest, it's NOT EASY. Markets basically plastic wrap ALL the food! So looking for items that we like to eat that isn't sold pre-packaged in plastic is a tall order.

I'm doing my best. I'm pulling out recipes that don't rely on plastic-wrapped food -- which basically means grains and veggies. And baguettes. Oh, and eggs. You can always find eggs in paper cartons. But I do run into problems each week. So I try to limit where I can, but I need to be realistic.

So, in the interest of full transparency, here's the plastic-wrapped items from my market run on Monday:

Obviously, I'm Making Tacos for Dinner Tonight, And Couscous Salad Tomorrow Night

(I'll caveat that in Paris, I hit the market a few times a week, depending on what's on the menu, so this might not be a good representation of "a week" of plastic purchased. But you get the idea.)

Notice the cheese and butter, still in plastic. I *should* go to the fromagerie, but I'm embarrassed by my awful French and for ordering cheddar, which the French roll their eyes at... but we need for our tacos! As for the yogurt, the small glass jars of yogurt I can find are not Greek and a bit pricey. In the States, I make my own yogurt (see these posts), so I'm letting yogurt slide here -- as long as I'm sure to recycle or reuse the containers. Again being realistic, yogurt is a family-favored snack.

My Coffee Morning

My current successful swaps: 
- Sliced bread ----> fresh baguettes (in paper bag)
- Instant coffee cups (like K cups) ----> French press coffee using bagged coffee grounds
- Plastic bag pasta ----> paper boxed pasta (paper is a better choice, though I'm still looking for a local bulk bin)
- Plastic-bottled milk ----> paper cardboard milk (not best, but still more recyclable)
- Sauces and dressings in plastic bottles ----> finding them in glass containers
- Paper towels (which are wrapped in plastic) ----> reusable rags and dishtowels

But let's be real:

Pasta - Box Instead of Plastic

- I haven't been to the butcher, so I'm still buying corporate plastic-wrapped meat. It's on my list! Though, lately we're buying/eating less meat.
- I found this new shop called Picard, which is all frozen food! An interesting concept so we had to buy a few things. But, yes, all that frozen food is wrapped in plastic. All of it. Argh!
- I'm still buying some (though a little less) processed and plastic-wrapped and crackers, chips and popcorn. Guys, it's easy for kids' lunches which I have to make every day! Sigh. The swap here is to make my own, but my small kitchen is not set up for such culinary challenges.

Overall, it's a ongoing process. The key is to just shift our culinary habits to favor the food I can buy in the bulk bins or fresh. Which, again I make the point, probably is the way we should be eating, anyway.



Related posts:
Read more about this Less Plastic project
My Zero-Waste Ideas Pinterest board 
More ideas about Reusing stuff instead of throwing it away