text: I’ve been testing out a few new things things year with excellent results. The first is a reusable parchment paper of sorts for cooking. It’s the Cookina Reusable Baking Mat. It’s non-stick and replaces foils and parchment papers. You can cut it to fit your favourite baking trays or pans and it’s even microwave and dishwasher safe. It is for baking, not the BBQ though. I found mine at Thrifty Foods for $14.99 and have been using it happily for 6 months.
  My next great finds are available at Ecotopia Naturals for $4 and made by Nature Bee, locally in Saanichton, BC! They are paper wrapped cleaning tabs that dissolve in water. There are several scents of Foaming Hand Soap, Multi-purpose Spray Cleaners and just out… a Bathroom Cleaner.
  Hope you'll give these products a try, if you haven't already! :) And share the info with your friends.
  #yyj #ditchtheplastic #nomoreplastic #bakingnonstick #plasticfreecleaners
  p.s. - I've turned off commenting as I was getting spammed. :(
  Wrapping things up a new Way!
  11/18/2021
  As we just get started on our holiday shopping I'm going to put out a reminder to think upcycled and recycled wrapping. There are beautiful cloth gift wrappings out there that can be re-used year after year. Many are made from upcycled fabrics - an added bonus!
  If you can shop local for gifts, you may find some beautiful hand made works, no plastic wrappings and you will be supporting local artists and shops. #mindfulshopping
  New Finds, New Tries and the Tried & True
  4/28/2021
  I'm always on the lookout for something new, plastic free or a new recipe to try to replace something wrapped in plastic. I've let my guard down every once in a while, English cucumbers being a good example. I've heard there is a biodegradable wrap alternative coming, soon I hope!
  From the plethora of recipes out there to try...I did have success first time with this one for deodorant. We know how many can be bad just with their ingredients, but so many are also encased in plastic. So, when my last Tom's ran out, I pulled out this recipe...and voila! Super easy. Arrowroot powder seems to be the hardest to come across for making the next batch - but I've got a couple of months to go. So save the old container of the push up style and reuse it for a homemade batch.
  Thank you to whomever posted it originally - I deleted all the ad stuff, so it's just an easy pdf for you.
  Deodorant Recipe
  As to what's working...I love the Soap Refill Centre at Ecotopia Naturals in Sidney, BC. I now refill my shampoo, conditioner, dish detergent, dishwasher detergent and body lotion. They also carry the TruEarth Laundry Strips. A lovely warm your heart new find at Ecotopia are the Salish Sea Soap Pebbles by Soap for Hope Canada. Proceeds go to help families in need. <3
  Keep up the Nude Shopping, it's the best we can do and buy local!
  #homemade #deodorant #soap #salishsea
  The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker
  2/17/2021
  Increasingly, it is getting harder at your local grocer to be plastic free and when COVID arrived, pretty much impossible! But the positive side of that is I am finding small local businesses that offer plastic free options with a smile. 😀
  If you haven’t already visited, I would like to introduce you to Fraser Orr’s Butcher & Deli in Saanichton, BC. A beautiful selection of meat with no plastic, wrapped only in butcher paper if you ask and chicken galore. My fave is the asparagus wrapped chicken breast, no coatings, just lovely tender chicken, asparagus and provolone.
  Next, I would like to introduce you to The Farmer’s Daughter. This lovely little fromagerie, Bistro and wine bar is located in Sidney, BC. A bit of a dilemma with the cheese in their case, it is all wrapped in plastic to keep the flavours from spreading. They have a special cheese wrap, but there is some plastic involved. Solution, they sell cheese storage bags that are re-useable and are happy of course to place your cheese in these. The bags (in a package of 15) sell for $16.99.
  While changing to plastic free may be a challenge at times, when you search for solutions, you meet wonderful people who encourage rather than dampen the plastic free enthusiasm. Last year I watched a YouTube launched by our own UVIC as part of Ideafest 2020. The data is staggering that we must break our plastic addiction.
  It's fantastic to see the bulk food options have returned almost fully at most grocers and glass milk bottles are making a comeback, so if we all get on board with that, maybe it will help drop the price.
  Every little thing we do makes a difference and as a community, we make a huge difference. In less than 6 months we saw Tru Earth laundry strips go from online only, to Ecotopia, to Home Hardware and then Fairways. Big steps to get it out to the general public when there is demand. Now when will English cucumbers be free of plastic?
  #butcher #fromagerie #FraserOrr #FarmersDaughter #buylocal #ditchtheplastic #freetheenglishcucumber
  August 21st, 2020
  8/21/2020
  Through support from Piers Island Association and grant funding from CRD, we were able to put together and film this presentation about how every consumer has the power to #ditchtheplastic
  I was able to buy the products that I'd found and use them as draw prizes for our audience, which was present with masks (only 6 people) or there via Zoom. I apologize in advance for my Ums, which were many...but I hope you come away with inspiration to try and change the way you buy. I had to remind myself today...when buying green relish - choose the glass, not the plastic!
  Thank you for watching, please hunt out these fantastic refill stations in your area and spread the word to "ditch the plastic".
  Refillable Beauty!
  6/18/2020
  Another great find at Ecotopia Naturals in Sidney. Miiko Skin products are refillable, yes! They are also 100% Fair-Trade, Non-Toxic, Cruelty free and Gluten Free and made locally. What could be better. The 4 oz bottle is $27 and to refill the bottle is $24. All Miiko products are $3 less to refill the bottle. You must use the same bottle and it needs to be cleaned before refill, except for serums.
  There are quite a few skin care products including sunscreen - the link will take you to the Ecotopia product page.
  I was using a bar soap, but this is just so much nicer for the face. And they are in glass dispensers.
  #refillable #skincare #glass #shoplocal #yyj #buylocal
  Brita to Soma
  6/7/2020
  Well, I finally took the plunge and changed from Brita to Soma. What was the big deciding factor? Well, there were two!
  1. My old Brita was not BPA free
  2. No one wanted to recycle my Brita filter, so...
  When I went looking for something new, I found Soma, with compostable filters that last 2 months. BPA free and a cool design with excellent taste ratings were sellers for me. Unfortunately www.drinksoma.com does not ship to Canada so you can not get regular filter shipments for free, so thank you Amazon.ca, I purchased the 6 cup size as my fridge always seems to full and it did come with a filter. I wasn’t sure, so I purchased an additional 2 pack, so I’m set for a while! Very happy with the look, the floating fill hole and great tasting water. 👍👍
  Product Reviews
  5/14/2020
  I've been posting new products as I find them on the New Finds page and I wanted to update on a couple of them because there is some good and some bad, or rather...disappointing.
  First up - the good news - Tru Earth Laundry Strips. I've bought my second package and will continue to use them. No more lugging laundry soap, hooray! Ecotopia in Sidney sells them by the package or you can buy from the company direct on a auto-supply basis for a cost savings for families. I don't do that much laundry, so I would rather buy as I need, #supportlocal even though I pay a little more.
  A plus and a minus here...
  As part of Ecotopia's refill centre, by conundrum on shampoo and conditioner has been solved. I found you could find decent bar shampoo with no packaging, but conditioner was crazy. This one bar conditioner sold for $17 at Pharmasave and stated for best results, leave in for 10 minutes. Not going to happen! :( So...
  I can now reuse the same container and have it refilled. You can also bring them your own container if you want to use glass instead. And you can add your own essential oils to both the shampoo and conditioner. :)
  ​
  Toothpaste - the good, the bad and the ugly!
  I tried and tried, but have gone back to the plastic tube. I heard a rumor something without plastic coming soon - can't recall if it was Crest or Colgate but I'm anxiously waiting.
  I made my own toothpaste using baking soda, coconut oil, salt and peppermint and while not horrible, let's face it...it was bad. No fresh, tingly feeling after brushing.
  Then I tried Nelson Naturals Zero Waste in a glass jar- Citrus Spice blend sounded promising...about $8 for the jar. It falls into the ugly category. I just found the taste foul and my gums weren't fond of it either...so back to the old Crest and hoping for a plastic free solution from them soon.
  I'm still using the silk dental floss - it's been wonderful. And my fave bar soaps from SoapWorks are olive and the cucumber/calendula.
  ​#newproducts #barsoap #refillstations #toothpaste
  Bake don’t Buy ?
  5/11/2020
  I started this post in January 2020 and since COVID-19, home baking has sky rocketed to the point that in early March flour and yeast became extinct species, eggs and butter were rationed and still the shelves are often bare of flour and yeast. It feels like a big score when you find some.
  The two things that I find myself needing to remember, is that while I am still committed to ditching the plastic, I am also very thankful to the farmers and the various companies that provide baked goods. Hopefully post COVID-19 we will be able to purchase without plastic.
  In the meantime, I want to share with you two recipes that have proven winners over and over and are super easy, I am a lazy baker, so they are Pauline Proofed! The recipes have been adjusted to work in an 8 cup Cuisinart Food Processor. I told you...easy! :)
  Chocolate Nutty Energy Balls
  Easy French Bread
  I finally got to finishing this post, as I'm waiting for my bread to rise and just popped in the oven. I was really lazy today and did no pinching...it rose much higher today and I've got gaps! So...maybe pinch!
  #lazybaker #homemade #baguette #energybars #chocolatefix #nutlover
  The COVID-19 Setback
  4/13/2020
  The great strides that were being made for a world with less plastic, have been decimated over fear of the COVID-19 virus. Bulk foods have been shut down, as of today in British Columbia, Canada, you may no longer us your own bag in a store. (Correction- Thrifty Foods yes if you bag your own). Buying anything not covered in plastic has been an almost insurmountable challenge. For the time being...
  What good things have come out of this? Your local butcher is no doubt seeing an increase in business and people are doing more baking and cooking at home, so there is less fast food packaging.
  I'd like to give a shout out to Ecotopia Naturals in Sidney, BC who have stepped up with an online shop and I got free, same day delivery! They were featured in a previous Blog and have a Soap Refill Centre and many other natural and plastic-free products including Tru Earth Eco laundry strips. I bought those from Ecotopia as I didn't want to do a subscription. A little more money than a subscription but I don't do that much laundry, or as I tell my friends...much of any housework! :)
  Visit your butcher, your baker and remember if you are getting take-out food - ask for no plastic utensils and help cut down a little bit of plastic.