Eco-Gecko – Leave No Footprints

The Eco-friendly alternative to atrocious plastic utensils.

I’ve had the pleasure of using their wooden cutlery in our away-from-home lunches. What a treat! They are made of sustainable harvested birch wood and they are 100% natural with no coatings, waxes, or chemicals. They are very smooth and sturdy with no splintering or roughness.

I love that they are biodegradable, renewable, and sustainable. Definitely  more stylish than plastic. So, besides using them for casual outings, they would be a refined choice for a wedding reception, holiday party, or any other get-together when you need a disposable and want an up-scale look. Good for kids play kitchens, too.

Eco-Gecko’s wooden cutlery won’t leave footprints; just a lasting impression.

 

 

I received wooden cutlery from Eco-Gecko in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was received.

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Hummus….All Dressed Up

Re-posted with permission from The Right Recipe, this beautiful appetizer is simple and delish.

Here’s a idea for the next time you need to throw together a quick appetizer. As you know, there are many different flavors of hummus available these days, but it’s so much fresher and tastier to add your own flavors to this extremely popular Middle Eastern dip.

In these photos I’ve spread about 1/2 inch of good quality hummus onto one of my cake stands then toped it with finely chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, fresh dill and crumbled feta cheese…a quick drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper and it’s ready to serve with crispy pita chips.

Other toppings that would be good:

pine nuts, basil, oregano, cilantro, parsley, roasted red peppers, pesto, artichoke hearts, caramelized onions, whole chickpeas, red pepper flakes, roasted garlic, minced jalapeno peppers, the possibilities are endless…

Since I was going for simplicity here, I used a store bought hummus.  It takes about 1 1/2 cups to spread across this regular sized cake stand.  These are my two favorite brands:

Of course if you are feeding a big crowd, or simply have the time, you may want to make your own hummus which is quite easy with canned chickpeas, tahini and spices. Here’s a good one fromInspired Taste (hummus recipe).

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GreenTime Bags

WHY GREEN?

Every day on average a person throws three to four baggies away. For a family, that is thousands of bags that get thrown away each year. The bags end up sitting in the landfills for a thousand years.
We offer products that help eliminate the use of plastic and paper, saving the landfills. Say no to waste, yes to reusable stylish and fun.

Yes, it’s another post on reusable bags. Introducing Green Time Bags! If you don’t already use reusable lunch bags, I urge you to give it a try. And for those of you who already enjoy the benefits of green lunch packing, enjoy shopping for some new patterns and styles.

The silverware holder is something I haven’t come across before. I love the idea. (Safer way to pack a knife if you’re like me and need one for that apple!) I’ll be using my yellow silverware holder for my reusable stainless straws.

Yellow and Blue Flowers On Black Sandwich Bag

GreenTime Bags have a 100% cotton exterior and are lined with nylon and peva fabric. Lots of patterns available and all are designed to replace 1000’s of plastic baggies 🙂

I received a sandwich bag and a silverware bag from GreenTime Bags to help facilitate the writing of an honest review. A positive review is not guaranteed, and all opinions are my own. No other compensation was received.

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ECO Lunchbox Review and Giveaway

Consider reusable products such as those from ECOlunchbox

to help reduce the amount of waste for our environment.

Our eco lunch box kits are hewn from non-toxic materials used safely for generations. We offer BPA-free stainless steel lunchboxes & machine washable cotton lunchbags. Learn more about our artisan textiles. Did you know that a family packing a waste-free lunch saves $400 annually and averts 4,320 pieces of trash?

I highly recommend the products from ECOlunchbox to green your lunch. They offer a line of stainless steel bento boxes, artisan lunch bags, and accessories. They only use stainless steel, cotton, and bamboo for a safe-for-you, safe-for-the environment choice in lunch packing.

The ECO dipper: A smart $7 purchase. Save money on plastic bags and help the environment. Holds 30 large grapes!

Description
Pack it, snack it! Sometimes we need something little to pack in our purse or take out to the playground. A whole lunchbox is too much. Introducing our mini solution… our ECOdipper. The small round container, which contains 1/2 cup of wet foods, is good for applesauce, cut fruit, nuts & berries, but its pressure fitting stainless steel lid is not 100% leak-proof because no plastic is used. Made in India. Dipper dimensions are 4 inches in diameter by 1 1/2 inches tall. Independently lab tested as lead-free, BPA-free and food-safe.

ECO Napkin: A fashionable addition to lunch. These artisan napkins are $8 for 2 and they can also be used a a place-mat.

Description
A set of two artisan, hand block-printed cotton napkins. The napkins come in a variety of colors and patterns. We sell them assorted, so don’t expect that your napkins will look like those shown here in the picture! Let us pick something out for you. The selection is always changing since we use remnants from our bags to make these napkins.

You can purchase from the ECOlunchbox website or from a local retailer such as Whole Foods, The Container Store, and The North Face. And you can enter this giveaway for a chance to win the ECO dipper and the ECO napkin.

The winner is: Ro’Chele A

Here are your random numbers:

5

Timestamp: 2012-04-20 10:18:51 UTC

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

“Like” ECOlunchboxes on Facebook or “Follow” ECOlunchboxes on Twitter and leave a comment here telling me you did this. One entry per person. Please be sure to leave your email address. If I have no contact information, I can’t award you as winner.

Contest ends April 19th @11:59 pm est. (available only to US residents) A winner will be selected at random using the integer generator from random.org. The winner must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize.

I received the ECO dipper and ECO napkin in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was received.

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Tortellini Soup

 Packaged tortellini highlights this soup for a warm winter’s lunch.

Ingredients I used for my creation of Torellini Soup with Kale:

32 oz. chicken broth (definitely no MSG)

1 cup chopped kale

8 oz. package of 5 cheese Tortellini

1/2 cup diced tomatoes (any variety, I used Hunts sweet onion)

black pepper and Victoria Gourmet Sicilian seasoning

Warm the chicken broth and about 1/2 cup water in a  large pot. Add chopped kale and cook until softened. Cook tortellini according to package directions, drain, and add to pot. Add the diced tomatoes, black pepper and Sicilian seasoning. Heat through. Enjoy.

Ak-mak is my favorite soup cracker!

For Tortellini Soup with Chicken, I used cut-up rotisserie chicken and chopped carrots, omitting the kale and tomatoes.  Add the carrots and cook until softened. ( cook a little longer than the kale to soften)

Tried tortellini in soup?

Feel free to share your style.

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Simple Naan Pizza

 

Ingredients:

Naan Bread (keep on hand in freezer)

Pizza Sauce

Mozzarella Cheese

Toppings of your choice

Seasonings

 

Directions: Place Naans on a baking sheet. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of pizza sauce on each Naan. Put on toppings, ending with cheese. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. (I sometimes broil for only1 minute after it has baked 8-10 minutes) Slide onto a cutting board or plate. Top with seasonings, if desired. I use seasonings from Victoria Gourmet. (pizza seasoning or the Jalapeno Pepper Flakes)

 

 

This is a great time saver for a home school lunch. I can have it ready to bake in about five minutes.

 

 

It’s simple, quick, & nutritious.

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