Reducing Our Family’s Food Waste w/ Glad: January {Make Ahead Salads}

Last month we started a Food Waste Challenge at our house with the help of Glad.  I made a simple printable to put on our refrigerator to keep track of the food items we throw away, and used Glad’s Food Protection Products to store our food.  If you followed along, how’d you do?  As I looked over the sheet, I noticed that it probably didn’t have everything listed that we threw away, but I also noticed that what I did have written down totaled about $12.  While $12 dollars doesn’t seem like a ridiculous amount of money, it’s the cost of a box of k cups for our morning coffee, the cost of a few lbs. of chicken breast or ground beef for dinners, and the amount we spend on organic milk per week.  When I think of the cost like that, it really puts things in perspective.  I don’t want to be throwing anything away, and my family and I are going to have to really work on that.

Over the past month, the foods that did make their way to the garbage were mostly produce.  A small head of broccoli that had gone bad, 1/2 of a Spring Mix salad that got brown and wilted, 1/2 green pepper, etc.  There was even some lunch meat that somehow made it’s way to the very back of the meat & cheese drawer that expired and had to go.  As I thought about each item, I realized these are things that could have gone into a few salads.  Things that could have been eaten on a busy evening, or taken to school for lunch, especially if they were made ahead of time and were ready-to-go!

Glad’s To Go Lunch Containers are perfect for Make Ahead Salads!  Each package comes with 4 good sized, deeper bowls, that also come with a small container (perfect for salad dressing). The small dressing container doesn’t even need a special lid, it conveniently snaps into the underside of the lid and you’re all set!

I am just loving these containers for salads.  My oldest son can’t get enough salads.  He’s my little vegetable guy and even when I give him extra money for a treat at school on Fridays he buys a salad.  Since he’s a growing boy, if he wants a salad for lunch or even for an after school snack, it’s now ready and in the refrigerator, already made.  I’ve been trying to get in more greens myself lately, so making a few tasty salads on the weekends to have ready for myself throughout the week is nice to.  I find that we are actually eating more vegetables because of this and the best part is, is that I think this is really going to help eliminate those produce items on my “throw away” list.  For these salads, I used a Spring Mix, tomatoes, carrots, left over broccoli, cheese, thinly sliced ham, a little mozzarella cheese and Italian dressing.

Glad’s To Go Lunch Containers are also BPA free, Microwavable and Dishwasher safe.  They are great for more than salads too.  Try using them to store left over chili with a little sour cream, yogurt with freshly chopped fruit and a little granola or even for a carrot/apple and peanut butter snack.  The possibilities are endless, you just have to get creative.

Do you think these Glad containers would help your family cut down on food waste?  What would you use them for?  For more Food Protection pointers click HERE or Follow Glad on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Glad Food Protection. The opinions and text are all mine.

*Linking up at Living Well Spending Less