Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Green Choices Wednesday


When packing a lunch, instead of using plastic sandwich bags (made from oil, used once, thrown away), I put the sandwiches in a reuseable container which is brought home, washed, and used over and over!

(One of my staple vegetarian lunch options-- all natural organic peanut butter and blueberry jelly on whole wheat/multigrain bread.  Peanuts (legume) + bread (grains) = complete protein!)  Reducing meat consumption is another green choice that is good for the Earth.  Whether you go vegetarian or just reduce the number of meat-consuming days, it makes a difference!  (See Meatless Mondays feature.)

Think Green and Live Green!

8 comments:

FoodFitnessFreshair said...

As a vegetarian, peanut butter is such a staple in my life! I eat it almost daily...Confession, I'm really a peanut butter addict, but it's so delicious and such a great source of meatless protein and healthy fats.

Vern said...

Yes! I've always loved peanut butter! But since going vegetarian, knew it could help me maintain my protein intake. Then I realized that with the bread, my old stand-by, the peanut butter sandwich, became the perfect vegetarian protein staple!

Thanks for visiting, Grace!

Don said...

I've never had blueberry jelly. It sounds really good! The big name-brand peanut butters are just loaded with fat and sugar. How does the organic peanut butter compare?

Now that tomatoes are coming into season, I've been eating tomato sandwiches. Just tomatoes on rye or multigrain bread with a smear of mayo on each slice to keep the juices from soaking into the bread.

Vern said...

Don, my classic standby for PB&J is grape jelly, but I had blueberry that was already open on this day. In addition to grape, I'm a big fan of all berries!

I like any of the all-natural peanut butters just as well as the big brand types, whether organic or not. Of course, the organic part is just how the peanuts are grown, without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. I can't really tell a flavor difference between organic or non-organic peanuts or peanut butter.

Organic, or not, I recommend the all-natural peanut butters. Typical ingredients: peanuts and a little salt. No added oils, sugars, chemicals, etc. Of course, peanuts have fat, but it's a healthy fat. There is enough natural peanut oil in it to keep it creamy. Sitting in the store, some of the oil rises to the top of the jar, so they recommend stirring when first opened. When I get a new jar out of the cupboard, I scoop it out into a bowl, stir it well, and put it back in the jar and refrigerate. I doesn't separate any more.

I love tomatoes! That is something I miss about Ohio/Michigan area-- the tomatoes grow much better up there than they do in Texas. Our season is short because tomatoes don't set fruit when the night time lows get up in the mid 70s.

Good to hear from you!

Don said...

I wasn't referring to the natural oil in peanuts but the partially and fully hydrogenated vegetable oils added to the major brands to make them creamier. They really boost the level of saturated fat in the product.

As my old college instructor who once worked for Procter and Gamble used to say, "You know what makes Jif so creamy? Crisco!" And that's the truth!

Vern said...

Exactly! It's the added stuff that is the problem. The food industry doesn't care if it kills us. They just want to make us want to buy more!

Another reason wife and I read all labels, and refuse to buy anything with the words "hydrogenated" or "trans-fat" in them.

A Plain Observer said...

i use a reusable container and guess what? my friend gave me a jar of homemade blueberry jelly. Delicious

Vern said...

Homemade blueberry jelly? Myriam, that is the classic definition of a good friend!