
First meal prep of 2021! I thought I’d take a minute to go over why I highlight meal prepping in my low-waste blog for those that are new here.
Read More »First meal prep of 2021! I thought I’d take a minute to go over why I highlight meal prepping in my low-waste blog for those that are new here.
Read More »One of the catchiest and most accurate phrases often associated with the zero-waste movement is “haste makes wastes”. The idea that not planning ahead can lead to waste is something I have definitely found to be true over the last few years. I like to be prepared, whether it’s going grocery shopping with a list so I don’t buy more than I need, keeping utensils in my purse or keeping reusable bags in my car.
As a big planner, one of the best organizational systems I discovered over the years was bullet journaling. I LOVE my bullet journal and have been using one for about 3 years now. The best part about a bullet journal is it’s complete customizable. It can be as complicated or as easy as you want it to be. You can track and note what works for you- whether that’s just a daily to-do list or a full yearly, monthly and weekly spread, like mine, or something in between. And that’s the beauty of it- There is no wrong way to bullet journal!
Read More »I can’t believe Christmas is next week! To help avoid the Buddy the Elf food plan of candy, candy canes and syrup (and cookies, lets be honest!), I’m really making a point to meal prep this week. Having at least some meals on hand with vegetables and fruits will hopefully help balance out all those Christmas treats!
Read More »I can’t believe tomorrow is December. Does anyone else feel like April, May and June lasted approximately 12 years but October and November were a week long? It’s been a weird year!
Read More »Let’s talk oral care, shall we??
I few weeks back, I shared with you the Bite mouthwash tabs which I really love. I use them everyday and they are such a great addition to my evening routine.
But, I was holding back on sharing the toothpaste bits with you. I know that’s kind of weird but I guess I see mouthwash as sort of a bonus point to your oral care routine. Your dentist never asks “So, how often do you use mouthwash?” They always ask about how often you brush your teeth and floss.
So, before I shared with you the toothpaste bits, I really wanted to make sure they checked out. I wanted to see my dentist first and see if they could tell I had made any switches. And guess what? They couldn’t tell and I was completely cavity free! Thank the Lord because I have had far too many cavities in my life!
Let’s get into it then! Bite is a female-owned small business created by Lindsay McCormick who was looking to reduce the plastic and harsh chemicals that come with traditional toothpaste. You might have seen her on Shark Tank, where she DIDN’T take the offers presented to her. Turns out she didn’t seem to need the offers because it seems like Bite is kind of killing it now!
You know when I review a product, I always like to start with packaging and true to their word, Bite arrived in plastic-free packaging- a recyclable cardboard box, paper tape and brown paper wrapping. The container is glass with an aluminum lid- both which are recyclable, if needed. The appeal of Bite, though, is instead of having to continuously purchase and ship glass containers, you can order refills. The refill pouches are also plastic-free, home compostable, and made from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) managed forests.
To further help the environment, they do NOT offer overnight or rush shipping as that increased their carbon footprint, which I found super interesting. More about that here.
I chose to start with the small bottle of 62 bits to try them out first. If you do that, you will get a second glass jar that holds the full 248 bits when you upgrade your order. Keep the smaller bottle, it’s great for traveling!
I use the Mint bits. They are made without fluoride but Bite has recently introduced nHAp, which is a fluoride alternative that is supposed to be less toxic, reduce sensitivity and help build back enamel. As someone who had been using Sensodyne for years per a recommendation from my dentist, I can say for certainty that this does help with teeth sensitivity. I haven’t had any problems since switching to these bits, which I’ll be honest, I was worried about.
In terms of taste and texture, I like the flavor of the mint bits. I think it’s quite similar to traditional toothpaste. If you don’t like mint, they do offer a berry flavor, as well as seasonal flavors. So far, I have seen them release watermelon and champagne. You do have to order those separately as opposed to the subscription, though.
Texture-wise, this is bit different from traditional toothpaste. I use an electric toothbrush and that does mean the bits don’t foam up as much as traditional toothpaste. I know that electric toothbrushes aren’t common in the low-waste community, though. As someone who has had more than her fair share of cavities, it’s the one oral care item I haven’t been able to quit. Despite foam reduction, my teeth do still feel clean after use. If you use a traditional toothbrush like the Bite Bamboo toothbrush (which I use when I travel and I do like!), the bits do foam up better and it is similar to traditional toothpaste.
With that all said, I actually really like the Bite bits. Previous to these, the only solid toothpaste I had tried was the Lush Miles of Smiles which I hated. I can’t remember why but I didn’t even make it through my sample. I think they tasted weird, if I remember correctly, but don’t quote me on that cause it has been a while. The Bite bits are easy to use (just bite, wet your toothbrush and brush), they taste good and they really seem to practice what they preach in term of sustainability.
I like to follow the toothpaste bits with the Bite mouthwash to really leave my mouth fresh. Review of that can be found here.
When I was planning for my recent Disney trip, I knew a new backpack was a must. I had a cheap Target backpack kicking around from my 2015 trip but it was very well loved and had gotten dingy with multiple bike rides and had more than a few holes showing. Of course, I’m not quite ready to throw it out yet but it’s definitely been downgraded.
In my search, I stumbled across Day Owl backpacks.
Read More »Let’s start by saying that I never intended to take so much time away from the blog as I have. I was really enjoying the posts I was doing in October and had a few more planned for while I was away. But, vacation happened. And then, election happened. And here we are mid-November and I’m just getting back into the swing of things.
If you follow my instagram, you saw at the end of October that I ended up going to Disney World with a friend. This isn’t a traveling during COVID post so I’ll get into that another time. Instead, I wanted to tackle some tips and tricks for staying Low Waste at Disneyworld.
Read More »So in this week’s low waste seasonal swaps, I’m introducing my favorite low waste snack- popcorn! Back in my old apartment, my roommate and I had a designated popcorn pot that lived on the stove. That’s how serious we took our popcorn.
Read More »This week’s meal prep is a little bit different. I’m going on a much needed trip in 1 week and needed to clean out my fridge so I decided to challenge myself to #shopmypantry and #shopmyfridge. I wanted to see what I could make without going grocery shopping.
After all, I’d rather spend that grocery shopping money on meals on my trip!
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