Natural Products Expo West 2006 - To-go for Treehuggers
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 03.30.06
[This is part 3 of a series of guest posts by Siel from Green LA Girl. For more, see part 1 & part 2. -Ed.] If you're Jennifershmoo of Vegan Lunch Box fame, you take the time out to pack a yummy, homemade vegan lunch in a reusable lunch box every day. To the left's her St Patty's day creation.
Most of us are not Jennifershmoo. Which may be why the Natural Products Expo West featured yummies for Treehuggers on the go -- in easily packable, snackable form.
Seriously, there's a little something for every niche market now. Want vegan protein? Try Protons, "the original crunchy tofu." These snackable pieces, made of organic, non-GMO tofu, have a crouton-like crunch and come in to-go packs. Still into raw food? Get Yaya's Raw Rah Organic Kracker. Organic, vegan, and dehydrated, not baked. Our favorites: Spicy Flax and Sicilian Herb.
If you simply want your kids -- or just you -- to start eating those 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day, there's help for you too. Just Tomatoes, etc.!, for example, sells dried fruits and veggies -- many of them organic -- in little tubs. Prefer baked? Try Crispy Delites or Sierra Valley Natural's Healthy LifeStyle Snacks.
And for the hemp-loving, fair trade advocate: Alpsnack's for you. All profits from these tasty little bars -- made of organic hemp nuts, almonds, fruits, and fair trade chocolate! -- go toward hemp advocacy.
Of course, Treehuggers cannot live on to-go foods alone. For cooking inspiration, just start visiting Vegan Lunch Box daily. A few weeks of drooling later, you'll be ready to join the Slow Food movement...
[Once more, a big "thanks" to Siel from Green LA Girl!]
Watch out for excessive packaging on all those to-go packs. I try not to buy anything in single-serving form anymore - I buy bigger packages and divide the food into reusable containers. It only takes a couple minutes and it really reduces the amount of trash I throw out.