My free “mason” jars

I love being able to take my lunch to work or Uni in glass. I love being able to re-use something that would normally be tossed away as junk and I love that I am eating less nasties along the way.

I’m not completely plastic free, the jars are not microwave friendly. However it is very handy to have a re-purposed Pataks curry jar to keep my iced coffee in, which saves me from buying coke. I love that I can make my iced coffee at home with fair-trade coffee, organic milk and back off the sugar a bit instead of having an Icebreak from a plastic container which uses milk and coffee from goodness-knows-where. More importantly I am happy that there are a few more nutrients going in and way less nasties along with it then if I was relying on Coke for a caffeine pick-me-up.

I have seen pictures of coffee served in mason jars, but I am not sure Rocky is “there” yet for acceptance of that, so I transport in the jar and drink from a mug. Honey stole my stash to make avacado seeds sprout. I was annoyed that he didn’t use the less fave brand until one sprouted and all was forgiven. In fact, the wider neck of the Pataks jars helped the seeds stay put better than the other jars. Oh well good excuse to take advantage of Coles half price curries this week.

My other favourite lunch item is a “blessed and lucky” aioli jar. It fits just the right amount of soup or yoghurt in for a snack. Yes I have been “accused” of eating baby-food and mayo which is why I have not gone the next “coffee glass” step yet. You can find out more about their products here. A sneaky little side fact: If you have trouble with co-workers sneaking your food (I have not had that yet… in case anyone reading this has worked with me) keep the label on… if you are having yoghurt or custard it will blend right in.

Last week, I was able to store the unused quarters of grapefruit in the jar I had brought my coffee in, after a quick wash. Grapefruit is also a nice alternative for “lemon water” I found too.

Having a ready-made iced coffee ready in the fridge is handy on Uni days too. It takes a few minutes off the morning routine, allowing me to snuggle in my warm blankets for a few minutes longer.

My coffee of choice is Republica South American blend. Aside from being fair-trade, so I can drink it completely guilt free, knowing that the money I spend is not going to line the pockets of evil people who exploit others for their own greedy gain… This is the first coffee I have ever tasted and said “Yum” to. Its incredibly smooth. It dissolves in cold milk so it’s perfect for iced coffees. Coffee gurus like it too. One thing I would wish for it, is that the jar was more up-cycle friendly but other than that… it’s awesome. Mix it with brown sugar and milk and it tastes just like a caramel mocha from a coffee shop. If you are feeling naughty adding a dob of cream or ice-cream is perfection.

Now for another trick, blend your raw sugar to a fine powder or add icing sugar to cold milk, if brown sugar is not your thing and the sugar dissolves too without the need for hot water mucking up the flavour.

JUDIE