BLISSHAUS  [ \ˈblis-ˌhau̇s\ ] NOUN:  A HOME FILLED WITH PERFECT HAPPINESS

As you know, our one, simple Blisshaus rule for the grocery store is: Just...   skip...   the plastic! Simple? Yes!Easy?  Not so much, right?   Picture this: you walk into the store, determined to steer clear of plastic, and suddenly it's everywhere! Plastic bags for your apples, liners in cereal boxes, shrink-wrap on cheese... It's like a plastic jungle out there! But fear not, plastic-free shopping is totally doable. And after just a few trips, finding those plastic-free gems will become as easy as pie! 🥧 ( hurray to the local pie company that packs their pies in cardboard boxes like the donut shop) Now, let's dive into some tips: Tip 1: Go Naked for Fruits & Veg Skip those plastic bags in the produce aisle and let your fruits and veggies roam free! Toss 'em right into your basket. Bonus points for stuffing spinach into cute cotton bags. I promise, your checkout clerk will be totally chill as they weigh your apples - no need for plastic bags. Tip 2: Buy Paper-Wrapped Loaves of Bread  Say no to plastic-wrapped bread that lasts for ages. Grab those freshly baked loaves in paper bags instead. They're tastier and have fewer additives. Then, at home, wrap your bread up in beeswax cloths or simply a cotton towel to keep it soft for a few days. (toasting also revives your bread should it start to dry out) Tip 3: Be Your Own Olden-Days Milkman Ditch those plastic jugs for milk in good ol' glass bottles from local dairies. Pop your empty glass bottles in the dishwasher and get a sweet refund when you return 'em. And hey, we get it, sometimes you need those giant plastic jugs, especially with hungry teenage boys around! But we know you'll love your glass bottles in the fridge - they look cute, save the planet, and support your local farmer - now that's what we call a win-win-win. Tip 4: Go Old-Fashioned for Soda & Juice With soda, simply reach for cans instead of big plastic bottles. Glass bottles are where it's at for juice and water. They're way better for the environment and keep that fizz intact. At home, we simply drink tab water and fizz it up with our soda stream maker - mountains of plastic bottles saved. Now THAT's worth popping a (glass) bottle of fizzy champagne!  Tip 5: Squeeze the Condiments Bottle Before You Buy It & Buy Only Glass Skip the squeeze bottles and opt for condiments in good ol' glass jars. Show off your ketchup-bottle-banging skills and enjoy those family dinner memories when a big blob of ketchup lands on your plate! And there you have it - combined these 5 steps easily eliminate half of the plastic waste you produce at home. Plus, remember, it's not all-or-nothing. J ust aim for the plastic-free option whenever you can. You'll feel like a plastic-dodging superhero in no time!- after all, we are still smarter than the average plastic bottle! 😘 Photo courtesy to our beloved Straus Family Creamery in Northern Cal. This is not an ad - we just love you, Straus, so much. Thank you for the great work!

Every Bit Counts: We don't need to be perfect, we just need to start F O O D   F O R   T H O U G H T   [2.5 minute read]     "I don't think I can do a Blisshaus kitchen, because I don't buy at the bulk bins""My family is not ready to skip all plastic"" I can't imagine life without Ziplock bags" These are the top three worries we hear from the most lovely, well-meaning folks when we talk about switching to Blisshaus jars for their kitchens. The thing is, we don't need to switch to bulk bin shopping and zero waste in order to Have a cleaner, better organized kitchen +Help save the planetWe just need to start. Bit by bit. Try This Tiny, New Habit:Pack your snacks in re-usable snack tins. The Baby Steps: Skip the 100-calorie snack-size baggies at the store Buy a giant bag of your favorite snack instead * * Yes, it's ok to grab the big plastic-bag of chips, pretzels, nuts, or cookies for now. It's ok, really. Let's just focus on getting started bit by bit. Pour the chips/cookies/pretzels/nuts into your Blisshaus jar Jumbo Jars are best for chips and pretzels We like Tall Boys for cookies and nuts Then, when it's time to pack your snack for school (a big hurrah for going in-person again!) fill your snack into a snack tin And voilá: You just helped save the planet! /  1  / You reduced food waste since the jars keep your snacks from going stale waaaay better than any bag or plastic container /   2  / You skipped lots of snack-sized plastic baggies   The facts: The average family of four produces 123 lbs of garbage each week. Over half of that is wasted food, the rest is packaging that might or might not get recycled.If we all cut our food and plastic waste in half, we will see a noticeable impact.  50% by many is more important than 100% by a few.Once you start using our Blisshaus tips on skipping plastic-packaged items, you'll see that it gets easier with time. Before you know it, you are shopping plastic-free almost all the time.We urge you to join us on this journey.The goal is progress. Don't let perfection get in the way to building a beautiful, earth-saving, new habit. Photo Credits: all photos by Blisshaus

... when you buy condiments & honey Our vacation pantry on our last trip to Maui Only 40 years ago, condiments, juices, sodas, and even milk all came in glass bottles. Today, you have to search quite a bit to find ketchup in glass at your store. However, the quest for glass is worthwhile! Glass can be endlessly recycled, so it is the material of choice for Blisshaus joy. Plus, the glass bottles look way better in your fridge than the plastic stuff.Making the switch is easy: When you are at the store, simply give the containers a solid squeeze. If it's plastic, skip it. Reach for the brand in glass instead. It's that easy.And when you find your favorite condiments in glass, we even give you permission to stock up.  We usually recommend you don't by multiples so that you can keep your shelves less crowded. But hey, if you L-O-V-E those pickles and they give you bliss, go for it.   Here are our 3 tips for skipping plastic when you buy your condiments in the store: Next time you reach for ketchup, mayo or mustard, squeeze the container and only buy it if it's made from glass. Skip broth in tetra paks because those are still extremely difficult to recycle. Use bouillon cubes instead. (yep, the pantry above has a few tetra paks left, but once those are used up, the family promised to switch to bouillon cubes.) Look for salt in paper cartons. There are several Kosher Salt brands that come 100% plastic-free. Let's bring back the new, old way of living and choose only products packaged in glass.After all, most plastic does not get recycled. Even when it is, plastic is not meant to be recycled. This means when it is being recycled, plastic produces all sorts of bad by-products. Why not avoid all that and make the switch to glass?  PLUS now you can show off your ketchup-bottle-banging skills to your kids. And no worries if you end up with a big blob of ketchup on your plate - admit it, this is the stuff dinner table memories are made of! Bonus Tip: The one thing our kids kept on begging for were those cute, squeezie honey-bear bottles.  We looked high and low for a cute alternative to that plastic bear - and voila! After a long search, we found the perfectly cute honey bear jar that you can refill either directly at your farmers' market or with honey from a traditional glass jar. There's nothing quite like our London tea time with the little bear on our table! And there you have it, another simple tip to skip the plastic. Show us a photo of your plastic-free condiments section in your fridge: Tag us at #blisshaus or send us your photo to hello@blisshaus.com. We love to see & share how all of us are healing our planet one kitchen, one trip to the store at a time! Click here to get your own Honey Bear Jar Wishing you many blissful moments in your home, - Wiebke & the Blisshaus Crew