Food reserves were getting perilously low. It was time to embark on my first grocery shopping adventure since pledging to not let any new plastic into my life as of January 1st. But what would I put my groceries in?

There I was, standing like a deer staring-into-the-crosshairs, thinking “GO AHEAD, Just PULL THE TRIGGER and PUT ME OUT OF MY MISERY”. At that moment I think I could feel all my B-vitamins bleeding right out onto the floor of Safeway’s produce aisle.

You may be thinking ‘Wow, this EnviroWoman is a hardcore GRANOLA-type’. The sad reality is — I’m more of a RiceCakeChick. There’s nothing better to satisfy the munchies (and I mean that so TOTALLY NOT the way you think) then Quaker Butter Popcorn Rice Cakes. But, maybe I’ll have to resort to granola after all, ‘cuz it ain't looking plastic-pretty in the cracker aisle.

There is not a single italian allele in my chromosome map, but still I love pasta. I wish I could say “I’m an athlete and need it to power up”. Alas, the reality is, “I’m an EnviroWoman and just love a good chow down”. Here’s another reality – I’m only 3 weeks into this ‘no  plastic’ New Year’s Resolution and I gotta confess — all the plastic in grocery-land is really starting to grate my cheese. Here it is again, rampant in the pasta aisle. The good news — at least I find a few SAINTS. The bad news — there’s something akin to the Madonna/Whore factor goin’ on here.  

Today, I'm writing about hemp seeds and no you can't use them to grow plants. They're like sesame seeds, and they've been hulled which results in being good for food only. I've been eating these for a while, mostly adding it to a fruit shake in the morning. I also like using them for salads and to increase the nutritional value of a macaroni and cheese craving. They have a nutty flavour to them.

I’ve finished YearOne of living the NoNewPlastic pledge. Here’s a picture of the plastic shrine which represents all the new plastic I let into my life during 2007 which is now all used up and ready for recycling or the trash.

To be honest, it’s way, way more than I thought I’d accumulate. I naively thought I’d slam the gates shut on new plastic during 2007, and there would be ZERO plastic in the Shrine. Alas, it was amazing how much snuck into my life. And even more surprising was discovering how many things include plastic which you never really think about - like polyester, nylon and spandex in clothing, and those nasty plastic liners in tin cans.

Here are EnviroWoman’s 2007 Plastic Consumption Stats...

So - I'm still in the game. 21 days of vegetarian diet and still happy about it... but there's been some real tests. Like sushi for example - ouch. Vegetarian sushi is great but the options are way less and I have to admit I do miss raw tuna and salmon. And going for dim sum is just not that same when your vegetarian.