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Use Fruit Peels!

Happy August! Summer is in full swing!

Whenever I think of summer, I think of all of the delicious fruit that I eat to stay cool and healthy! However, most people throw out the fruit peels, and I am guilty of this too. We should all actively be trying not to fill up landfills, so there isn’t as much production of harmful greenhouse gases. Composting is always a good idea, especially if you have a small garden at home but here are fun ways to use the peels of different fruits and vegetables this summer!

Citrus Bath

Save leftover orange, grapefruit, lemon, and lime peels and throw them into your bath for a nice citrus essential oil bath. The water from the bath draws out the essential oils from the fruit peels.

Here are some benefits to certain citrus essential oils:

Lemon essential oil has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties

Orange essential oil is a mood booster. It relieves stress, anxiety, and depression

Grapefruit essential oil promotes weight loss and clearer skin

Cleaning Product

Because of the high concentration of citric acid in lemons, they make the perfect natural cleaner. Just use leftover lemon peels and rub it on faucets, shower doors, countertops, etc. Also, you can use some smaller pieces and throw them in the garbage disposal to freshen it up.

Shine Your Shoes

Instead of going out to buy shoe polish, you can use a natural shoe polish: banana peels. Rub the inside of a banana peel on your shoes and wipe off any excess bananas off the shoe. Your shoes will become polished and scuff-free in no it! The key ingredient in making the shoes shiny is potassium.

Spa Day

Many fruit and vegetable peels promote healthy skin. For example, put potato skins under your eyes and kiss the dark circles goodbye! Rub avocado peels all over your face and leave it for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes is up, wash your face, and your skin will feel moisturized. Sprinkle sugar on the inside of peach skin for an excellent, natural exfoliant.

I hope this encourages you to get inventive with leftover fruit and vegetable peels!

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Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day everyone! I am so thankful for the world that we live in and marvel in the wonders of nature. As the years go by, the Earth suffers more and more from pollution. Glaciers are melting, the ozone layer is depleting, and animals are going extinct. As inhabitants of this earth, we should start asking not what Earth does for us but what can we do to preserve Earth! 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations...

- “roughly one-third of food produced in the world for human consumption every year gets lost or wasted”

- “food loss and waste also amount to major squandering of resources, including water, land, energy, labor, and capital and needlessly produce greenhouse gas emission, contributing to global warming and climate change.”

There are many easy ways to reduce our carbon footprint in regards to food!

1. Instead of throwing out your food and creating all of that waste, save it in Tupperware containers or vacuum containers. If you’re ever feeling too lazy to cook but are on a tight budget and can’t order out, reheating leftovers is a great alternative! Not only are you helping the environment, but you are also saving energy!

When cooking, there are always parts of the vegetable that most people don’t use such as carrot tops and onion skins.

2. You could turn these leftovers into a nice vegetable stock and create different dishes like soup or risotto with it! 

3. You could also turn the scraps and create a compost bin. Compost the decomposition of organic materials and are used as a soil conditioner. With this compost, you could create a wonderful backyard garden filled with tomatoes, zucchini, and squash! Your garden will have super nutritious soil without having to spend extra money on fertilizer. All you need is vegetable scraps, a bin, and old newspapers! 

These are three easy ways that you can give back to show appreciation for the Earth we live on! I hope this inspired you to become more eco-friendly. The little things count. Even if your contribution is just something simple like using reusable water bottles or metal straws, it will help! I hope everyone has a great Earth Day and see you in the next blog post ;)

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Organic Food

Every time you go to the store, you see some produce labeled organic, but others are not. While some people say organic food is not worth the price tag, there are many benefits to eating organic!

So what exactly is “organic” food?

“Organic refers to how certain foods are produced. Organic foods have been grown without using artificial chemicals, hormones, antibiotics or genetically modified organisms.

In order to be labeled organic, a food product must be free of artificial food additives (including sweeteners, preservatives, coloring, flavoring, and MSG).

Organic produce is grown in naturally fertilized soil, and animals aren’t given hormones.

Benefits of Organic Food:

Organic crops have more antioxidants and vitamins - several studies have found that organic food generally has more antioxidants and certain micronutrients, such as vitamin C, zinc, and iron.

Lower Nitrate Levels: high nitrate levels are linked to an increased risk of certain types of cancers. Studies have shown that organic food has a 30% lower nitrate level.  

Organic dairy and meat may have a more favorable fatty acid profile - organic dairy and contains a higher level of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids have many health benefits including a reduced risk of heart disease.

Fewer chemicals and resistant to bacteria - eating organic reduces your exposure to pesticide residue and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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Pretty Strawberry Smoothie Bowl by Brenda Godinez

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Croissants!

New York, NY// Supermoon Bakehouse opened in 2017 and features the most colorful and innovative croissants, donuts, and cruffins (croissant muffins). Every month, they rotate through sweet and savory flavors such as matcha, pistachio, chocolate, and cream cheese and lox. On my particular visit, I had Matcha-Yuzu (the green one), and Chocolate Chip Cookie (the brown one). The croissant does not only look amazing, but it also tastes fantastic! The croissant has a crispy and flaky crust on the outside but is soft and moist on the inside with a cream filling in the center. I particularly liked the Matcha-Yuzu croissant. It has a slight matcha taste with a light and refreshing Yuzu cream. The matcha flavor paired with citrus is a flavor combination I never thought of but has become my new favorite. I usually do not visit the same restaurants/eateries, but Supermoon is an exception. I love coming here to sit in the aesthetic bakery and eat delicious treats packed in holographic packaging. I recommend this bakery to everyone! It tastes great, looks great and makes me feel great! TEN OUT OF TEN

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Benefits of Vertical Farming

Vertical Farming is a relatively new farming system where food is produced in vertically stacked layers. Most vertical farms are hydroponic, where plants are grown in a bowl of water which contains nutrients, or aeroponics, where the plants’ roots are sprayed with a mist that includes water and nutrients. 

Benefits of Vertical Farming:

1. Saves Space. Big cities such as New York or small, densely populated countries like Hong Kong can benefit significantly from this farming technique because it’s indoors and doesn’t require a lot of space (about 1 acre as opposed to 4-6 acres for traditional farms).

2. Growing Season Year-Round. Technology can be used to control every aspect of the plant’s environment. These vertical farms can adjust the temperature, humidity, and light to precisely what is needed for optimal growth. Also, since this is a controlled environment with no insects, there is no need for pesticides and other chemicals.

3. Weather Isn’t An Issue. Natural disasters like floods and hurricanes can wreak havoc on traditional farms. With vertical farms, the produce is protected from Mother Nature’s wrath. Also, vertical farms use up to 70% less water than conventional farms. These vertical farms are perfect for drought-prone areas.

4. Decreasing Carbon Footprint. Most of the produce in our local grocery store has to travel vast distances before it ends up on the shelves. With vertical farming, the farms can be closer to the grocery stores. This means less travel, longer shelf life, and fewer greenhouse gasses releasing in the atmosphere.   

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use our Lofaho Food Sealer Containers to make meal prepping quick and easy

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Healthy snack prep 1) Yogurt and fruit

2) sliced bell peppers carrots and cucumbers with hummus

3) almonds and nuts

4) oranges and bananas

If you are in an unhealthy snacker it helps so so so much to have healthy snacks already prepared and ready to go when you are hungry!

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Strawberry Shortcake Puffs

Although it may not feel like it, it’s strawberry season somewhere! I personally love strawberries and am constantly looking for dessert recipes that use strawberry. My latest obsession has been Strawberry Shortcake Puffs! This is one of my favorite desserts because it tastes great and is quick and easy to make!

Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry

4 cups of strawberries sliced

1/4 cup ad 3 tablespoons of sugar (divided like that)

1-1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

optional: powdered sugar

DIrections:

1. Preheat oven to 400 °. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry and cut into squares (any size is fine, but I made mine about 3x3). Put them on baking sheets and bake until golden brown (about 12-15). Let them cool down completely

2. In a bowl, toss strawberries with the 1/4 cup sugar. In another bowl, beat the cream, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and vanilla together until it forms stiff peaks. 

*pro tip: if you don’t have a hand mixer/stand mixer, use a blender or magic bullet!

3. To serve, split the pastries horizontally in half. Scoop the desired amount of whipped cream and strawberries onto the bottom half then close it with the top half! If there is remaining whipped cream and strawberries, you can garnish the top. Optional: sprinkle some powdered sugar on top.

Enjoy! 

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International Home Housewares Expo 2018 in Chicago

We were very excited to exhibit 2nd time at International Home Housewares Expo last March 2018!

We had a lot of great feedback and interests in our PrepSealer Lofaho and vacuum films from buyers from all over the world and learned about a lot of exciting opportunities, trends and customer's buying patterns these days.

Because Lofaho has several patents in design and functions in US and Asia market, there is no product like Lofaho which gives the multi-functions in one product.

Our new innovative concept of food storage in our unique design containers allows the consumer to save time, money and keep food fresher and longer.

The vacuum food sealer function is the 2nd function in Lofaho which cost between $70-$200 if you need to purchase separately in the market.

The last function is handy cord vacuum sealer which is utilizing the hose for varies ways:

1) You can connect the handy cord to regular kitchen blender which turns into the Vacuum Blender. There is a lot of expensive vacuum blenders out in the market which cost around $300-$400. Vacuum blending is a new technology, presented to the market several years ago. It prevents discoloration of any juices and minimizes nutrients destruction with a barrier of oxygen so juices or sauces will stay fresh longer than a regular blender.

2) You can also use the handy cord to vacuum the hose vacuum bags for food storage

3) You can use the handy cord to connect with Air-Top for all other rounded shape containers and vacuum out the air to store in the fridge so you don't have to buy the expensive containers that can be vacuumed (2 containers about $19.99)

Other great feedback we got from the buyers was that the quality of our vacuum roll and pouch films are proven to be the best because of its high certifications and consumer satisfaction rates.

What is coextrusion?

"The process of pressing tow or more materials through the same die to produce a single piece. When various plastics are combined, the result can yield properties distinct from those of a single material."

Difference between our coextrusion film and the other company's dry laminated film:

Our coextrusion film does not use toluene solvent which is necessary for adhering different films like between nylon and polyolefine that are frequently used as vacuum packaging film at home.

The other company's film brand sealed with dry lamination method that used the toluene chemical solvent. It is probable that the chemical remains on film.

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Homemade Pickles for Summer

Happy August Everyone!

How many of you feel this summer is going too fast? We do!!!

Oh well, before summer ends, we 'd love to share our simple, and easy recipe of making homemade pickles as promised:)

Making homemade pickles became our summer must-do kind of thing! Our homemade pickles are super delicious, healthy, clean and so easy to make while saving money at the same time.

When you make a big dispatch of pickles, it is very important to keep them fresh longer with savory. So you can enjoy pickles all summer around:) 

Our new Vacuum seal containers in size 3L and 4.5L and Lofaho pack-able 35oz containers are our top recommendation to store fresh longer for healthy and safe way.

Ingredients:

Cucumbers (about 12-14), Red onions (about 3-4), Jalapeno (about 4-5) 

*Optional: you may add celery, garlic or radish

Directions:

Wash and drain all vegetables, and cut into sizes you like to eat. They can be any shapes or sizes depend on storage size or preference

Once the vegetables are ready, set aside. Now for sauce, use a big pot, mix 1 cup of water, 1 cup of Soy Sauce, 1 cup of vinegar, 1 cup of sugar - so simple right? Note if you don't have enough, no problem. Double the amount but remember the ratio is always 1:1:1:1, if you want to double the amount, then 2:2:2:2 - Pretty easy to remember, right?

Next, boil the sauce. When it started to boil, turn off the heat

Use any jar or food containers, divide the vegetables in containers and pour sauce over and seal the top

Keep them in the fridge and serve after 2 days, or share the homemade pickles with your friends and family. We had shared with friends and family multiple times, and they loved them!!!

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Food Wastes vs. Plastic Wastes

There’s a Reason We Use Plastics to Package Food by

Steve Russell

on March 2, 2018

This week, a grocery store in Amsterdam made headlines for being the first to offer an aisle without plastic packaging. If the thinking behind this offering is “less plastic is better in the grocery store”—then we need to ask: In what way is this really a good thing? And we need to be clear about the problem(s) this move is designed to solve.

Are we trying to reduce food waste?

Every year in the United States, about 30 to 40 percent of the food we grow goes uneaten, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The longer a food item stays fresh, the greater its chance of being eaten. Studies have shown that cucumbers wrapped in plastic last eleven days longer than unwrapped cucumbers 1; bananas wrapped in plastic last 21 days longer than their unwrapped counterparts 2; and beef wrapped in plastic vacuum packaging with an oxygen barrier film lasts 26 days longer 3.

Countries that package a greater share of food items tend to generate far less food waste than we do 4.

Do we also want to reduce the environmental impacts that come with food waste?

Growing food requires investments in water, land, energy, and fuel. Now consider that we throw away 30 to 40 percent of everything we grow. That means we’re not just wasting food, we’re wasting 30 to 40 percent of all the resources we used to grow that food. Think of a little food packaging as a small investment that helps to protect all of the resources that went into producing that item.

The director of the Industry Council for Research on Packaging and the Environment has said, “A telling fact is that ten times more resources—materials, energy, and water—are used to make and distribute food than are used to make the packaging to protect it.” So when we waste a food item, we’re wasting 10 times the resources that were used to make its protective packaging.

Plus the food is the single most prevalent material in our landfills. When food decomposes, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than CO2. Landfills generate 20 percent of all methane emissions, so using plastic packaging to prevent food waste can really help cut our carbon emissions.

Thinking beyond food waste, what about reducing our overall environmental footprint?

It’s true that we can make packaging out of materials other than plastics, namely paper, glass, aluminum, and steel. But studies have shown that plastics are often more efficient. Being both strong and lightweight means plastics can ship more product with less packaging material than alternatives. And using less material in the first place results in significant reductions in energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste.

A 2016 study by Trucost (Plastics and Sustainability 5) found that replacing plastic with alternatives in packaging and consumer products could raise environmental costs at least fourfold. Another study 6 showed that replacing plastics with alternatives in packaging would increase the amount of packaging generated in the United States by 55 million tons annually, and would increase energy use and our carbon footprint by 82 percent and 130 percent, respectively. Not much of an improvement, right?

Don’t we need to keep plastics out of our oceans?

YES. Full stop. Used plastics shouldn’t find their way into our rivers and oceans. Yet it’s highly unlikely that the packaging on items purchased in a grocery store, then transported home—where we have access to the curbside waste collection (and usually also recycling)—will become marine litter. It just doesn’t add up.

The supermarket chain says it’s using biofilms as an alternative to plastics, and claims they’re compostable. But “compostable” products on the market today don’t readily breakdown in our oceans, and recyclers don’t want them for obvious reasons. In the United States and other Western countries, we’re fortunate to have strong systems for collecting and managing materials after use. We need to work on getting more plastics into our recycling systems and making sure our used plastics are directed toward their next productive use. For consumers, that means placing used bottles, containers, caps and lids in our curbside bins and bringing our used polyethylene bags and wraps to grocery stores. We can also shop for new products made with recycled plastics. And of course, we can choose to bring a reusable bag or bottle with us on the go. These, too, are often made from plastics.

The benefits of plastic packaging might not be making headlines these days, but they are making a positive difference in preserving our food and reducing our environmental footprint.

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The numbers are shocking: 40 percent of all food produced in the U.S. is thrown away, half of which happens at home. One in seven Americans is food insecure, meaning they either don’t have enough to eat or don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Is anything being done to counter this? The answer is yes. Virginia Till, a recycling specialist in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 8 Environmental Stewardship Unit, shares more.

One of EPA’s programs concerns sustainable management of food.

Tell us about that. In 2011, EPA launched the Food Recovery Challenge to encourage grocers, universities, stadiums and hospitality businesses to reduce food waste generated, donate excess food and compost food scraps. In 2014, participants reduced wasted food by 606,000 tons. Of this, 88,600 tons were donated to feed people. Nearly 800 organizations nationwide are participating, including Disneyland, MGM Resorts International, and the National Hockey League. This past September, EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture set a national target to reduce food waste going to U.S. landfills by 50 percent by 2030 via various sustainable food management efforts.

What are the biggest impacts of food waste?

Wasting food harms our neighbors, our planet and our wallets. Think of all the resources that go into producing food: the hard work of farmers, water and land use, transportation costs—all wasted when we throw out the apple that rotted in our fridge. Then consider that 21 percent of waste in landfills is food, where it produces methane, a greenhouse gas with 20-plus times the potential climate change impact of C02. Now consider the fact that 48 million Americans, including 16 million children, live in food-insecure households with inadequate access to affordable food, and a family of four wastes about $1,500 a year on food that ends up in the trash.

What can individuals do to help prevent food waste?

First, be a smart shopper. Shop your fridge first: Cook or eat what you already have before buying more. Then before your next shopping trip, make a list with meals in mind and buy only what you need. Eat what you buy: Take leftovers for lunch or incorporate leftovers into a future meal, such as frittatas, soups or casseroles. Reuse food scraps in broths. Store food properly: Keep fruits and vegetables fresh with proper food-storage techniques (visit stilltasty.com for tips). Compost: Recycle food scraps into compost that feeds your yard and plants. And—probably most importantly—talk to your friends, your employer, local businesses and faith-based groups and ask, “How can we save this edible food?” Let’s all commit to being food savers.

For more on sustainable management of food, visit epa.gov/foodrecovery.