Do you want to help save the planet? Over 100 billion plastic bags are consumed worldwide – most are not recycled and last 1,000 years in landfills! With BlueAvocado‘s reusable bags over 200 million disposable bags were avoided, reducing the amount of trash in landfills, oceans, and streets. BlueAvocado’s thoughtful designs and creative solutions for disposable products are not only sustainable and great for preserving Earth’s natural resources, they are empowering women entrepreneurs locally and globally. If you want to join in BlueAvocado’s environmental and social impact, join The Creative Kitchen team at Whole Foods Market Tribeca this Wednesday, August 20th, at 11am to make Mixed-Up Sandwiches in your very own BlueAvocado (re)zip seal reusable storage bags!

From the Mouth of a Kid:

I decorated mine with stickers and markers!

From the Eyes of a Parent: 

These reusable snack and sandwich bags are fantastic. I hate to waste money on disposable plastic bags that are tossed away after one use. These bags are a great solution to help eliminate trash and prevent you from constantly throwing away money. They’re also really easy to clean–I can put them in the dishwasher–and are durable enough to use every day! 

Fascinating Features:

BlueAvocado’s (re)zip family comes in a variety of sizes and colors:

• volume 1/2 cup 
• volume 1 cup 
• seal snack 
• seal lunch
• snack (with zipper closure) 
• lunch (with zipper closure) 
• bulk (with zipper closure) 
• travel small, quart, medium, & large (with zipper closure) 

The Icing on the Cake:

BlueAvocado’s (re)zip seal and volume reusable storage bags have leakproof double-lock seals, are BPA, PVC, and lead free, are heat-sealed to lock in freshness, and are freezer safe! 

The (re)zip reusable bags with zipper closures are machine washable, are PVC, lead, and BPA free, and include an audited impact label featuring carbon footprint. 

Good to Go?

Yes! These durable, sustainable, reusable bags are perfect for all your on-the-go needs.

Mix it Up!

BlueAvocado’s (re)zip seal reusable storage bags aren’t just great for snacks and sandwiches. Use them for travel, home organization, and more! 

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Min Liao

The Director of the Culinary Center at Whole Foods Bowery

As the Director of the Culinary Center at Whole Foods Bowery, our friend Min Liao knows how to mix it up in the kitchen! Born in Taiwan and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Min has eaten all kinds of food. From Chocolate Milk to her father’s “Chinese-Style” Thanksgiving stuffing Min has tried it all! Today she shares the joy of cooking (and eating!) when she teaches kids’ cooking classes. Get to know Min better through her ‘Meet Our Friends’ blog post for when she and Cricket teach their Kids Cook NYC Camps at Whole Foods Bowery this Summer.

Register now!: wholefoodsmarket.com/service/bowery-culinary-center

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Website:  wholefoodsmarket.com/service/bowery-culinary-center

Twitter:  twitter.com/wholefoodsnyc

Instagram: instagram.com/wholefoodsnyc

What was your favorite food to eat as a child?

My favorite foods as a kid were all over the map. I was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and raised by Chinese immigrant parents in the San Francisco Bay Area; but spent lots of time at friends’ houses eating all kinds of 1980’s American junk food. I loved spoonfuls of Cool Whip in Nestle Quick chocolate milk, and could eat my weight in pizza and Kentucky Fried Chicken. I had Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms on constant breakfast rotation. I chewed Big League shredded pink bubblegum like it was my job. But I was also constantly eating Chinese favorites with my parents like congee with salty pickled vegetables, chicken’s feet, steamed pork buns, and spicy noodle soups with beef tongue and tendons.

Do you have children? If so, what do you like to make for them or with them?

No, but I have a lot of children in my life! Plus, I love teaching kids’ classes. I’m always up for anything when it comes to cooking with kids — tacos, fruit cobblers, interesting salads with homemade dressings, Vietnamese summer rolls, you name it — anything that involves lots of color and texture.

What is your favorite childhood memory in the kitchen?

My mom wasn’t crazy about cooking, but my dad really enjoyed trying new ingredients. My favorite food memory is the 2 of us trying artichokes for the first time, and feeling so American about it — he had seen customers do it at the restaurant he was working in at the time. We steamed them up, and dipped the leaves in melted butter and mayo. Then my dad cut up the heart with a paring knife and we split it. That was the first of many artichokes we shared over the years.

What was your favorite recipe to help make when you were a kid?

Every year, my father made a “Chinese-style” Thanksgiving stuffing. So bizarre, but delicious. He stuffed the turkey with a mixture of savory sticky rice, shiitake mushrooms, and dried shrimp (basically a similar mixture you’d find wrapped in lotus leaves from a Chinese street vendor), and proceeded to serve that hybrid Chinese-American bird with traditional sides like string beans and mashed potatoes. I loved helping him with the stuffing, and watching him roast the turkey. Of course, he would baste it with a mixture of soy sauce and butter. It was both fun and funny, and even then, as a little kid, I was aware of how special it was — mixing both cultures into one meal.