Kat Nouri - Lets fix lunch! : enjoy delicious, planet-friendly meals at work, school, or on the go

This book is dedicated to the Stasher Squadeveryone, everywhere who chooses to rethink single-use plastic and leave our planet a better place.

Text copyright 2020 by Stasher. Photographs copyright 2020 by Erin Scott.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.

ISBN: 978-1-7972-0586-1 (epub, mobi)
ISBN: 978-1-7972-0573-1 (hardcover)

Recipe contributions from Sandra Wu.
Photo direction by Stacie Navarro.
Food styling by Lillian Kang.
Prop styling by Claire Mack.
Design by Lizzie Vaughan.
Typesetting by Taylor Roy.
Typeset in Avenir and Alda.

Chronicle books and gifts are available at special quantity discounts to corporations, professional associations, literacy programs, and other organizations. For details and discount information, please contact our premiums department at or at 1-800-759-0190.

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com

ALL IT TAKES IS ONE.

One good call, one day at a time.

Then another one. And another one.

This is how we make real change.

Because we only have one planet.

And its up to all of us to save it.

And when we all work together,

amazing things happen.

We all have something to give.

To save. To protect.

We all have our reasons.

And they all count. We can all

SAVE WHAT MATTERS.

A NOTE FROM STASHERS FOUNDER, KAT NOURI

Dear you,

Heres the good news: Even though it feels as if everywhere we turn theres not-so-great news about the environment, climate change, and the plight of the planet, theres actually lots of good news! Some days we have to look a little harder for it, but trust me, its everywhere. For starters, youre reading thisa note written to youwhich means youve already done a good deed by purchasing this book. Because for every copy sold of Lets Fix Lunch, Stasher will donate to No Kid Hungry, an organization that provides meals to kids and helps them get the healthy food they need. The many small choices we each make can add up to a big impact for people and for Planet Earth. By using any of the tips and recipes in the following pages, youll be making smart choices for yourself, your family, and the planet. Go, you!

As for me, I grew up with a nutritionist for a mom and a world-class athlete for a dad, so my childhood kitchen in Iran was full of fresh ingredients and healthy family recipes (check out the Kuku Sabzi (Persian Herb Frittata) on for a family favorite!). Fast-forward to today, and food is still more than just a mealits a way to nurture family and friends.

When I started Stasher, I was tired of the plastic waste choking the planet and frankly pretty tired of packing my kids healthy lunches in stuff that turned into trash just a few hours later. As a curious entrepreneur, my gears are always turning. And I decided there had to be a business that could nurture the planet too.

Along the way, I had to break a whole lot of rules and do things I was told were impossible (a word that should always be put in air quotes, if you ask me), but the result is Stasherthe first endlessly reusable bag, which has already prevented nearly 1 billion single-use plastics from piling up in landfills and polluting our oceans. And, for every Stasher purchased, we donate to nonprofit organizations that help make the planet better than we found it.

We created this cookbook to show how delicious and easy it is to make a big difference, starting with small choices in the kitchen. Whether you want to prep healthy meals to save time and money, or use fewer disposables when you cook, you dont have to overhaul your entire existence to make positive change.

Not many of us eat lunch at home, which means were packing meals, eating out, or ordering takeout. Recent research shows that plastic food containers of all types are one of the biggest contributors to our growing global waste problem. A UK study identified the lunch on the go habit as the source of nearly 11 billion packaging waste items per yearand its on the rise, with 65 percent more of us getting takeout and delivery compared to 5 years ago.

School lunches are another big contributor to the global waste problem, thanks to plastic bags and other wraps that are used and discarded in the same day. Prepackaged items, like granola bars, chips, and yogurt in plastic tubes, are high in convenience but even higher in plastic waste. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently identified that plastic food packaging makes up about 45 percent of landfill waste in the United States. Forty. Five. Percent.

Back to the good news! In this book, youll find tips on how to avoid single-use plastic as well as reduce food waste. Bonus? Youll save money! Weve also included ways to shop smarter, prep faster, and waste less of everything. By the time youve lunched your way through these recipes, youll have added over 30 ideas to your eco-friendly arsenal.

Habits arent created overnight. Good or bad, we have to do things repeatedly for them to stick. So pat yourself on the back every time you use a reusable nonplastic container instead of a single-use baggie, a metal straw instead of a plastic one, or a thermos instead of a to-go coffee cup. And when you forget, give yourself a break and get back on the horse. Were playing the long game here, and its not about being perfect (spoiler alert: nobody is).

The plastic-free movement is about sharing our ideas, encouraging one another, and getting creativeand it succeeds when we stay inspired. Across the Stasher offices, were always gushing over users ingenious, crafty, clever uses for Stasher bags and are constantly on the lookout for tips and tricks to reduce our own waste. So lets stay connected and keep chatting!

Please consider this cookbook a huge thanks for every good choice youve made for our planet. Change wont take just a villageitll take all our villages. But together, we can do anything. And thats great news.

Happy cooking!

Kat

Weve all experienced the power of small thingslike how a kind word from a friend can make your whole day, or how the tiny pebble in your shoe can give you a mean blister. Turns out, this is also true on a global scale.

Small in size but many in number, single-use plastics have created a big, planet-size problem. Its everywherefrom the plastic wrap on produce, to plastic takeout containers, to the granola bar wrappers and chip bags stuffed in lunch boxes every day.

We know we have to do something, but the idea that we have to change everything, right now, in order to save our oceans and our lands can be downright overwhelming.