It’s been three years since our local mountains Cardrona and Treble Cone banished landfill bins from both resorts – a change that is super exciting for our team. Now that winter has finally hit here in Wānaka, the Wasties crew has been getting up the mountain as much as possible, so we thought we’d share our tips for mountain-ready, low-waste lunches.
Here are our team’s top 5 tips for packing a low-waste, mountain-friendly lunch, that will keep everyone fuelled and energised for a big day up the hill.
- Make your own delicious snacks
Gift yourself more time up the hill by putting in some thinking and prepping time at home. Our team’s favourite waste-free treats are homemade muesli bars, cookies, bliss balls, seed crackers with hummus and raw energy slices.
- Love your leftovers
Leftovers make the perfect quick lunch the next day. We love taking soups, sushi, stir-fry and roast leftovers!
- Choose bulk food snacks
We’re lucky here in Wānaka to have lots of options when it comes to plastic-free bulk bin shopping so get behind this movement and stock up for the snow. Some of our team’s favourites for mountain snacking are a nut and seed mix with dark choc, raw almonds, pretzels and bliss balls.
- Build your own
Throw together your pre-made winter salad or lunch by roasting a few different vegetables, cooking some rice and adding some raw vegetables with some nuts and seeds for a crunchy protein hit. A super easy process that future-you will love you for when you stop for lunch the next day.
- Get prepped the night before & store it correctly
Make and pack your lunches the night before and then store them well, ready to grab and go the next morning. With the right storage options for your food you can keep warm or fresh for the next day – a good thermos is a great investment (plus you are bound to find one at Wasties!).
So next time you are headed for the mountain, jump on board some of these low-waste lunch ideas!
