Product Review & Giveaway- Door to Door Organics!

Earlier in the month, I was excited when Door to Door Organics approached me and asked if I'd like to review one of their produce boxes on my blog. I honestly hadn't heard of the company before then and I was excited to learn more.

Essentially, Door to Door Organics is a company with a Michigan-based (looks like they have a branches in Colorado, Kansas City, Chicago, and East Coast). They are a grocery delivery service that has a core focus on organic and natural products including produce, eggs, cheeses and meats, a lot of which is locally sourced and ethically grown/made/raised.

I agreed to receive a coupon for a free box of produce in exchange for providing an un-biased review of the product I receive.

Product Review- Bitty Mix Produce Box

In order to place an order with Door to Door, I logged in and made a user account on their website, michigan.doortodoororganics.com . The website is straight-forward and easy to use for a newbie. Once you make a user name, you can set produce preference (indicate what are your favorites and what you'd never like to receive in your box) and enter in some basic information. Then you can browse & choose your Box size:

$23 Bitty- Good for 1-2 people

$33 Small- For a family of 3-4 people

$39 Medium- Produce-loving family of 4

$55 Large- For a big family or a vegetarian family

You can also choose whether you'd like the box to include just veggies, just fruits, or be Mixed, which is what I chose. 

Un-Boxing: What to Expect When you Receive your Delivery

I made the video to your left, and it will lead you through the un-boxing experience- thanks to Mike for being my video guy! 

Quality: All the produce I requested, which included lettuce, apples, bananas. oranges, pears, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, and garlic, was labeled certified organic- it's nice to know. All of the produce looked great and did not seemed damaged by its journey to me. Several things, including the pears and the tomatoes, were a little under-ripe, but that's to be expected.

It did not seem like any of the produce was locally sourced. I was informed that local sourcing would start in June, so I'm considering ordering another box in June to see how the local sourcing is.

Quantity: All in all, I think the amount of produce I received was a fair price for $23. We all know that organic produce can be more expensive than conventionally grown produce, and I would have probably spent about this much at my local food co-op.

Delivery Satisfaction: Delivery went well- I have no complaints. I will say that I did ask for the box to be put into the cooler on my porch and it did not get put there, but that's not a big deal overall.

Customer Service Satisfaction: I had to call customer service because at first the coupon credit didn't go through the first time. I spoke to several people and they were all friendly and nice- my issue was resolved quickly!

Overall Rating and Thoughts: I was really satisfied with Door to Door Organics for the service it provides. The produce all seems to be great quality, although I've only had an apple so far :) Again, I think that $23 was a pretty good value for the amount of produce I received. The only thing I would mention as a current downfall is the lack of locally-sourced produce. As I mentioned, it does seem like they have existing partnerships with local farms, including Tantre Farm in Chelsea. Although there is more information on Door to Door's beliefs and values on their website, I am excited for a company who values organic produce and values the local community connections.

*Win a Bitty Box for yourself!*

Whoa guys- this is awesome! One lucky Reader can win a coupon for 1 free Bitty Box courtesy of Door to Door Organics. All you need to do is:

1) Like Happy Home on Facebook :)
2) Leave a comment on this post below on your favorite type of summer vegetable!

I'll give ya until 11:00pm on Wednesday, May 9th. I'll select randomly!

Also, Door to Door Organics has offered ya'll $10 off your first box, which you can do by signing up and entering the code: happyorganichome

Product Review: To-Go Ware Food Carriers & Bamboo Utensil Sets

Let's start by being honest with each other- I suck at bringing my lunch to work. How could someone suck at that? Let me tell you: I rarely remember to bring my lunch to work.

When I do, it is usually in a series of bpa-laden tupperware that I don't feel safe microwaving. Or I bring it in a mason jar, and forget to bring the jar home forever. My co-workers can attest to that.

But all that is changing, due in part to To-Go Ware, a great asset for having food on the go while conserving resources. To-Go Ware (founded in Ann Arbor!) produces a line of food carriers of different sizes, and bamboo utensil sets for carting your food around- to work, on trips, etc. I recently purchased the Snack Stack ($19.00) and the RePEat Utensil Set ($12.95), and I am loving them.

The Snack Stack is the smallest food carrier system that To-Go Ware sells. I like it because it is light and fits in my bike panniers or a backpack easily. It's food-grade stainless steel, as are all the carriers made by To-Go Ware. The Snack Stack has 2 different containers that fasten together- to give you an idea of what size they are, the top tier holds 2 cups and the bottom tier holds 2.5 cups. The whole package is about 5" tall and 5" wide- cute, huh? It allows me to pack a variety of food, and so far the whole thing seems quite secure- no soup spilling out!

The RePEat Utentsil Set is pretty awesome as well. The utensils themselves are made with bamboo, and are easy to wash by hand or can go in the dishwasher. The utensil holder is made of recycled plastic bags- cool! The set comes with a fork, a knife, a spoon, and chopsticks- I love that it has chopsticks! My two favorite features- the utensil holder, which means there is less chance that I will loose all the utensils one by one, and the little carabiner that is on the back of the utensil holder- even harder to loose them-Yes!

As far as I can tell, To-Go Ware seems to be very into Fair Trade, and although the products are all made over-seas, they seem intentionally support businesses with strict fair labor standards and focus on high quality products. This review is just my 2 cents, and speaking of cents, I have not been paid or sponsored by To-Go Ware, I just like their products and I wanted to share. If you're looking to bring your lunch to work more often, in a healthy, earth-friendly way, OR you're looking to get take-out and avoid those styrofoam containers, check out a To-Go Ware Food Carrier!

Reduce the Waste week-long challenge

I am issuing a challenge this week, my friends! This week, starting today, will be Reduce the Waste week at Happy Home, and you too can participate! The rules of the challenge are simple, and can be fitted to accommodate you and your own goals. 

Goals of this challenge:

1) Analyzing all the "trash" you create in a week's time

   -- Sort your waste into trash vs recycling

   -- Set a goal of how much less trash you'd like to have per week

   -- Monitor your progress towards that goal

2) Consciously reducing the amount of trash you create and therefore throw away each week

   -- Before you pitch something, think about it:

           Can it really not be reused or repurposed?

           If not, can you recycle it?

3) Creating a more intentional space for recycling in your home

   -- Investing time, money or even thought into your trash/recycling system will help you be more intention about your efforts, and also will give you a place to put all the trash you save from the landfill, by either repurposing or recycling!

Doing these things will allow us to:

1) Make better decisions when shopping, eating at restaurants, and going about our daily lives (thinking about packaging on groceries, take out boxes and other "disposable" things)

2) Be encouraged to re-purpose things rather than buying new and creating more trash

3) Recycling more of what can no longer be re-purposed or reused

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

So in order to set my household up for success, here's what I've done to prepare:

Re-purposed my current trash can (35 qt) into a recycling bin 

-- Before, there was no space for the recycling inside (besides hauling the bright red recycling bin inside and back out every week), so all the recycling would pile up on the counter- ug!      

Labeled the (now) recycling bin so people don't forget about the new purpose and throw trash in there

Purchased a new, smaller 20 qt trash bin (grey one on the left)

-- Hoping that a smaller trash can will remind me to throw away less and will also literally fill quicker so I'll have to stop and think more about what I put in.

Installed a pull-out cabinet system for the new trash can so it is out of the way yet easy to get to    

Announced the challenge my roommate and my partner, and got their buy-in, so everyone is up for the challenge and on the same page

Reduce the Waste- Day 1 trash (L) and recycling (R) 

If you're up for the challenge, set a trash-reduction goal for yourself, and leave a comment! Good night, and good luck! :)