Monday, April 15, 2019

11 Recipes That Break the Hard-Boiled Egg Mold

Say Goodbye to Pantry Pests with These Easy Tips

Spring Cleaning Tips: These 41 Products Will Help You Organize Like The Home Edit

Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb

This leg of lamb is butterflied for easy grilling and marinated with rosemary and garlic to give it great flavor. Make it for a big summer cook-out, or even for a twist on Easter dinner.

Continue reading "Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb" »



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9 Chic Reusable Shopping Bags to Help You Ditch Plastic

Amazon reusable grocery bags

Did you know that the average American family takes home 1,500 plastic grocery bags per year? Even if you reuse these bags around the house, chances are you don’t need quite that many. That’s why more and more people are investing in reusable shopping bags, which can each take the place of around 700 plastic bags over its lifespan.

Sure, some of these reusable totes are a bit bland, but there are also amazingly cute ones to be found—if you know where to look. If you want to feel good about ditching plastic bags and make a style statement, check out these nine adorable reusable shopping bags that you’ll never want to leave the house without.

The Sailor Stripe Baggu

Striped Standard Baggu, $12 at Baggu

Baggu reusable shopping bag

Baggu

There’s so much to love about Baggu reusable shopping bags. They can hold up to 30 pounds. They fold into a nice, compact square to stash in your purse. They’re made from 40 percent recycled nylon. They’re machine washable. Oh, and they come in a wide variety of pretty colors and prints. The Sailor Stripe pattern is particularly cute (in our opinion), but no matter your style, you’re sure to find an option you like.Buy Now

A French-Style Market Tote

Filt French Market Net Tote Bag, $20 at Anthropologie

Anthropologie net bag reussable grocery bag farmers market bag

Anthropologie

Channel your inner Parisian with this très adorable French-style market bag. It comes in four bright, happy colors and is ideal for carrying around your haul from the farmers market. The bag is actually made in France, and you can toss it in the washing machine should it ever get dirty. It’s the ultimate chic accessory for Francophiles.Buy Now

A Jute Bag for Your ‘Market Finds’

“Market Finds” Reusable Shopping Bag, $20-22 at The Little Market

The Little Market reusable jute bag

The Little Market

If you’re looking for a sturdier reusable bag, this tote is not only cut and functional, but it supports a good cause as well. Each of these bags supports Corr Jute, an organization that supports women in rural areas of Bangladesh. The jute bag comes in two sizes, and there are lots of variations with a wide variety of sayings printed on the outside. Plus, we love that the interior is laminated to make it water-resistant.Buy Now

A Colorful Butterfly Bag from Vera Bradley

Market Tote in Butterfly Flutter, $10 at Vera Bradley

Vera Bradley butterfly tote bag reusable shopping bag

Vera Bradley

Love Vera Bradley? Then you’ll get butterflies from this colorful reusable market bag made by the popular brand. The spacious 19-by-14-inch bag made from 60 percent recycled material, and the exterior features a stunning array of colorful butterflies that’s sure to earn you compliments as you shop.Buy Now

A Simple, Sturdy Tote with a Bold Graphic

“Bien Fait” Reusable Canvas Tote, $5 at Madewell

Madewell reusable canvas tote bag

Madewell

This small canvas bag is perfect for quick trips to the store or even to use as a beach bag. The simple design is just the right size for tucking under your arm, and it features a bold graphic that reads “Bien Fait”—a French phrase that means “well done.” While lightweight, this tote is sturdy enough to carry around your groceries, and it will provide the positive vibes you need on even the gloomiest days.Buy Now

This Colorful Convertible Tote

Notabag Convertible Tote Backpack, $28 at Nordstorm

Notabag convertible backpack tote bag

Nordstrom’s

It’s a bag. Wait, no, it’s a backpack. Actually, it’s both! Notabag wins the award for most versatile reusable bag, thanks to its pull-through straps that let you easily change it from a backpack to a tote bag. This bag comes in a number of bright, bold colors, and it can even fold up into its own pocket for easy storage. It’s pretty ingenious, if you ask us, and the design is ideal for anyone who commutes.Buy Now

Cute Waterproof Bags That Roll Up

Sunkissed Bag, $11.50 at Envirosax

Envirosax waterproof reusable shopping bag

Envirosax

You won’t believe how strong this adorable reusable bag is! Envirosax can hold up to 44 pounds of your must-have goodies, and when they’re not in use, they roll up into a compact form that’s easy to stash in a purse or glove compartment. This pretty blue-and-pink design caught our eye, but there are dozens of other colors and patterns to choose from as well.Buy Now

A Simple Bag with a Lovely Message

“Plant Smiles, Grow Laughter” Tote, $19 at Nordstorm

Nordstrom's reusable canvas tote bag

Nordstrom’s

“Plant Smiles. Grow Laughter. Harvest Love.” This minimalistic bag from The White Company features this uplifting saying on the outside, and the extra-large interior will comfortably house all your finds from the grocery store or market. The bag is made from 100 percent cotton, and it can be machine washed and dried for easy maintenance—always a plus if you have a jam-packed schedule.Buy Now

A Set of 4 Bags with Cute Fruit Patterns

Carrie Bags Reusable Shopping Bags Foldable Grocery Tote Bags with Attached Storage Pocket, 4 prints for $14.99 on Amazon

Amazon reusable grocery bags

Amazon

It would be impossible to pick just one of these fruity tote bags, so it’s a good thing they come in a set of four. The lightweight polyester bags feature watermelon, lemon, avocado, and pineapple patterns, and each one comes with a matching carrying case so you can fold it up and tuck it away. Not only are these bags extremely chic, but they’re also affordable, to boot. Win-win.Buy Now

All featured products are curated independently by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, we may receive a commission. For more great hand-picked products, check out the Chowhound Shop.



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The Best Meal Kit Delivery Services to Try in 2019

best meal kits reviewed (Blue Apron, Sun Basket, Hello Fresh, Green Chef)

After cooking 15 meals from five of the most popular meal kit delivery services over a three week period, I’m well on my way of reaching my New Year’s resolution to cook more often. I know some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions (including mine) revolve around food. Whether you want to cook healthier, cook more often, and/or lose weight, the solution to all these resolutions is the same—meal kit delivery services. I’m sharing all of my learnings from this crazy experiment with you so you can figure out which kit is best for you and your family.

Overall, I think:

  • Home Chef is best for those who want extra portions.
  • Sun Basket is the best kit to get you out of your food rut.
  • Blue Apron is best for gourmet chefs.
  • Hello Fresh is the most crowd-pleasing option.
  • Green Chef is best for those following a specific diet plan.

Keep reading for details on each kit—plus in-depth reviews, from the unboxing process to sitting down to eat that first bite. While I don’t think any one kit is right for everyone, after testing all of these meal kits I am confident that there is a kit that’s right for you.


Home Chef: Best Kit for Those Who Are Really Hungry

Home Chef meal kit review

Home Chef

The meal choices at Home Chef are pretty typical for what I’ve seen from other meal kits, but what’s unique is that you are able to customize the portions of some of the ingredients in some of the recipes. For example, with some recipes you can order double the protein without doubling the overall portions. With other recipes you can choose to order antibiotic-free protein instead of the standard version it typically comes with. Meal kits are usually pretty standard in their offering (which is what keeps them efficient to the masses), so this is a way for Home Chef to stand out among the crowded marketplace.

$9.95/serving and up

See It

Sun Basket: Best Kit to Get You Out of a Food Rut

Sun Basket meal kit review

Chowhound

I loved the variety of unique recipes offered from Sun Basket. I learned new recipes I probably otherwise wouldn’t have cooked, and while these recipes were new to me they were still easy to make due to the detailed cooking instructions.

$10.99/serving and up

See It

Blue Apron: Best Kit for Gourmet Chefs

Blue Apron meal kit review

Chowhound

I found the recipes in Blue Apron were most likely to be something I’d order in a restaurant. All of the recipes were still very approachable and easy for beginners to make, but I found these dishes tasted a little more elevated than some of the other meal kits I tried.

$7.49/serving and up

See It

Hello Fresh: Best Kit to Please a Crowd

Hello Fresh meal kit review

Hello Fresh

While I personally wasn’t as inspired with the recipes in Hello Fresh, it seemed to be the most crowd-pleasing of them all. The basic, simple recipes seemed particularly family-friendly when compared to other (more exotic) recipes I tried by different companies.

$7.49/serving and up

See It

Green Chef: Best Kit for Someone Following a Specific Diet Plan

Green Chef meal kit review

Green Chef

I like Green Chef (owned by Hello Fresh) for its versatility in the different specific diet plans available. I tried the Paleo plan, but they also offer Keto, Pescatarian, Vegan, Vegetarian, and Gluten-Free options. So no matter which diet you’re following (for health or personal reasons) you’ll be able to find a plan that works for you.

$10.99/serving and up

See It

In-Depth Meal Kit Reviews

Home Chef Meal Kit Review

My Top Pick for Those Who Are Really Hungry

The meal choices at Home Chef are pretty typical. What makes this meal kit stand out and give it our recommendation for the hungry, is that you are able to customize the portions of some of the ingredients in some of the recipes.

Unboxing

Upon opening the large box, each meal was separated into an individual bag containing all of the grouped ingredients per recipe. This is how four of the five meal kits packaged the ingredients, so this seems to be the norm. While it kept everything organized, it did seem a bit wasteful environmentally. Also standard, all meat/seafood was on top of ice packs at the bottom of the box to ensure freshness. As an added bonus, they also included a binder where you can keep track of all of the recipe print-outs. And as mentioned above, you are able to customize some recipe ingredients in ways you can’t with other meal kits. For example, with some Home Chef recipes you can order double the protein without doubling the overall portions. With other recipes you can choose to order antibiotic-free protein instead of the standard version it typically comes with.

Home Chef meal kit review

Kristin Cassidy

Favorite Meal I Cooked

I will definitely be recreating the Jerk Chicken Thigh-Stuffed Poblanos with Pineapple and Pickled Red Onion. The chicken was extremely flavorful and tender. While I typically cook with chicken breast versus chicken thigh, this recipe had me convinced I should cook with chicken thigh more often. The brightness and sweetness of the pineapple complimented the smokiness of the jerk sauce perfectly—it was like a flavor equation that was equally balanced on all sides. This recipe called for pickling onions with lime juice, and honestly, I had never heard of pickling anything without using vinegar. The pickled onions turned out to be tart and had a nice bite to them. I’ll be trying this quick hack for pickling again in my kitchen soon. One recipe note—this calls for two teaspoons of olive oil to be drizzled over the poblanos before roasting but I would cut that down to almost half that amount, as the poblanos still had a lot of excess oil around them once roasted.

Home Chef recipes shrimp pad thai

Kristin Cassidy

Other Meals I Cooked

The Shrimp Pad Thai with Carrots, Roasted Peanuts, and Cilantro was one of the quickest and easiest meals I made throughout this testing process. It was like painting-by-numbers but with cooking, which is one of the greatest benefits of making a recipe from a meal kit delivery service. Sometimes after a long day you don’t feel like experimenting or being creative in the kitchen and you just want dinner on the table ASAP. This Shrimp Pad Thai does the trick. One recipe note—this says to prepare the shrimp, noodles, and vegetable mixture in a medium non-stick pan, but I felt the pan was too small to comfortably hold all of the ingredients. Instead, try using a large non-stick pan or a wok if you have one.

The Barbacoa Steak Tacos with Queso Fresco and Pickled Vegetables were not my favorite meal, as I found the steak strips to have a bland taste and grainy texture to them. However, I admittedly don’t consume red meat very often, so if you’re a red meat fan you will probably like these tacos better than I did. One recipe note—I had a tough time thickening up the sauce with the beef mixture. Instead of adding the recommended 1/4 cup of water, I would start with 1/8 cup of water and add more water if you need to.

Details

Price/Subscription Sizes: $9.95 per serving for two or four servings per recipe, with additional premium recipes offered at market price.

Meal choices per week: 16 with a two- or four-person subscription

Special diet plans available: Vegetarian options, Nut-Free, Soy-Free, Wheat-Free, Dairy-Free

Is it organic? No

$9.95/serving and up

See It

Sun Basket Meal Kit Review

My Top Pick for Those Who Need to Get Out of a Food Rut

I loved the variety of unique recipes on Sun Basket and how easy they were due to the detailed cooking instructions. I even learned a few new recipes!

Unboxing

The unboxing process was like most of the other meal kits—each recipe was separated into individual paper bags within the overarching box and all meat/seafood was on top of ice packs at the bottom of the box to ensure freshness.

Sun Basket meal kit review

Kristin Cassidy

Favorite Meal I Cooked

While I don’t think the Tempeh “Bacon” Bowls with Sage-Roasted Vegetables tasted like bacon, it was still my favorite Sun Basket meal. I had eaten tempeh before but never cooked with it, so making this recipe felt like a fun experiment that broadened my cooking horizons. This meal is vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free, and while I don’t personally subscribe to any one of these specific diet plans, I appreciated how healthy this recipe felt. I also loved that this dish felt filling, and I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. As far as recipe details go, pickling the onions felt fancy and fun, and really added a huge flavor boost. The tart dried cranberries balanced out the smokiness of the tempeh “bacon” marinade.

Sun Basket recipe review

Kristin Cassidy

Other Meals I Cooked

I was immediately taken back to my fall vacation in Morocco by making this Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Artichokes, Tomato-Poached Eggs, and Couscous. It was probably the most exotic meal of the 12 I cooked, and really took me out of my comfort zone (in a good way). To me, this is one of the greatest benefits of doing a meal kit—discovering and trying something new. Poaching the eggs was a fun process, and it added a richness to the dish that paired well with the brightness of the tomato sauce and earthiness of the lamb. One note—this recipe calls for butter but the kit did not include it; instead, it refers to the butter as an item to include “from your pantry.” I noticed when some of the other meal kits had recipes that called for butter, they included it. Most people probably have butter on hand, so I don’t think it’s a huge deal, just a difference I noticed and thought worth mentioning.

The Shrimp Stir-Fry with Cambodian Tuk Trey Sauce and Jasmine Rice was easy to make and a cheaper version of a standard takeout dish I’d order. While it wasn’t super memorable compared to the other two recipes, there was nothing wrong with it.

Sun Basket recently launched organic five-minute salads that are designed to be a quick, easy, and healthy lunch solution. After trying them, I agree this is a fresh take on the traditional brown bag lunch (they even come in a brown bag). My favorite salad was the Organic Rainbow Asian Salad (for two). To be honest, at first glance this salad didn’t make me super excited. It contained spinach, scallions, cilantro, shredded carrots, shredded red cabbage, black sesame seeds, and cashews, with a tamarind-cashew dressing. However, once I started eating it I was quickly singing another tune. The dressing was tangy and had a good kick, and the cilantro and scallions added fresh flavor without adding calories. I ended up eating half of this salad for lunch, and eating the other half for a snack later in the afternoon.

Sun Basket salad review

Kristin Cassidy

The Organic Kale Caesar Salad (for two) was upgraded from a traditional Caesar salad with the addition of chickpeas and sunflower seeds. I also loved that the dressing was vegan (so hard to find in a Caesar dressing!). But I could have passed on the Organic Protein Crunch Salad (for two). The dried blueberries didn’t pair well with the other ingredients and felt out of place, and the raw riced cauliflower was a bit bitter.

Details

Price/Subscription Sizes: $11.99 per serving for a two-person or four-person subscription at 3 meals/week; $10.99 per serving for a four-person “family-friendly” subscription at 2-4 meals/week

Meal choices per week: 18 with a two to four-person subscription and six with a four-person “family-friendly” subscription

Special diet plans available: Paleo, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian options, Vegan, Pescatarian, and Diabetes-Friendly

Is it organic? Yes.

$10.99/serving and up

See It

Blue Apron Meal Kit Review

My Top Pick for Gourmet Chefs

I found the recipes in Blue Apron were most likely to be something I’d order in a restaurant. All of the recipes were still very approachable and easy for beginners to make, but I found these dishes tasted a little more elevated than some of the other meal kits I tried.

Unboxing

Of the four meal kits I tested, Blue Apron was the only one that didn’t group together ingredients by recipe in individual paper bags within the large box. Instead, all ingredients were packaged loosely in the box. This makes Blue Apron the greenest option in my opinion, as it used the least amount of packaging compared to the other kits I tried. It was still very easy to group ingredients together by recipe, as the recipe cards included pictures of which ingredients went with each one. Like all of the other meal kits, any meat/seafood was on top of ice packs at the bottom of the box to ensure freshness.

Blue Apron review

Kristin Cassidy

Favorite Meal I Cooked

Out of all of the delicious meals I cooked throughout this test, my overall favorite was the Seared Cod & Saffron Rice with Lemon-Butter Pan Sauce. The night I cooked this meal I found myself with house guests and a fridge full of meal kit meals, so I ended up making this one for the group—and everyone loved it. The prep time and step-by-step instructions were accurate, the ingredients were very fresh, and the recipe was overall very flavorful. I ended up adding all of the optional red pepper flakes because I like things spicy, but feel free to leave them out if you prefer things on the milder side (or if you’re trying to appeal to a child’s tamer palate). I really enjoyed the addition of kale to the rice, and found the “weeknight hero spice blend” to complement the fish perfectly.

Blue Apron review

Kristin Cassidy

Other Meals I Cooked

I was impressed with the quality of the steak in the Steaks & Brown Butter Sauce With Mashed Potatoes & Fried Rosemary and felt the cooking instructions for the meat was spot-on. However, I ended up roasting the carrots for approximately five minutes longer than the called-for 16-18 minutes, but I do like my vegetables on the crispier side and chalk this one up to personal preference. For the fried rosemary section of the recipe, when I added the herbs to the hot oil as instructed, the rosemary immediately burned. In the future, I would tweak these instructions to heat the oil on low heat instead of medium-high heat. I also thought the potatoes were slightly dry, but did appreciate that they didn’t call for cream or butter.

The Kale & Monterey Jack Quesadillas with Spicy Radish Salsa & Fried Eggs is definitely a dish I’d find myself ordering at brunch. This recipe was super easy and quick to make, and I think it’d be a good one to have (eager) kids help with. The bite of the radishes paired nicely with the kick of the guajillo chile pepper sauce and the creamy queso blanco cheese. I wanted seconds of this one!

Details

Price/Subscription Sizes: $9.99 per serving for a two-person subscription at 2-3 meals/week (same price per meal at both 2 and 3 meals per week); $8.99-$7.49 per serving for a four-person subscription at 2-4 meals/week respectively.

Meal choices per week: Eight with a two-person subscription and five with a four-person subscription

Special diet plans available: Vegetarian options and Weight Watchers (Freestyle)

Is it organic? Some ingredients are organic, but overall Blue Apron is not an organic meal kit delivery service option.

$7.49/serving and up

See It

Hello Fresh Meal Kit Review

My Top Pick for Pleasing a Crowd

While I personally wasn’t as inspired with the recipes in Hello Fresh, it seemed to be the most crowd-pleasing of them all. The basic, simple recipes seemed particularly family-friendly when compared to other (more exotic) recipes I tried by different companies.

Unboxing

This meal kit was packaged like most of the others (upon opening the large box, each meal was separated into an individual paper bag containing all of the grouped ingredients per recipe and all meat/seafood was on top of ice packs at the bottom of the box to ensure freshness). As an added perk, they included a Hello Fresh apron that I found to be a fun bonus.

Hello Fresh review

Kristin Cassidy

Favorite Meal I Cooked

The Figgy Balsamic Pork with Roasted Green Beans and Rosemary Potatoes was another meal I fed to my house guests (they happened to be visiting as I was having all of these meal kits delivered and I’m not one to be wasteful!), and it was another hit. Although I’m not typically a meat and potatoes kind of person, I actually loved this nostalgic meal with a twist. The figgy balsamic pan sauce was quite flavorful and the addition of rosemary to the roasted potatoes made them feel a little more upgraded than the potatoes I grew up with. The green beans were a crisp, fresh addition and rounded out the meal nicely. One recipe note—similar to the Lamb Tagine in Sun Basket, this recipe called for butter and did not include it, but rather asks you to provide it.

Hello Fresh recipe review

Kristin Cassidy

Other Meals I Cooked

At 1120 calories per serving, the Aioli-Topped Crab Cakes with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and a Cranberry Walnut Salad are definitely a calorie bomb. But crab cakes tend to be a crowd-pleaser, and these were no exception. The light, lemony salad balanced out the creamy crab cakes which were (understandably) quite rich, and the accompanying sweet potatoes were simple and healthy.

The recipe for Vietnamese Chicken Bowls with Sriracha Mayo and Jasmine Rice was another one that seemed like an at-home version of something I’d normally pick up from take-out on the way home. So if one of your New Year’s resolutions is to cook more, then this is a great option for you—the recipe uses fresh ingredients, has accurate cooking instructions, was easy to put together, and makes large portions. My favorite part was the garlicky pan sauce drizzled over the chicken. I found the Sriracha mayo to be less exciting.

Details

Price/Subscription Sizes: $9.99-$8.99 per serving for a two-person subscription at 2-4 meals/week respectively; $7.87-$7.49 per serving for a four-person subscription at 2-3 meals/week respectively.

Meal choices per week: 15 with a two-person subscription and six with a four-person subscription

Special diet plans available: Vegetarian options

Is it organic? Hello Fresh is not an organic meal kit delivery service option.

$7.49/serving and up

See It

Green Chef Meal Kit Review

My Top Pick for Those Following a Specific Diet Plan

I like Green Chef (owned by Hello Fresh) for its versatility in the different specific diet plans available. I tried the Paleo plan, but they also offer Keto, Pescatarian, Vegan, Vegetarian, and Gluten-Free options, so you’ll be able to find one that works for you.

Unboxing

The unboxing process was like most of the other meal kits—each recipe was separated into individual paper bags within the overarching box and all meat/seafood was on top of ice packs at the bottom of the box to ensure freshness. The package did include two free VitaCup coffee pods, which felt a little wasteful because I’m not a K-cup person and therefore had no use for them.

Favorite Meal I Cooked

If boyfriends could vote for their favorite recipe of the 12 I cooked, I’m told this Maple Balsamic BBQ Meatloaf with Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, and Cranberries would be it. While I do personally tend to cook a lot of Paleo/Pescatarian meals, I’ve never actually cooked meatloaf before. This is another good example of how meal kits can help you expand your typical repertoire of the 5-ish recipes you probably continually cook over and over again. The portion of tangy barbecue sauce was generous and helped keep the meatloaf moist and tender, and I was pleased to see such a large portion of bright and fresh vegetables included (even though it only came with one carrot instead of the stated two carrots on the recipe card). This ended up being a recipe I will try to recreate.

Green Chef review

Kristin Cassidy

Other Meals I Cooked

The Chicken Al Pastor Wraps with Bell Pepper, Pickled Onions, Cabbage, and Carrot Slaw was a light meal—at 390 calories per serving, this was one of the lower calorie meals I tested. However, I still found this recipe satisfying. I loved the bright sweetness of the pineapple and the pickled onions—both gave great flavor to a pretty standard dish. The romaine lettuce was crisp and fresh, and the chicken seemed to be of good quality.

The Sausages with Braised Apple and Pan-Seared Acorn Fritters wasn’t a particularly standout dish, but I did think the squash fritters were a nice touch. They were kind of like savory Paleo pancakes.

Details

Price/Subscription Sizes: $12.99-$11.99 per serving for a two-person subscription at 3 meals/week; $10.99 per serving for a four-person subscription at 2 meals/week.

Meal choices per week: Three to five (depending on diet plan) with a two-person subscription and two with a four-person subscription

Special diet plans available: Paleo, Keto, Pescatarian, Vegan, Vegetarian options, and Gluten-Free

Is it organic? Yes.

$10.99/serving and up

See It

While these are the only meal kits I’ve tested so far, check out CNET’s Meal Kit Delivery Services Guide for even more options. And see my review of prepared meal delivery service Sakara (which focuses on superfoods that are vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free).

Related Video: Too Salty? Too Spicy? These Quick and Easy Fixes Will Save Over-Seasoned Dishes

All featured products are curated independently by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, we may receive a commission. For more great hand-picked products, check out the Chowhound Shop.



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The Best Green Laundry Products for Earth Day (and Every Day!)

Laundry day is lame, ain’t no two ways around it. You’re either hanging in a musty basement dodging cobwebs, trying not to spill gloopy detergent on your sweatpants, or for city-dwellers, aggressively avoiding laundromat-eye contact with the guy you matched on Tinder and then blocked immediately. And let’s not even go started on folding, you guys.

The last thing you need on top of all this trauma is residual guilt at having wrecked the environment in the process. So how do we keep our clothes clean without turning our planet—and its water—into a dirty mess? Luckily bleach is no longer the only option, and some truly brainy brands have stepped in to fill the apathy gap, making it easier than ever to turn your laundry green (metaphorically speaking) in 2019.

Washing Machine

The Wonderwash Non-Electric Washing Machine, $49.60 on Amazon

Amazon

If you’re going to go for green this year, why not really go for it?! This portable hand crank washer will slash your water bill in months, and wash a 5-pound load of laundry in minutes, all while building arm strength! Even if you’re not ready to commit to a non-electric washing machine on a full-time basis, this popular water- and electricity-saving model could make a good supplement for a delicates wash, small load, or those days you’re feeling extra mighty! It comes in white and way fun array of retro colors, too, like this minty green.Buy Now

Detergents

Rockin’ Green All-Natural Laundry Detergent, $17.95 on Amazon

Amazon

This green line of no-nonsense, heavy duty cleaning and laundry products was developed by a gal who was sick of mislabeled products or ones that simply didn’t work. She took matters into her own hands and created Rockin’ Green, which may sound and look a little like an off-brand energy drink, but is actually a biodegradable, natural laundry detergent free from phosphates, dyes, bleach, optical brighteners, and parabens. And bonus….it actually works!Buy Now

Mrs. Meyer’s Lavender Laundry Pacs, $15.99 on Amazon

Amazon

You know her. You love her. Mrs. Meyer has basically become a surrogate grandmother to all of us. Whoever she is, she makes some of the most incredible-smelling and eco-friendly cleaning products on the market. These biodegradable natural laundry detergent packs are plant-derived, lavender-scented, and perfect for anyone who has to lug their crap to a laundromat for washing.Buy Now

Grab Green Natural 3-in-1 Laundry Detergent Powder, $16.33 on Amazon

Amazon

At just sixteen bucks for 100 loads of laundry, this concentrated 3-in-1 natural laundry detergent powder is the best bargain on our list. People love the fresh lily scent, and that it’s 100 percent naturally derived; made without, dyes, phosphates, phthalates, chlorine, animal by-products, toxins, dyes, or masking agents. A sensitive-skin-friendly option that’s far superior to bleach for you and the planet, too. Buy Now

Method Laundry Detergent Pump, $19.40 on Amazon

Amazon

Method prides itself on making plant-based versions of household cleaning products. Their fresh air laundry detergent is biodegradable, hypoallergenic for sensitive skin with mostly water and plant-based ingredients, and comes in a handy pump bottle for easy use. For $19.40 you can expect about 75 loads’ worth.Buy Now

Fabric Softeners

Budieggs Wool Organix Dryer Balls (6 pack), $10.76 on Amazon

Amazon

Not to be confused with the Mayor of South Bend Indiana and Presidential hopeful, Pete Buttigieg, Budieggs (hypoallergenic) Wool Dryer Balls are made from premium New Zealand wool and designed to help soften, de-stress, and de-wrinkle your fabrics with no harsh chemicals or harmful compounds.Buy Now

Seventh Generation Fabric Softener (pack of two), $10.26 on Amazon

Amazon

Seventh Generation has been leading the charge with green-friendly household products for years and they’ve got the laundry thing down, too. This fabric softener with plant-based ingredients is free of petroleum, parabens, and latex—all harmful to the environment. No abrasive scents either, which would likely mix with the detergent in an unfortunate way or bother people with sensitive skin. Throw a splash in your next wash and enjoy the silky smooth results. Buy Now

Dryer Sheets

Frey Dryer Sheets, $12 on Amazon

Amazon

If you’re looking for more of a natural scent in your dryer sheet but still want that no-harsh-chemicals, biodegradable vibe, these Frey dryer sheets may be just the thing. Not cheap, however. A pack of 40 clocks in at $12, but if you’ve got sensitive skin or give a hoot about the planet, for cryin’ out loud, it’s a small price to pay!Buy Now

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Dryer Sheets, Honeysuckle Scent, $6.99 on Amazon

Amazon

Mrs. Meyer’s is at it again, this time with natural dryer sheets. Normally dryer sheets are chock-full of chemicals that no one can pronounce and irritate sensitive skin (like mine), but not lady Meyer! These luscious honeysuckle-scented paper sheets are plant-derived—so much so that you can actually compost ’em! A claim I can’t imagine Downy or Tide could ever make.Buy Now

Looking for more? Read about our favorite Eco-Friendly Kitchen and Green Cleaning Products, too!

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