Sequins and Sea Breezes: Be #CartonSmart

Be #CartonSmart

1/07/2014

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carton Smart. All opinions are 100% mine.
With the start of the new year many of us make New Year's Resolutions. Some people want to lose weight, some want to accomplish a goal and some want to find a way to make a difference. A simple change you can make in your day to day life is to Become Carton SmartSo, what is carton smart you ask? Instead of purchasing foods in cans, purchase them in cartons.
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Tetra Pak® is a company that manufacturers carton packaging for every day food products such as chicken stock, purees and sauces. Tetra Pak® cartons are made of 70% paper, a renewable resource, from selectively harvested, re-grown trees that are FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council). They are also recycleable and in fact result in 60% less landfill waste than cans. Cartons even use 1/3 of the packaging compared to cans…or even an egg! The unique packaging process preserves the flavor and nutrients of food without the use of preservatives and they're reclosable so so you can use what you need and save the rest for later. For those of you who don't have a lot of extra space in the pantry, cartons are space saving, easy to store and are stackable allowing for more room for other things (like cookies!) keeping your pantry neat and tidy.  
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Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients

1 lb uncooked spicy Italian sauage
3 slices uncooked bacon, chopped {you can use Bacon Bits instead}
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes {I like it spicy so if you don't use less}
5-6 red potatoes, cubed
1/2 bunch fresh kale chopped
4 cups chicken stock {I used Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Simply Stock in the Tetra Pak® carton}
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the sausage in a pot, if there is a lot of excess grease in the pot drain the excess grease off. Add  the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pot and cook for about a minute (be sure not to burn the garlic or it will taste bitter) and then add 1/2 a cup of the chicken stock to the pot. Stir the chicken stock  and make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the rest of the chicken stock, water, potatoes and kale to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender. Then stir in the heavy cream, salt and pepper and let sit for about 3 minutes until soup has reached the desired consistency.    
Any one can become carton smart just by buying foods in Tetra Pak® cartons instead of cans. So why not make a little change in your lifestyle that can make a big difference in the long run? Be sure to Follow #CartonSmart on Pinterest for more eco-friendly tips and Tweet @CartonSmart on how you're being #cartonsmart this holiday season. 

 
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