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Author Archive | Jennie Lyon

Fresh, Fun, and Organized: KeaBabies Glass Prep Jars Are a Game-Changer for Homemade Meals

December 3, 2025 0

Let’s be real, keeping snacks and meals ready for little ones (or yourself!) can be a juggling act. Between daycare drop-offs, playdates, errands, and family adventures, I’ve been on the hunt for a storage solution that’s simple, safe, and stylish. Enter KeaBabies Glass Prep Jars, and yes, they’re about to make your life so much easier.

🌿 Why I Love Them

From my kitchen to your countertop, here’s why these prep jars have become a staple:

  • Perfect Portions Every Time – Measure out yogurt, fruit, applesauce, or homemade purees in the exact amounts you need.
  • Snack-Friendly – Ideal for little crackers, sliced fruit, or other finger foods.
  • Airtight & Leak-Proof – No more worrying about spills in the diaper bag, stroller, or lunch box.
  • Durable & Safe – BPA-free, freezer-safe, microwave-safe, and dishwasher-safe, these jars are built to survive real life.
  • Stylish Options – Available in an array of gorgeous colors that make food prep feel a little more fun.

Honestly, it’s hard to overstate how nice it is to have containers that actually work for on-the-go life. No more bag explosions, no more guessing if the fruit will still be fresh when you get to daycare or the park, just simple, reliable, clean storage.

🥄 How I Use Them

Here are a few ways I plan to use my KeaBabies Glass Prep Jars this season:

  • Morning Yogurt + Fruit Cups – Perfect for a quick breakfast grab on busy weekday mornings.
  • Homemade Purees – Freeze individual portions of sweet potato, apples, or pumpkin for easy lunches.
  • Snack Packs for the Road – Crackers, cheese cubes, or small fruit pieces that won’t get crushed in the bag.
  • Meal Prep for Me – Yes, I’ve been known to use these for overnight oats, chia pudding, and small salads too!

The airtight lids mean that everything stays fresh, and the leak-proof design makes tossing a few in a backpack completely stress-free.

🎁 Why They Make a Perfect Gift

The holidays are just around the corner, and honestly, these jars make such a practical, thoughtful gift:

  • For new parents or caregivers: simplify meal prep while keeping baby’s food fresh and safe.
  • For toddlers and preschoolers: portioned snacks that are easy to grab and go.
  • For anyone who loves clean, stylish, reusable storage: these jars are as functional as they are beautiful.

With their dishwasher-safe design and fun color options, they’re also a gift that keeps giving — and one that helps reduce single-use plastic in the kitchen.

💚 Where to Find Them

You can shop KeaBabies Glass Prep Jars here: keababies.com or on Amazon. Prices start at $19.96, a small investment for stress-free, fresh meals every day.

🥄 Bottom Line

Whether you’re prepping snacks for your little one, organizing your own breakfast, or looking for a thoughtful holiday gift for a parent in your life, these Glass Prep Jars from KeaBabies are a total win. Stylish, functional, and safe, they make the everyday moments of feeding a little easier, fresher, and way more fun.

Because life is busy, snacks are messy, and little hands need big solutions, these jars have you covered. 🧡

Helping Holidays: 4 Green Gifts That Give Back

December 2, 2025 3


The holidays are all about celebrating acts of giving, making it the perfect opportunity to make your gift giving smarter this season. There are so many amazing businesses out there that give back when you purchase one of their products. These companies are tied to doing good somewhere in the world every time a purchase is made. Read on for my 4 favorite gifts that give back – and if you hurry you can still get these goodies by Christmas.

1. Warby Parker Glasses
Eben and I both wear glasses and love the stylish, affordable frames from Warby Parker. For every pair of glasses that you buy, a pair is donated to a person in need. If you don’t wear glasses, that is alright – Warby Parker also offers fantastic sunglasses.

+ Warby Parker  

2. Feed Bags
I have been familiar with FEED Bags for a very long time – I remember first seeing them in Whole Foods back when we lived in Georgia! FEED Bags come in a huge selection of styles and sizes and with each purchase a portion of the proceeds go towards feeding the children of the world.

+ FEED Projects

3. TOMS Shoes
Most likely you are already familiar with TOMS shoes – for every pair you purchase a pair is donated to a child in need. With a great selection of shoes for everyone on your list, TOMS is the perfect holiday gift!

+ TOMS

Do you have a favorite gift to give that gives back too?

Green Your Thanksgiving With Edible, Organic Place Cards

November 21, 2025 2


I am having a lot of fun planning how the dinner table will look this Thanksgiving. Especially since it will be super small which means less pressure and more relaxing! 

First on my list of things to do to prepare is to decide on place cards for our tiny family. I really love, love, love these pear place cards from Sunset. I think a beautiful, delicious organic pear with a lovely recycled name tag would be perfect. I am also considering giant pomegranates with recycled name tags attached. (You know how I feel about pomegranates!)

What type of place cards will you be using on Thanksgiving?

Green Gatherings: Tips For Planning A More Sustainable Thanksgiving

November 20, 2025 0


This time of year is all about gathering with loved ones and expressing gratitude. And in the U.S., gratitude is best expressed in the form of food. Thanksgiving is the embodiment of this tradition, and this time of year is full of more friends, family, and food than most people know what to do with.

Even the most well-intentioned holidays can lead to excess, and this excess likely goes against your sustainability goals. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal while keeping it green and eco-friendly. The following are some of the many ways to throw a sustainable Thanksgiving dinner.

Buy organic meat and produce.
Whenever possible, purchase locally-grown organic produce for your delicious Thanksgiving dishes. As for the meat, grass-fed is generally best. This may be tough if you’re committed to turkey, but there are lots of sustainable meats to choose from. Beef from grass-fed cows has higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as vitamins A and E. As for the turkey, opt for a free-range bird.

Use reusable plates and utensils.
While paper plates and plastic utensils offer convenience, these items are a significant source of waste. Instead, serve food on reusable or ceramic plates. Whoever didn’t help with the cooking can clean them. Easy, right?

Decorate with natural materials.
Store-bought Thanksgiving decorations tend to adorn the table for one day before landing in the garbage. This year, try decorating with natural materials instead. One of the best decorating tricks is to choose three colors for the event theme and then use them for all of the decor items. The oranges, browns, and greens found in nature are perfect for your entire Thanksgiving color scheme and centerpieces.

Cook outdoors.
In a recent study, the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association found that 60% of grillers cook outside throughout the entire year. This can be a great way to cook more sustainability, as long as you stay away from gas-powered grills. Instead, try cooking over a fire or woodstove. Food tends to taste better when it was cooked outdoors, so your taste buds and the environment will win.

Compost any cooking scraps.
The simple act of cooking is one of the most significant sources of Thanksgiving waste. When cooking a big meal, food scraps pile up. Instead of throwing them in the garbage, compost them instead. If you don’t already compost at home, contact your local compost companies about pickup and dropoff services.

Remember to say thanks.
Gratitude does not produce any waste. Take the time this year to pull the focus off of material items and onto the act of giving thanks and cherishing the people you love.

“If distance or circumstances prevent you from spending Thanksgiving with some of the people you love, call, email, or write them a letter (on recycled paper) to tell them why they mean so much to you and how they make your world a better place,” Larry West writes in ThoughtCo.

By spreading the love to both your dear ones and the planet, you will have a wonderfully nourishing Thanksgiving Day.

The Ultimate Holiday Gift for the Outdoor Adventurer: Sawyer × Cnoc Squeeze Water Filtration System

November 5, 2025 0

If someone on your gift list lives for trails, paddles, peaks and packing the RV for spontaneous getaways (ahem, that might be you or my husband Jayson) then I’ve found a holiday winner. The Sawyer × Cnoc Squeeze Water Filtration System (2 L bladder version) is exactly the kind of gear that says “I see your adventure-lust and I support it.”

Why it works: light, rugged, travel-ready, and built to keep the water flowing when you’re off the beaten path. Because let’s be real, when you’re hiking in the Blue Ridge, or camping near a quiet lake, or road-tripping south in your RV, you don’t want to worry about whether that stream is drinkable. With this system, you’re covered.

🌿 Why I’m Totally Into It

Here are the reasons I’d love to get this (and you might too):

  • The system features a 0.1 micron absolute hollow-fiber membrane filter that removes 99.99999% of bacteria (like E. coli, salmonella) and 99.9999% of protozoa (like giardia, cryptosporidium). It even filters out 100% of microplastics.
  • Built with a durable TPU 2-liter bladder with a wide mouth for fast filling, so when you’re dipping into a creek or using a campsite spigot, it’s easy.
  • Lightweight, packable, no bulky pump or heavy parts, meaning less gear-stress and more actual adventure time. Reviewers call it “light and durable” and a top choice for backpacking.
  • Perfect for traveling, RV trips, paddleboard trips, weekend hikes out of Banner Elk, winter getaways to Florida. One piece of gear that covers hydration anywhere.
  • A gift that’s thoughtful, not just a “thing,” but a readiness-essence accessory: for safety, for joy, for being outdoors without compromise.

🎁 Gift-Giving Scenarios

Here are some real-life ways to frame this as a holiday gift:

For the Hiker

“Pack your backpack, strap on the boots, and know your water game is as strong as your trails.”
The Sawyer × Cnoc system says: you’re ready for roots, rocks, and remote water sources.

For the RV Traveler

They’ve got the camper, the cooler, the outdoor chairs, now give them the gear that makes a creek stop feel like home.
Imagine Jayson pulling our RV beside a riverside rest stop, filling the bladder, filtering fresh water, beach chairs out, pure freedom.

For the Family Adventure Crew

The gift isn’t just for one person, it’s for all the little “oops” moments: forgetting a bottle, scrambling to buy water, realizing the spigot tastes weird. This system sidesteps all that.

Pack it in the backpack cooler alongside your favorite backpack cooler (hello Titan by Arctic Zone), and you’ve got an all-in one adventure kit.

🛠️ How I’d Use It in Our Life

  • On a Banner Elk hike: Fill at a stream, filter, then sip while we sit overlooking the ridgeline.
  • On a paddleboard day: Fill at the shore, filter, stow the bladder in the dry bag, row out knowing hydration is settled.
  • Road-trip stop: A rest area with a questionable water fountain? No problem, use the bladder, filter, refill bottles in the RV.
  • Winter escape to Florida: Whether it’s a hike through dunes or a river paddle, this gear stays in the RV just in case.

✅ Why It’s a Smart Buy (and a Smart Gift)

  • Durability + longevity: Built to last, not just for one season of adventure.
  • Versatility: Trail, water, wheels, anywhere.
  • Thought fulness: Shows you care about their experience, about their safety, about their kind of fun.
  • Eco-friendly angle: Fewer single-use bottles, less waste, more being present outside.
  • The “cool gear” factor: It’s not a gimmick, it performs.

🛒 Where to Get It & What to Look For

You can find the product on Sawyer’s site: the “Squeeze Water Filtration System | Cnoc Premium 2 Liter Bladder” page.

Make sure it’s the full kit (filter + bladder) so the recipient doesn’t have “just a bag” and then has to buy the filter separately.

🎄 Final Holiday Wrap Up

If you’re looking for a gift that’s outdoor-ready, practically-useful, and inspired by adventure, this one’s a winner. It says “let’s go somewhere,” “let’s explore,” “let’s not worry about the water.”

And that’s exactly the vibe you want when you’re living close to the mountains, hitting picnic hikes, RVing south for the winter, the gear should fade into the background while the adventure stays front and center.

So tie a bow (eco-friendly ribbon, maybe a pine sprig) around this one, drop in a note: “Here’s to streams, sunsets, and clean sips on your next big trek.” I guarantee the adventurer in your life will smile.

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