A growing minority of Americans are now using reusable tote-style bags in place of paper or plastic for their grocery shopping purchases. We got into the habit when we lived in the Netherlands on 2001-02, where everyone carries their own bag because each plastic bag from the store would set you back 20 eurocents.

At this point, our reusable shopping bags are a sort of mishmash of canvas bags we've collected over the years - some that I just adore, some that were free, and some that I bought 15 years ago when finding a reusable bag still entailed a massive search and was pretty much limited to those string bags that I find only work so-so for most groceries. The latest step that we've been experimenting with is using cloth bags for our produce and bulk food purchases - you know, bags to replace the disposable bags you end up putting in your reusable bags for some of those items you just don't want floating around when you're buying a lot of stuff.

Not wanting to waste plastic, I have never put things like plums or apples in a bag, but I do admit that I sometimes cringe when I put them on the conveyor belt after another customer has loaded it up with leaky packages of meat and I'd love to have enough to be able to bag those items up as well. There are also some smaller items - mushrooms, shallots, hot peppers - that it's just more convenient to have a bag for. Produce can be unbagged to weigh it at the checkout counter, and any earth-friendly bulk food section should have a "tare" or "zero" button where you can weigh your packaging first if you aren't using their disposable plastic bags.

I'm not sure why it never occurred to me to have reusable bags for my produce and bulk items. When we lived in San Francisco, we often refilled our own bottles with spices or oils, but I never made that leap to the idea of using reusable bags for bulk-aisle and produce purchases.

But after the recent renovation of our kitchen we've put everything (and I do mean everything) into glass jars, which not only adds a little Martha Stewart to our kitchen but to encourages us to make bulk food purchases rather than buying pre-packaged items. I was a little wary of using cloth bags for bulk foods at first, afraid that something like nutritional yeast or seeds would come pouring out of the gap in a drawstring closure. But really, they've worked quite well.

Since we empty the bags into jars when we get home anyway, we don't have to worry about having enough bags to store and shop with. We've used our bags for everything from nuts to green beans and onions and I have to say, I can't wait until my collection is large enough that I don't have to use any plastic bags at all. We'll need somewhere between 10-20 to really be covered.

This will ultimately involve making some of our own - here's a great tutorial for making your own mesh produce bags, if you'd like to go that route. As for me, I like variety and eccentricity, so I'll probably continue to buy a few here and there as well as making some homemade ones. Every bag tells a story!

Here are some of our favorite reusable bags that have stood up to washing and drying (yes, I just toss them in the washer and dryer!):

• GardenSac Reusable Produce bags: these have been my favorite bags for large produce. $4.95 for 2 bags on Amazon.com


• Green Kit Produce Bags: for the fashion conscious, these bags are so cute and work great. $6 apiece for prints, and blanks are $3.50 each/4 for $12/10 for $25 at Green-Kits.com


• Bag Green: also very cute, offered in limited edition designs. $14 for 4 bags

Happy Earth Day!

Trying to live a greener life can be a money-saver in many ways. But oftentimes it can be discouraging when you want to buy the greener version of a product and it is too expensive. On February 1, EcoSteal
launched to offer a chance to pick up new "green" products without the expense. For those of you familiar with Woot, think of it as a green version of Woot. Here is how it works.

EcoSteal sells one item at a time at a deeply discounted rate (they say 40-80% off retail value). This one item is sold on their website until they run out and then a new product is listed (unlike Woot which sells a new item daily). So if its a popular product and you don't go to the website early enough, you might miss out on that particular deal. There is a limit of 3 units per household. There are several ways to know what they are selling at the moment. You can visit their website, but then you have to keep checking back to figure out when a new deal is posted. You can sign up at their website to receive email alerts which I find to be very convenient. You can also follow their Twitter feed.

Here are some of the things they have sold at a discount so far:

• Belle Baby Carrier


• Kina Handmade Baby Booties


• Mountainsmith Digi Cam Case


• Meyer Well's Table


• Beckon's Organic Grace Women's cardigan

I'm excited to see what sort of deals will come up in the future and to be introduced to new green products and companies. It seems like a win-win situation for the companies and consumers - companies get some advertising and consumers get a great green deal!

Have a favorite place to find deals on green products? Share it in the comments!

I will admit, I am an energy bar junkie. I have raced long-distance triathlons and marathons for the past10 years, so nutrition bars and Gatorade have long been major staples of my diet. But I get tired of bars that taste overly processed and contain a long, often unpronounceable list of ingredients. I was absolutely thrilled to try some new products called Element Bars. The designs of these bars (and the minds behind this company) are simply brilliant! At Element Bars, you get to pick and choose the elements (or ingredients) to make your own minimally processed and customized bar. Many of the ingredients are offered with an optional organic choice, and YOU get to name the bar!


Here is how the website works:

1. First, choose your core of the bar, such as chewy, oaty, crispy or datey. I chose chewy and then I could select peanut butter or almond butter, with an additional option of organic butters.
   
2. Next, pick your fruits from a variety of dried choices (apricots, blueberries, cherries, prunes, raisins, cranberries. As you add ingredients, the website provides detailed information such as expected texture, taste and heart healthy benefits.


3. Then choose your favorite nuts to add. Trying to avoid nuts? No problem, skip this step and you can still develop your own hearty bar.


4. Almost finished with your new bar, but the best part is adding sweets. Consider adding an ingredient like agave or brown rice syrup, honey, chocolate chips or M&M's to add a sweet edge to your bar.


5. Finally, you have the option to add nutritional boosts to your bar such as whey or soy protein, immunity, omega-3s and fiber.

If you are uncertain of where to start, consider buying one of their most popular choices such as "Hungry for Health Bar" or "Dante's Hiking Bar," or take a short survey and bar suggestions will be made for you!

As a dietitian, my favorite feature is that as you build your bar, there is a dynamically-updating Nutrition Facts label on the righthand side of the screen. As you add or subtract ingredients, the nutrition information and the list of ingredients changes as you go! How cool is that? If you are looking for a 250-calorie, low-fat bar with 5 grams fiber, you can build the bar as you like to meet your nutritional prerequisites.

Two, weeks ago, I tried each one in the variety four-pack, and they were all delicious, fresh and filling. A 12-pack of custom made Element Bars runs $41, but the popular bar choices and variety packs sell for a discounted rate of $36.

Have you tried Element bars, or do you have a favorite flavor or brand of nutrition bar - or a favorite recipe for your own healthy, energizing snack? Share it - or a link to it - in the comments!