I am really a sucker for brands that I can stand behind 110%. Unilever is one of those brands. My family not only LOVES their products, like their Bertolli Alfredo sauce, but we love their mission to make small changes that make their company more eco friendly.
My family is all about small lifetstyle changes that help the environment. Being a super busy mom and wife, frankly I don’t have time to be religious about living green. (I know you are in shock). One of the reason I write Crunchy Frugalista is to show people how small, manageable changes can make a huge impact towards living a greener lifestyle.
One of my aboslute favorite ways to do this is to repurpose and upcycle objects to serve another purpose. You guys have already seen how I repurposed cereal boxes to make magazine holders. I am also working on repurposing a shoe box and materials I already have into a ribbon dispenser and holder. (Trust me, you are going to want to see that project).
My latest project is to upcycle Bertolli Alfedo jars into homemade vases and home decor! This project is really easy to do, and once you are done no one will even be able to tell what it used to be. It will look like you spent tons of money!
Before I share the project, I want to share the awesome recipe that helped empty those Bertolli jars! Bertolli Alfredo is one of my favorite quick tricks to a quick and easy meal. This week my family and I enjoyed Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with roasted red peppers and seared asparagus. It was absolutely amazing. It was so delicious my family gobbled it up before I could even snag pictures! (Lucky for you I remember how I made it!)
Ingredients
- 2 Jars of Bertolli Alfredo Sauce
- 1 box whole wheat pasta
- 1 pound of chicken breasts, cut into strips
- 1 red pepper, seeds removed and diced
- 1 bunch asparagus, ends removed
- olive oil
- Italian seasoning (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Fill a large stock pot with water, and boil. Add pasta and cook per box directions.
- In a large sautee pan, put 1 tsp olive oil. Place chicken and brown. Add Italian seasoning to taste. Set aside once cooked through
- In a small sautee pan, place diced red pepper and 1 tsp of olive oil. Sautee until peppers are tender
- Place the oven on broil.
- On a cooking sheet, place asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Broil for 5-10 minutes until tender. Then remove and cut into bite sized pieces.
- In a smaller pot pour two jars of Bertolli sauce, combine red peppers, chicken, and asparagus. Cook on low until thoroughly heated.
- The final step is combining the pasta and sauce. Once combined served in a bowl with herbed focaccia bread.
- Enjoy!
Now that the jars are empty and your tummy is full. Here is a great way to repurpose those Bertolli jar.
Supplies
- 2 Bertolli Jars cleaned, dried, with labels removed
- Spray primer
- Hot Glue and Hot Glue Gun
- Twine
- Metallic Spray Paint
Directions
Take both of your jars and make sure they are clean and dry.
Take your first jar and spray paint it with spray primer. Allow it to dry.
Grab your twine and glue gun. Glue the twin around the jar until completely covered. You can either cut it into individual strips or let it swirl all the way to the top. Allow to dry.
With the second jar, take your glue gun and write a word on either side of the jar. I used the word “hope.”
Allow the glue to harden. Once it’s hard, spray paint with the metallic spray. If you are feeling extra creative embellish the top with ribbon or other decorations to cover the jar threads.
Want to learn more about Unilever’s sustainability actions? Make sure to visit their website: Making Life Better where they help Cross off Hunger!
You can also get tips from Unilever on changes you can make to help sustain our planet: http://www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/uslp/.
Check out my Unilever Shopping Trip in my Google Plus Album, and see all the Unilever Goodies we stocked up on!
I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Unilever #CBias #SocialFabric
About Ashley Sears
That is super cute and looks like something I could do! I love the idea of using products already in your home instead of just throwing them away and going out to buy something new!
Yeah it is something my kids and I are really passionate about. It helps keep things out of landfills, plus it helps save some money!
Wow, I had no idea that vase was make from a sauce jar! We actually have some Bertolli in our cabinets right now. I may try my hand at this craft once we’ve eaten it!
You can make LOTS of neat things out of things you have around the house, and no one will be the wiser
This is so cute! As Jeannette said: I like using products we have on hand!
Thanks Jeanette. We love that too. It’s great to reuse something rather than it getting recycled.
Wow, that turned out absolutely gorgeous!
That recipe sounds delicious and your project turned out so cute!
Thanks so much Tesa. I was really happy how it turned out. Mr Crunchy always thinks I just hoard junk for no reason