There are fewer things that get me more jazzed than a day to celebrate Mother Earth or Pacha Mamma, as they say in Peru.
Rather than bore you to tears with how eating better by choosing fewer processed foods, using meat as a condiment, and buying or growing your foods locally can help lower your carbon footprint, I’ll simply share an every day, simple strategy that I use to help me do my part in offsetting carbon emissions while also nourishing my body without any additional time or effort spent.
Raise your fork if you remember the old ‘Friday Special’ otherwise known as ‘Cooks Choice’. We’ve all experienced that end-of-the-week casserole, soup or ‘mystery meat’ that unbeknownst to a naive, hungry, 5th grader, was the leftovers or unused refrigerator finds that weren’t going to make it through the weekend.
With all due respect, it was a brilliant idea. Kudos to my mother and school cooks for the effort to save our planet (and maybe a buck or two), but if you’re anything like me, I eat with my eyes before food ever crosses my lips and the curb appeal of mystery meat, doesn’t really scream ‘Sexy’, IMO.
So what’s my savvy (read: frugal) strategy? My Friday ritual for reducing food waste, not at the expense of taste, touch, smell or feel… A smoothie bowl!
Smoothies, for many, have breathed life back into breakfast. Who can beat a nutrient dense, filling and tasty meal that can be ready in less than 60 seconds and portable enough to drink on a your morning commute?
Smoothie bowls are nearly the same, but provide the option for add-ins that those of us who enjoy chewing our food, can enjoy.
(Photo cred: kriscarr.com)
Here’s an example of my Earth Day, Friday Special, sent to you, lovingly from the West Virginia Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Annual Meeting above Cheat Lake in Morgantown, WV.
Recipe:
Everything Green – Kitchen Sink Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients:
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Roughly 1/2 bag of fresh spinach nearing its last leg
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Less than a cup of plain coconut milk to polish off my container
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1 whole mango, peeled & pit discarded, that might not last another day
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1 scoop of freshly made almond butter that I then poured my smoothie bowl back into for sustainable transport
Process:
Blend all in a high-speed blender of your choice and serve chilled or as is.
Note on blenders: While any old model will do as I’ve relied on my $10 big box store brand for years. Presently, my at-home model is a Vitamix, which I’ve found is worth every precious penny spent. For travel and work, I really like the Nutribullet Pro for portability.
As far as toppings go, options are limitless. I added a bit of shredded coconut and crushed walnuts for a crunch, a small handful of blueberries that somehow survived the week, and a few stray strawberries that were debatable as to whether to not they were in fact ‘past their prime’.
What’s your plan to pay respect to Mother Earth today? Please share or post so that we all may enjoy!
Cheers,
Lacy
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