Ready, set... Garden

Our family finally got the time to start our garden project. I'm really nervous my raised-bed plot, which we built yesterday and came out extremely good looking and sturdy despite my family's handy-gene deficiency, will look just as neat and plantless as it does at the moment.

But I began feeling really great about the prospect of growing veggies with the girls this summer.

In fact, I was feeling almost hopeful. That sounds super corny, right! But my daughters got in the dirt with me yesterday, planting our tiny radish and carrot seeds (I read these grow great together because radishes mature first, making space for the slower-growing carrots) and larger pea seeds. And bonus, my makeshift compost pile hasn't yet attracted rodents.

Now I'm thinking, "Maybe we can do this. We can teach the girls about nature, grow some kick-ass veggies and have a great time."


Or maybe it's the April Garden Flu that dies down sometime around the second week of drought and heat in mid-July. And this after $28 on lumber, $14 on topsoil and a few bucks on seeds, probably more than I'd spend if I bought grocery-store radishes every week between now and Labor Day.

Oh well. Now, if I can stop the girls from rolling around in the nice, fresh black dirt (not a joke), then we'll be all set.

But you can't ruin my euphoria, much like you can't convince me that daily red wine is a rock-solid solution to future heart problems. I'm going to go ahead and believe what I believe.

Friday recipes; or Fricipes

In case you weren’t aware, there’s this worldwide rice shortage at the moment. So, sure I’m about to pass along my favorite rice recipe because what the world needs now is more middle American rice consumers.

Anyhow, I love rice. I buy in bulk basmati rice at the local Asian grocer. Whenever I cook rice as a side dish, I always make way too much on purpose.

The purpose? Leftover fried rice. It’s so totally easy and it gets rid of all those leftover veggies about to go bad in the fridge. For whatever reason, day-old rice makes a much better fried rice than fresh rice. So just store about six extra cups in the fridge overnight (even a day or two is fine) and get ready for the best freakin’ leftovers ever.

I made this last night and even had my veggie-hating 2-year-old to devour her dinner, complete with komatsuna. That’s right, komatsuna.

Six cups fried rice
Vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup oyster sauce (also available at the Asian grocer)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
One clove of garlic
2 carrots, cut into bite size pieces
cups of frozen peas
2 scallions
* Note (the carrots, peas and scallions can be substituted with any vegetable you have ready to hit the trash. Good substitutes are mushrooms, greens, onions or broccoli)

1. Scramble the eggs. I like to use just one pan (easy cleanup) so I drop the eggs in oil over medium high and stir the crap out of them. It’s not like eating fluffy eggs for breakfast so don’t worry too much if they don’t look perfect. Set aside in a bowl.
2. Add some more oil (a tablespoon or so) and add the garlic. If you’re using onion, do that first for about two minutes. Cook garlic for about 30 seconds.
3. Add carrots and peas. Cook for about a minute.
4. Add oyster sauce, soy sauce and rice. Stir until it looks like the stuff you get from your favorite Chinese restaurant. Remove from heat and add scallions (if using) and eggs.

Happy belated Earth Day

So you might be wondering how I spent this annual honoring of all things eco. No? Well, here it is anyway.

I came into possession of a second car. At least temporarily.

My mom had to leave her car behind while she left for Las Vegas (I'm sure to encourage people to conserve water and ban the lawn) and now I have this set of wheels for scooting around town.

What makes the second car so dangerous is the freedom. Some days, when you don't feel like spending an hour on dinner or washing the kitchen floor, a trip around town seems like the perfect solution. Luckily, I've had enough of these car-accessible days during the dreary winter months to know they end up being more irritating than fun.

A day behind the wheel is often tedious and annoying. And with the recent brilliant weather, I see no reason to ditch the bike for an easier mode of transport. Plus, I'm just getting my bike muscles back.

So here's to Earth Day and knowing that just because you have access to a second car doesn't mean you have to use it.

Also.... My mom left her two dogs behind as well. I guess it's time to invest in some of those eco-friendly poop bags.

Choo-choosing a better trip

With gas price, once again, at a record high, I feel really good about my overnight trip to Chicago. Amtrak has, once again, provided terrific service and made this little tourist trip easy on the nerves and the wallet.

It cost $120 for two to take the train at 7:30 a.m. Saturday (arriving about 2 1/2 hours later) and leaving at 5:15 p.m. Sunday. It's quite possible it would have been quicker to drive (2 hours if there is NO traffic or getting lost, an unlikely event with me behind the wheel). It might also have been a a tiny bit more in cash as the 180 mile trip would have cost $40 for gas and about $50 for overnight parking.

But, with no stress about navigating unfamiliar urban roads, the freedom to relax, read and listen to a podcast on the train and the experience of the train, I would always choose Amtrak over Ford.

And somehow we managed to never once use a cab. This meant more money for the important things — fantastic food from some of the best restaurants in the world.

From the cheap and easy file

Making your own baby food is super easy and super cheap.

Here was a little weekend project from when I had a baby. I went to my favorite superstore, Meijer, bought plentiful supplies of freezable veggies. Organic or locally grown veggies would have been even better.

For 60 cents, I purchased enough green beans to feed my then baby for a week. After steaming and blending them, I filled ice cube trays with tiny single serving size portions.

Presto. Finished for the week.

And bonus — these little servings cost about 60 cents each when you buy the jarred variety. That's what I did for for my older child. I don't think they're any less nutritious, just more expensive and bearing more waste.

But those little glass containers are super reusable for storing tiny items like nails and beads. Just FYI.

Friday recipes; or Fricipes

Sometimes when you have kids, you just do things to get by.

Of course I'd love to make every meal a culinary delight, but nobody ever died from eating peanut butter and jelly for lunch. And there are days when that's all the creativity I can muster.

But my all-time favorite quick meal is the quesadilla. It's easy. It's simple. And it can even be nutritious. The quickest meal is the quesadilla with refried beans and grated cheese. But my favorite is spinach with goat cheese. Yum.

One bunch of spinach.
Two cloves garlic.
One Tbsp. olive oil.
Two flour tortillas.
Spreadable goat cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Salsa and sour cream for dipping.

Sauté the garlic over medium heat for about 30 seconds (just until it smells nice) and add spinach. I like it with a little water still clinging to it. With tongs, continue cooking until the spinach is nice and wilty.

On one flour tortilla, coat with goat cheese. Top that with spinach. Next, add the mozzarella (this binds it all together).

Top with second tortilla. Brush with oil and cook over medium heat until both sides are golden brown, about a minute each. Serve with salsa and sour cream, or eat standing over the stove, which is what I sometimes end up doing with these beauties.

Save the extra spinach to add in pasta, stuff in a pita or more quesadillas. The possibilities are endless.

Growing a garden

There's nothing quite as wonderful as fresh vegetables.

Last year, we joined a CSA that only expanded my appreciation for growing stuff. I learned to cook kale, Japanese greens (the original fast food) and Jerusalem artichokes, which are not from Jerusalem or an artichoke.

I learned fresh radishes and the sliced red and white "radishes" at a salad bar are not at all the same thing.

So I'm giving gardening a go this year. I'll grow mostly simple things like tomatoes and lettuce. In fact, I'm so new at this that I had to get a book from the KIDS section of the library. I know... embarrassing.

I have a lot to say about gardening, from my dad's vegetable gardens, to my aunt's canned tomato sauce, to my reluctance to go too far on the side of vegetable-garden crazy for fear my neighbors will talk about me.

But for now, I'll just cross my fingers, hope this endless winter actually ends one day and fill my slosh bucket for compost with all our fruit and veggie scraps.

Awesome reasons for not driving

Car rental.

When I was younger (pre-25, before I could legally rent a car) I thought car rental was based on convenience only, and charged for it.

Turns out, car rental is surprisingly affordable. We rent from Enterprise, which normally offers 50 percent off weekends. For a three-day getaway, we can rent a car for about $50.

Now, unless you're doing a trip every couple of weeks, it's totally cheaper than a car payment. Plus... the insurance for your primary car covers it (better check, but mine does). Plus, plus... no regular maintenance like oil changes and wiper replacements.

And the biggest plus... it's totally fun to try all these new cars. In the last year I traveled home pretty regularly and I got the same car maybe twice. And the cars are always kind of new and clean.

Much better than the clunker we're shlumping around town in.

Turn up the heat

Every family has a dirty little secret. Even, our little eco-friendly clan.

We love to barbecue. And not just because we like to send a bunch of carbon emissions into the blue, clear sky on sustainable seafood and veggies.


Oh no... We're talking red meat.

I know. It's a horrible secret. But we're not alone. The Sierra Club tells me three out of four American households own a grill.

Nationwide, the estimated 60 million barbecues held on the Fourth of July alone consume enough energy—in the form of charcoal, lighter fluid, gas, and electricity—to power 20,000 households for a year.

Yikes. But here's a few hints to guilt-free grilling. Also, make sure you take your clean sheets off the line before your favorite family grill-master fires up the hardwood briquettes or you'll be sleeping with the aroma of your great smoky dinner.

Trust me. It's not as much fun as it sounds.

DONE: Ditch the VOC-laden lighter fluid for a chimney starter, which let's the head chef start the grill with just newspaper. It's a cost saver in the long run.

STILL WORKING: Buy locally raised meat. It typically has fewer issues with how they're raised and from long-distance shipping than those value packs of brats at your neighborhood superstore. This Times article has a good rundown of grilling a better burger. Don't forget that grilled veggies are pretty rockin'.

NOT GONNA HAPPEN: How about a solar ovens or stoves to avoid most emissions entirely. I'll go ahead and do this after my bio-plastic stock makes me a millionaire.

Friday recipes; or Fricipes

I've recently changed my diet to reflect a more Asian style of eating. I did this after seeing the Asian Diet Pyramid, a different spin on the healthy eating pyramids seen in every middle school in America, and realizing they are permitted to drink alcohol EVERY day.

Now that's a diet I can get behind.

The biggest change for me is less meat. Specifically less red meat, which I kind of love. Plus, it's not as expensive as fish or fancy veggies. Plus-plus, nothing fills you up like a good old-fashioned slab of steak.

But I'm working with it. And I recently created this fantastic pita sandwich with sautéed spinach and mushrooms, and topped with bean sprouts. But the real heart of the sandwich is the Green Goddess Dip, which is versatile, yummy and is a fun and healthy dip for kids.

2 Garlic cloves
1 cup parsley
1 cup Spinach (Green goddess dip is typically all herbs, like basil and dill, but I like spinach so there)
3/4 cup of yogurt
1 cup Ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut up garlic in food processor or blender. Add parsley and spinach. Blend in the yogurt. Add lemon juice.
Scoop into bowl and vigorously stir in the ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.

Addressing the driving issue: Finally

National Public Radio ran this great report today about an Atlanta woman and her child who moved from the suburbs to the city. By removing her commute, the move greatly reduced her carbon footprint.

It was nice to hear this issue being addressed as far as parents are concerned. Most green parenting stories I see talk to parents who buy organic or use all-natural products. Not that these things are bad, but it's only in passing the stories mention the parental resistance to giving up the minivan.

At first I thought, "Oh great. Another story of how the rich are becoming oh so green." But the woman, Malaika Taylor, talked about how she couldn't afford a house inside the city but could move into an innovative development that incorporates residential and commercial life.

Taylor didn't have the environment in mind when she made these decisions, much like my own family's decision to try a more simple pace. She just wanted to get her life back. It's at the core of how the environmental movement can be a catalyst to returning sanity to the American family.

I love how she describes her new commute-free life.

"Maybe I'll work out. Maybe we'll play a game. It makes a huge difference just in the quality of our life. We get to spend a lot more time together. I think she's happier. I'm happier. It makes life a lot better."