The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard — Gaylord Nelson
Recently, while sitting in a food court eating with my kids, I noticed that some people did not use the recycling bin, which was right beside the garage bin, while cleaning up after their lunch.
Why would people not take one second to separate their garbage and recycle their plastics? With Earth Day on April 22, I looked up ways to take action, including planting a garden or a tree, using reusable coffee cups.
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We can all unselfishly help support the planet by making simple changes to our household and personal care routine.
Preparing meals at home allows us to control all of the ingredients that we put into our menus. Try to use food that has been through minimal processing.
Berry buttermilk muffins
- 1 egg
- 1 c. buttermilk 250 mL
- 3/4 c. sugar 175 mL
- 1/3 c. oil 75 mL
- 1 tsp. vanilla 5 mL
- 2 c. flour 500 mL
- 1 tsp. baking powder 5 mL
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda 2 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1 mL
- 1/8 tsp. nutmeg .5 mL
- 1 c. fresh or frozen 250 mL
- saskatoon or blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C).
- In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, buttermilk, sugar, oil and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices and stir until moistened. Gently fold in the berries and spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
salad with chickpeas
- 1 large head of romaine lettuce, washed and torn
- 2 c. cucumber, 500 mL
- peeled and cubed
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 2 tomatoes. cut in small wedges (or an
- equal amount of grape tomatoes)
- Toppings:
- 2 c. chickpeas, drained 500 mL
- and rinsed
- 1/2 c. crumbled feta 125 mL
- cheese
- 4 servings meat of your choice. Use freshly grilled steak or chicken cut into strips to top your salad.
- Dressing: Kraft Greek with Feta and Oregano dressing or Sundried Tomato and Oregano
- Fill a large bowl with the romaine lettuce. Add the cucumber, onion and tomatoes and toss. Dish up onto serving plates and spoon on toppings of your choice.
- Drizzle with approximately one tbsp. (15 mL) of dressing.
Apple betty
There are always fresh apples in our refrigerator when we need a tasty dessert, especially when there is not a lot of fruit in season. A betty is a simple but versatile dessert and differs from a crisp because it uses a crumb topping without the oats.
- 6 c. apples, peeled, sliced 1.5 L
- 1/2 c. sugar 125 mL
- 1 tsp. cinnamon 5 mL
- 1 1/4 c. flour 300 mL
- 3/4 c. brown sugar, 175 mL
- packed
- 1/2 c. butter 125 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- Fill an oval, round or square baking dish (approximately nine or 10 inches) with prepared apples. The apples should be two to three inches deep. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over top.
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
- Mix flour, brown sugar, butter and salt until crumbly. Scatter over sugared apples and press down firmly. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes.
- Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
- Soon it will be rhubarb season, and this fruit can be used instead of apples. Just add a bit more sugar. It’s great with either fresh or frozen rhubarb. As the season progresses, try using fresh peaches as well.
Source: Company’s Coming Desserts.
