One day I told my kids that I believe in saving the world after expecting them to recycle something, rather than throw it away. They rolled their eyes and gave me the ‘You’re weird, Mom’ look. But making one small change at a time can make a big difference. So let’s Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. For me, this translates to…
- Thrift store clothes shopping – Thank you, Mom, for teaching me to see the treasures.
- Checking out books from the library – we usually end up filling a rolling suitcase.
- Grandma Neibarger’s garden compost smoothies – a blended concoction of all fruit and veggie kitchen scraps with water, bury it in a hole, and you’ll get beautiful dirt in no time, so that you can grow your own food!
- Making an effort to recycle as much as possible – always room for improvement on this one – don’t have recycling where you live? Call your trash pickup and request it till you get it!
- Regular de-cluttering – more therapeutic than shopping, plus you can donate to a good cause and feel even better!
- Use less stuff – do we really need so much? Check out a short video, The Story of Stuff – http://www.storyofstuff.com/, and I also highly recommend seeing the documentary I AM – http://iamthedoc.com/ – Love it!
And last but not least…
- Deja Food for dinner – never call them leftovers! (This is a way to reuse and recycle but you’re on your own for reducing:)
My favorite re-purposed meals…
- Day 1 – Grilled Salmon, mango salsa, couscous, green beans, green salad
- Day 2 – Roast chicken, fried rice, broccoli, green salad, fruit salad
- Day 3 – Salmon Tetrazzini, green salad, peas, dessert
- Day 4 – Crock-Pot Beef or Pork Roast, cooked potatoes and carrots, green beans, green salad
- Day 5 – Chicken noodle soup, green salad, fruit salad
- Day 6 – Corn tortilla tacos, deja meat, grilled onions, fresh guacamole, fresh salsa, beans & rice
- Day 7 – Chicken PotPie, green salad, fruit salad
…or the famous (at least in our family) ‘Daddy Dinner’ or ‘Grandpa Dinner’ as we now call it – line up your plates and divide deja foods evenly between them with no more than a large spoonful for each customer. Consider adding tuna salad w/ crackers, popcorn, cottage cheese w/ peaches, a cookie, nuts, pickles, half of a hard-boiled egg, and whatever else you can find – adventures in dining; thanks, Dad!
