Day 1: Coconut chicken soup, Banana bran muffins
Day 2: Quiche with ramps, mushrooms, and arugula, Fruit smoothie
Day 3: Homemade pizza, Tossed salad
Day 4: Grilled burgers, Ramp mashed potatoes, Sauteed asparagus
Day 5: Broccoli soup with cheddar toasts
Day 6: Shrimp scampi, Sauteed carrots, Fresh salad
Day 7: Sausage cauliflower cassoulet
Notes: If you are wondering what ramps are, they are a special wild vegetable only available in the spring in the Northern areas of the US. Part of the Allium family, they grow wild in woods areas and on hills and are popular to forage. They are similar to leeks and can be used the same way, but the flavor is more garlicky. The availability of ramps either in your backyard or at the store is a sure sign that spring has arrived and summer is just around the corner. The entire plant from the roots to the leaves can be eaten. They are so delicious mixed in with mashed potatoes, cooked with eggs, or grilled on their own as a side dish. If you don’t have ramps in your area, use a leek, onion, scallion, or garlic as a substitute in recipes.
Green Tip of the Week: Time to examine what your garbage looks like and where it is coming from. Plug your nose and dive in. Wear rubber gloves if you need to. Take a look at your kitchen and bathroom garbage, as well as your recycling bin. Remember this post about how recycling isn’t what you think it is and most plastic is actually dumped in the landfill or ocean or incinerated? Take stock of what your top three items are that you are throwing away. Is it food waste, food packaging, paper products, single use plastics (straws, cling wrap, plastic baggies), diapers, or some other item? Now, examine if these items can be reused in some way or replaced with a reusable item. Can you compost your food waste? Can you use old towels or microfiber clothes instead of paper towels? Can you replace plastic straws with metal? Can you try Bees Wrap, silicone covers, or silicone bags instead of cling wrap and plastic bags? Have you thought about cloth diapers or plastic free disposable versions? For pretty much anything you throw away, there is a reusable substitute. You can also eliminate much of your packaging waste by cutting down on the items you buy, buying secondhand, making foods from scratch, and buying food in the bulk aisle at your grocery store with your reusable containers. Pick just one item (baby steps) from your top three that your family can commit to eliminating from your garbage bin. It may take a little planning to set up a system so that you and the whole family follow through, but very much worth it in the end.
