Ladies (and gents too!) I have a problem. It’s time to admit it. When summer comes, I become obsessed with the bounty of fresh fruits and veggies available both at the grocery store and Farmer’s Markets throughout the city.
Now, the obsession itself is not really a problem – fruits and veg? How can that be a bad thing? BUT, the problem really rears its ugly head when I am somehow compelled to purchase cases of said veggie or fruit, just because I am SO (in the moment) motivated and inspired by the sheer freshness of it all. I imagine that our family will be able to ingest all this fresh fruit prior to it going bad, or that I am going to can, freeze, or create anything and everything to use up my purchase.
These Kitchen Sink Cookies ROCK! In honour of Earth Day, Danni and I are teaming up with Community Natural Foods to bring you creative and fun ways to reduce food waste in your home. It was about 10 years ago that I really started taking recycling, composting and food waste seriously. I have to say, I am not the most extreme. I am known though to sanitize and re-use my zip loc bags over and over and go through the garbage in the kids bathroom to make sure there is no hidden recycling. With the onset of residential compost service and pick up in our area, I have our family heavily utilizing the compost bin and drastically reducing our waste output. BUT wow, do you see how much food you are wasting. In the past few months I have some discovered some tricks and fun ways to reduce our food waste. Make sure you check in later this week for our post on the Top 10 Ways to Reduce Food Waste in the Home!
Did you catch Danni and my Facebook Live the other day? If you missed it, we were reminiscing about the past. Fun clothes (Fancy Ass jeans and parachute pants), fun facts (our kids will never know what it is like to go to the video store on a Friday night to pick out a movie) and most importantly, fun foods!! Does anyone recall thinking Tang was actually “orange juice?” I know I did…
The reason for our trip down memory lane? Well, we were wracking our brains trying to think of a fun post for St. Patrick’s Day. Not being a beer drinker, the first thing that comes to mind for me is the infamous MacDonald’s Shamrock Shake!
oh ya, I’m excited…
Oh wow, did I love that pepperminty, delightful green treat that only came around once a year for a short time. Of course, in the “good old days” when I didn’t give a moment’s thought to what I put in my body, nor to how many calories said drink had, I took advantage any time my parents were willing to stop by the drive thru. YUM.
Pretty Sad that I had to find “Vintage” pictures of the shake
This is the shake I remember. In those days, no whipped cream and no cherry!!
These days sadly, (or perhaps thankfully!) I see the list of 35 lovely ingredients including 2 dyes that are banned in parts of Europe, and I decide to pass. BUT, that doesn’t mean I don’t get the odd hankering for this treat from my youth…
Enter DANNI TO THE RESCUE – and our friends from Botanica who have a fabulous green veggie powder that they have generously provided for a giveaway this month. Green Powder? Shamrock Shake? Danni was on it, and she concocted a yummy “copycat Shamrock shake” that I (and those pesky teens who love a good milkshake) can’t get enough of.
First, let me tell you a little about the Perfect Greens powder and why we love it. According to the new Canada Food Guide (which just came out at the end of January) the “new plate” should be 1/2 fruits and veggies. This continues to be a struggle for me in terms of getting enough into the family without offering the same boring things they have agreed to eat, over and over. This powder is just a lovely mix of chlorella, spirulina, barley and wheat grasses plus some leafy greens to help top you up and get some more goodness into your diet. And did I mention it is organic?
Now back to the shake. You should make this. Now. It’s yummy, it’s healthy, and because your kids might even say “hmmm, this is good.” This alone is a pretty great reason to make it! It is the perfect clean Shamrock shake.
