Here’s a quick, no mess way to dice up an avocado

1. Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and twist the two halves slightly to loosen one half from the pit

2. Remove pit by carefully inserting knife and gently twisting

3. Cut the avocado flesh diagonally in one direction, then cut it again diagonally in the other direction

4. Use a spoon to scoop out the pieces

Here’s an ingenious way to turn trash into something useful. Guess where this beautiful pond is located?

Yup … this beautiful pond is in the trunk of an old car.

Last year this same neighbour grew a productive garden in the back of an old truck.

Happy Friday!

I call this recipe a ‘super salad’ because it’s a super way to make a quick meal out of whatever is in your fridge. Simply start with a base of cooked brown rice or quinoa and then add whatever is on hand … the possibilities are endless and changeable.

Don’t worry if there is no salad dressing on hand nor time to whip one up … a simple splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar always works. And sometimes you won’t need a dressing at all because the blend of flavours from your ingredients happens to work perfectly … so don’t forget to taste your super salad before adding dressing.

Super salad will keep in the fridge for several days.

Suggested Ingredients

Base: cooked brown rice or quinoa

Vegetables: whatever you have on hand or feel like eating. Here are some suggestions: alfalfa sprouts, arugula, asparagus, avocado, basil , beet greens, bell pepper, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, chives, corn kernels, cucumber, daikon radish, dandelion greens, fennel, fresh herbs, green beans, green onion, hot peppers, leafy greens, lettuce, mushrooms, parsley, pea greens, peas, radish, red onion, spinach, sprouts, tomato

Protein: quinoa and brown rice are both good sources of protein, but if you want your super salad to be more substantial, here are a few suggestions: almonds, black beans, brazil nuts, cashews, cheese, chick peas, feta cheese, grilled chicken, hard boiled eggs, kidney beans, pine nuts, walnuts

Extras: add flavour, texture, colour and interest with a few extras such as: apple, berries, currents, edible flowers, kiwi, nasturtium flowers, olives, peach, pear, raisons

Dressing: use whatever premade dressing you have on hand, or try this suggestion: splash of a good quality oil such as olive or hemp and a splash of either balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon or lime juice

… told you the possibilities are endless. Of course this is a non-exhaustive list of possible ingredients for your super salad. Let me know what your favourite super salad ingredients are.

Directions
1. Chop whatever needs chopping
2. Toss everything together into a bowl
3. Enjoy

To help get you started, here’s a picture of what I found to use for my super salad today. Most of the ingredients came from my fridge, but I also found some in the container garden on the patio. The picture at the top of this post is the finished salad just before I ate it.

Don’t be afraid to experiment … as long as you like all the ingredients you are putting in the super salad, you won’t go wrong.

Remember that pineapple I bought last week. It wasn’t ripe when I bought it, so I let it sit on the counter for a few days. On Friday I realized that it was ready to eat, but I wasn’t ready for it, so I put it in the fridge to slow down the ripening process.

Today was a hot sunny day in Calgary and I spent some of the afternoon helping friends plant their garden and the rest of the day trying to catch up on the little chores that didn’t get done last week.

Late in the afternoon I started to get hungry so I did what most people do …. opened the fridge and stared … hoping that something quick, tasty and nutritious would appear to eat.

That’s when I saw the pineapple … patiently waiting to be chosen … knowing its days were numbered before it would be too ripe to eat and end up whole in the composter. What low crap food wants that fate?

“Perfect!” I said. “Fresh juicy pineapple for dinner. What could be better?” I contemplated making it into a shake with some nuts for protein; or mixing it into yogurt; or putting it on a salad.

But by the time all those thoughts went through my head I had already cut off the bottom and was enjoying the first piece … heaven … low crap food at its peek of perfection!

According to Low Crap Diet’s mission: I need to question everything; take nothing for granted; eat sacred cows (poetically); compost century old habits; seed revolutionary idea; and grow action from within.

So tonight I challenge the centuries old habit and sacred cow of Sunday Night Dinner. Who says Sunday Night Dinner has to have a certain amount of this or that or be covered in sauces or fussed over all day?

Go ahead … eat a pineapple or any other fruit this Sunday night for dinner … it will only take seconds to prepare (just wash and cut) and seconds to clean up.

My grandmother may be turning over in her grave at the very thought of Sunday night dinner without roast beef, mashed potatoes and cherry pie. Sorry Grandma … change happens … and there will be another Sunday next week …

Do you ever really think about how organic fruit begins?

You might have visions of a peaceful serene orchard brimming over with picture perfect produce.

Well I have a treat for you … a rare peak into just how much love really goes into your food.

Take a look at this video of apricot trees being pruned at Abbott Acres in Cawston, British Columbia. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzswr8n_ysA

Unfortunately YouTube has censored the music that was playing on the satellite radio that was sitting beside the camera. So you have to imagine Mick Jagger crooning through the first half of the video in the classic version of “Miss You”

“I’ve been holding out so long; I’ve been sleeping all alone; Lord I miss you; I’ve been hanging on the phone; I’ve been sleeping all alone; I want to kiss you … “ 

The second half of the video is another classic, “Once in a Lifetime” by Talking Heads.

“And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack; And you may find yourself in another part of the world; And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile; And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife; And you may ask yourself-well…how did I get here? …”

Who says you have to be a Zen master to be a farmer. This video shows that farming might just be the hippest job around … and I can guarantee that those ‘cots are going to be the grooviest ‘cots you have ever tasted. Yako has promised to keep us updated with juicy shots as those apricots get ready for harvest later this summer.

Sending out a special hi-five to Tammi, Ted and Yako, and all the other organic farmers, for doing what you do.

I’ll be checking in with Tammi and other organic farmers over the summer to help us all get back in touch with low crap food.

For a month this past winter I lived out of a suitcase while touring through the Yucatan and Belize. I loved the simplicity of it all. I only had a few outfits to choose from: two pairs of shoes, one pair of pants, one pair of capris, a few t-shirts, a dress, a couple of skirts, one sweater, and of course a bathing suit.

The weather didn’t change much from one day to the next, and since I was on vacation my clothing decisions were pretty easy to make. Every item of clothing worked with each other and all of the items were well suited for life in hot, humid climates.

I arrived home in early January to sub-zero temperatures and lots of snow, which one could expect in Calgary in January. But what I didn’t expect was the confusion I faced when trying to decide what to wear. Out of habit I went to my still unpacked suitcase and realized that none of those clothes were appropriate. So I opened up my closet and stared blankly at its contents. So much to choose from … oodles of pants, shirts, blouses, sweaters, dresses, skirts, scarves and … socks … remember socks?

It was all too much. I grabbed a blanket and lay down on the couch hoping that the sound of waves breaking on the beach would awaken me from the nightmare. Unfortunately it was the itching of a day old mosquito bite that brought me back to reality. 

I forced myself back to the closet and began trying on item after item after item; carelessly tossing the rejects on the floor. Eventually I made it outside that day, appropriately dressed in my most fashionable ‘holy crap its really cold outside’ clothes.

So what does all this have to do with a low crap diet? Well, when I came back home that night the pile of clothes was still on the floor and I noticed for the first time that my closet was spilling over with items that I would probably never wear yet for some reason I allowed them to live with me, taking up valuable space and wasting my time. I had a high crap wardrobe!

Right then and there I decided to turn my closet into a suitcase … metaphorically of course. I wanted to feel that same confidence when I opened my closet as I did when I opened my suitcase: every item appropriate, comfortable and gets along with each other … I wanted a low crap wardrobe!

The exercise of clearing all the high crap clothing out of my closet has me thinking that I will apply the ‘pretend you’re living out of a suitcase’ technique to every aspect of my life.

I’ll keep you posted on how that works for me.