Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day is 40 today! what a perfect time to remember how all of the little things add up. making one small change to your lifestyle can make a difference. plant a tree, start recycling everything you can, use a reusable water bottle, install low energy light bulbs and low water toilets, start a compost pile, use a programmable thermostat, walk or bike to your destination, take your own bags to the grocery store, and my favorite, shop at your local farmers market or join a csa.

this year, my goal is to start a compost pile and i have already joined a local csa (one straw farm) and am anxiously awaiting the first drop day -  june! but, perhaps the best thing you can do is think of everyday as earth day and constantly strive to do what YOU can to lessen your carbon footprint. the earth gives us all of the wonderful food we eat.

 i got a little something to celebrate earth day. a reusable iced coffee cup!  in the winter, i tend to drink hot tea but as soon as it starts to get warm, i switch to iced coffee. i usually make my own by brewing coffee the night before, refrigerating it, and mixing everything together in the am. the best thing about this is i can take it with me to starbucks or my favorite, baltimore coffee and tea company (gotta support the local shops) and they will fill it with my favorite cold drink. it will save lots of plastic cups!

 i tried it out this am and am happy to announce, it works just fine! (i got it for $7.99 at bed bath and beyond. they also have reusable cups for hot drinks too.)

ok, on to dinner last night - another winner. this time i adapted a may/june clean eating magazine recipe - thai coconut shrimp. it was so flavorful with a couple little tweaks and very filling. i was a hungry moster yesterday after doing some running intervals on the treadmill and this finally filled my tummy and left me only wanting to eat a couple of gummy bears, not the whole bag:) i used fresh ginger instead of ground, added a little more tomato paste and a little less peanut butter to balance the flavor. i also added some lime zest for extra flavor. it ended up being packed with flavor and so good. (note: E and i really love bean sprouts but wegmans didn't have any today and i even went to super fresh but couldn't find any there either. i really think it would add a little extra. so, if you can find it, use it)

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Thai Coconut Shrimp
serves 4

8 oz whole wheat pasta (i used thin spaghetti)
3 cups broccoli florets
2 cups green beans, 2" lengths
1 cup bean sprouts
1 1/2 lbs peeled and deveined shrimp
2/3 cup light coconut milk
2 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs natural peanut butter
2 tbs fresh ginger, minced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, more if you like more spice
1 tsp lime zest
juice of 1 lime

bring 2 medium pots of water to a boil. blanch broccoli and green beans for 2 minutes and cook pasta according to package directions, and drain.

meanwhile, cook shrimp in skillet with olive oil cooking spray just 1-2 minutes per side. remove and cut into bite-sized pieces.

in small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients, coconut milk through lime juice.

toss everything together in large bowl and serve warm.

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one last thing . . . my friend has started a new website "grown in the city" that's a great blog/information center. it combines his passion for gardening, urban planning, and sustainability with his love of journalism, photography, and design. it's really cool, check it out!