Turning a fail into a garden

I love food and I love eating. To ensure I enjoy what I eat while making choices that benefit my health and the environment, I have to be intentional. For me, that means putting practices in place to set myself up for success—the success of consistently making good choices for myself, the planet, and the animals. I hope this inspires you to take similar steps for yourself.

Setting up my kitchen with healthy "fast food" options is my best planning tool. What does fast food look like for me? Usually, a can of beans, salsa, and greens. As for the greens—kale, spinach, mustard greens—I just pick whatever looks best at the store. If I have extra time, I’ll sauté an onion with garlic for added flavor; it’s even better if I can pair it with a sweet potato.

Speaking of sweet potatoes, have you ever bought potatoes only to forget about them? That was me last week. I realized I had no sweet potatoes ready to bake, even though I knew I’d bought a bag a few trips ago. When I finally pulled them out of the pantry, two were rotting and one had sprouted lovely green shoots. While I was disappointed I couldn’t eat them, I recognized an opportunity to grow my own. Into the soil that potato went! We shall see how my growing venture turns out.

On my next trip to the store, I made sure to restock. I bought both orange yams and Japanese sweet potatoes. Since we were heading away for the weekend and boarding our dogs, I chopped up the orange yams for the pups and sliced the Japanese sweet potatoes to take with us. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed these satiating treats! Even my husband, Rich, was surprised by how much he liked them when he finally grabbed one out of desperation. So simple, yet so delectable.

I highly recommend buying Japanese sweet potatoes or yams, slicing them up, and baking them for a healthy snack. You might even find yourself tucking a few in your pocket for your next craving. Try it out and let me know what you think!