Going into Lent this year, I realized that food would be my biggest challenge, whether eating while traveling, fueling/recovering from running, or just finding a way to make sure I got some nutrition during my long, busy days.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I have relied on much of my experience from trying out the Whole30 diet during Lent two years ago. Whole30 limits what you can eat so restrictively that you pretty much have to cook everything for yourself (and as a vegetarian, I was allowed only fruits, veggies, eggs, and nuts). Through that adventure, I wound up with some more insight into what works (and what doesn’t) for my body, and also some fantastic recipes that happen to include ingredients that I can get with zero packaging.
This year I had grand plans of cooking nutritious meals for myself every Sunday evening throughout Lent, which is something I was very good about during January and February. These meals were wholesome, nutritious, and would last through the week – I was really proud of myself for making sure that Christian and I were guaranteed at least one decent meal every day. But all of my Sunday plans fell through as soon as my marathon training required more than 13 miles for my long run every week. My Sunday schedule since March has become: get up, eat more than I care to, run, drink, eat, and collapse until Monday morning.
Even this week, the week of my longest training run, the only way I’m able to cook and write about it is because I miraculously had no plans on Friday night, and I skipped a Saturday event up in New York state with my medieval reenactment group. I have officially reached the age where no plans is more exciting than social obligations.
So, with my Saturday this week, I spent some time in the kitchen, cooking more in one day than I have during all of Lent so far … and creating almost no waste.
Electrolyte Drink
I am embarrassed to say that I bailed out of my 20-mile run last weekend two-thirds of the way through because it was 1) the warmest weekend to date (the weekend before last had snow, and last Sunday was 70), 2) I only had dates to eat as running fuel on the trail, and 3) I didn’t have enough water to get the taste of dates out of my mouth. Honestly, I love dates, but after eating them for 3 hours, your tongue starts to feel fuzzy, and you don’t want to see another one. Ever. And without fuel, you can’t run.
Water is great for running, but electrolyte drinks are better. I suppose I could take some Gatorade with me on a run since it comes in a #1 recyclable bottle, and those can be recycled in our area. However, I was already out on the trail and nowhere near a place I could stop for a drink. These trails are designed for cyclists, not runners, by the way – although I have two canteens to carry with me during training, the water spigots are too far apart for me to survive on foot.
Therefore, I attempted to make an electrolyte drink of my own, but less sweet to offset the overwhelming sweetness of the dates. The recipe I found called for a sweetener, but the recipe with just the water, lemon juice, lime juice, ginger, and salt on their own tastes great. I’m actually looking forward to drinking it on my long run this week. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Cookies
[Note: I am from Eastern PA and our Girl Scout cookies have different names there. I will use both names when possible to eliminate confusion. I don’t understand why this is necessary.]
One embarrassing item I listed in my waste pile last week and the week before was a plastic cookie sleeve. The only thing worse than having a full box of Girl Scout cookies in your desk at work is having an open box of Girl Scout cookies in your desk at work. Having been terrible about cooking breakfast for myself lately, I couldn’t resist the siren song of Trefoils/Shortbreads with my tea in the morning. However, I was able to restrain myself from opening the second sleeve after I finished the first. Instead, I decided to make some shortbread cookies for myself. I certainly don’t need these cookies, but if I’m going to be snacking, I’d rather it align with my Lenten goal.
Breakfast Sandwiches
I mentioned previously that I would be cooking for a friend of mine who was having a baby. My original grand plan was making a nice casserole of some kind or a chicken pot pie, which would involve going to the Strip District (amazing market area for those of you not from Pittsburgh) to get fresh meats, wrapped in something more environmentally-friendly than Styrofoam. Before I got started with that, my friend actually asked me if I could make something more along the lines of “on the go” food, since she and her husband don’t have much time for formal, sit-down meals together. I was happy to oblige, since that is fully in my wheelhouse.
I made a half-dozen breakfast sandwiches with English muffins, two eggs, cheese, and sliced ham (some quick Googling told me that uncured is better for you than cured, but I’m really out of my depth with meat at the moment). The most exciting part of going to the deli, though, was asking them to put my cheese and ham in my own containers that I had brought, rather than in the plastic bags they normally use. (I went to Fresh Thyme, which currently has two locations in Pittsburgh – I have not tried this maneuver at any other grocery chains yet.) They actually called the manager over to make sure that was alright, and he was thrilled that I was thinking about reducing my impact. I’ve been pleased with them every time I’ve gone, and even more after this last experience.
Ham and cheese came home in my own containers, wrapped in compostable parchment paper from the deli; eggs were in a cardboard container; the English muffins were in a cardboard tray, in a plastic bag. The cardboard tray inside the bag will be recyclable, but at least the plastic bag will be used to transport them to my friend’s house.
By the way, these sandwiches are freezer-friendly and can be heated up in 1-2 minutes, depending on your microwave. I wrapped them in aluminum foil, and that is recyclable if you clean it and take it to a recycling facility – it won’t be processed in your curbside pickup, at least not in Pittsburgh.
Energy Snacks
My friend specifically requested something I made when I was doing Whole30 and brought to a race we did together. They are little energy balls made with almonds, walnuts, dates, shredded coconut, and coconut oil to hold them together. They are vegan and absolutely zero-waste if you buy the ingredients in bulk, which I did at the East End Co-Op and Fresh Thyme.
Unfortunately, we had an unexpected loss in the kitchen…
At the beginning of Lent, I received some fantastic questions from friends following my adventure, curious about various things I hadn’t considered. One of these questions was about replacing appliances. I hadn’t expected to lose any appliances during Lent, but then, who does?
While making these awesome little date balls (which taste like Samoas/Caramel Delites, by the way), Christian’s food processor, which has predated me in this house, finally gave up the ghost. It was on its last legs, but it finally said enough is enough. That means that it has now been added to my official Lent waste pile, increasing its mass and volume by many times over. (Christian said it’s a good thing the washing machine didn’t go. Very funny.)
I guess I’ll have to replace it, but that can probably wait one more week. I do think I’ll probably replace it with a used model from a second-hand store or with something I can find online. I will give it more thought, but it seems like a better option to me if I can get use out of something that is already available rather than contributing to the creation of a new appliance.
Weekly Recap
· Waste Total – apple and banana stickers, 6 pieces of dental floss, “member” ribbon from conference nametag, empty toothpaste tube, #4 plastic ring from glass milk bottle, plastic sleeves from Girl Scout shortbread cookies and Thin Mints, plastic wrap from cheese that was about to go bad, plastic wrap from day planner (purchased before Lent), 4 cocktail straws, plastic strip from top of sugar bag, …and a food processor
· Personal Victories – getting deli items placed in my own to-go Tupperware, rather than in plastic bags that would just go into the garbage
· Missed Opportunities – buying English muffins rather than making them from scratch? Sure, it’s a possibility, but I don’t have that kind of time
· Husband Hardships – greasy tempura from using a wire rack instead of paper (he remembered that one week later)
Do you have any good zero-waste recipes you’ve discovered or enjoyed? I’d love to hear about them below.
Thanks for reading!
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