Celebrate Earth Day on April 22

Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22 by communities and individuals to mark the importance of protecting and preserving our earth, land, water, air, and environment.



Did you know?

• The earth is about 70% water but only 1% of this is fresh ground water


• Only 11% of the earth's surface is used to grow food crops


• The earth is currently the only place we know in the entire universe where life exists

(Source: World Watch)

Credit: Burnaby Newsleader

What can I do for Earth Day?




You can participate in a number of ways. Perhaps learn about recycling and enjoy an organic BBQ or attend a family nature festival?



Small steps that we as individuals take by changing a habit or altering consumption preferences or improving our lifestyle can also go a long way towards protecting the earth. Here are some ways you can contribute:

• Use public transit


• Recycle


• Reduce litter and non-biodegradable garbage such as plastics


• Reuse household items


• Use natural cleaning products


• Choose locally grown food to reduce your carbon footprint


• Invest in smart home technologies, such as energy efficient lighting, shower heads, home insulation, or solar panels


• Join us in our Sharing Backyards project, an initiative to match interested gardeners with available plots, and plant a garden!

Share your experiences of celebrating Earth Day with us! We would love to hear from you.

Do Slower-digesting Carbohydrates Make Us Feel More Full?

One of the most common pieces of advice in the health-nutrition world is that we should focus our carbohydrate intake on slowly-digesting carbohydrates, because they make us feel more full than rapidly-digesting carbohydrates. Rapidly-digesting carbohydrates, such as potatoes, stand accused of causing us to overeat, resulting in obesity, diabetes, and many other chronic ailments. Is this true?
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Mexican-style Pita Cheeseburgers

It�s a cheeseburger! It's a taco! It�s a pita sandwich! It�s a quesadilla! It�s a burgerpitacodilla! Or something. You guys! What is this thing!?

I saw these lamb pita burgers on Bon Appetit, with the meat cooked right inside the pita, and couldn�t stop thinking about how rad they looked! But, I haven�t been feeling the lamb lately, ever since this weird thing happened with my mom�s dog. The other day my ma got Daisy a fresh lamb bone from the butcher, for her birthday. When Daisy smelled the lamb bone, she flipped out. Like, started shaking and whimpering, and ran and hid. Totally afraid of it. So I did a Google search and apparently this is a thing! A lot of dogs are afraid of the smell of lamb! I read one thing that said it�s because the strong gamey smell of lamb makes dogs think that you�re cooking and hurting living animals, like dogs, and it freaks them out! This was just a comment on a forum, so I mean, it could be total BS, but weird, right!? Ugh. So anyway, I�m just not feeling lamb at the moment� solidarity with my dog-sister. 

But, it�s sunny outside, people are starting to break out their grills, and it�s only a few weeks until Cinco de Mayo. So I�m definitely feeling cheeseburgers and Mexican food, all day every day! 

Here we mix plain ol� ground beef with some Mexican spices, pepper jack cheese, and grated onion, and spread into a pita! See the gratuitous raw meat photo above! The whole thing gets smashed together and thrown on the grill, and served with guac. The meat is moist and cheesy from the grated onion and pepper jack, and the pita gets all crispy on the outside and kind of melts together on the inside. Also, I read in the original Bon Appetit article that you can spread the meat mix on the pitas ahead of time� how perfect is that!? When it�s fiesta time, the work is basically done! Get your burgerpitacodilla on! Pitacodillaburger? Quesapitacoburger? I don�t know. Just do it! 

Pita Cheeseburgers, Mexican-style 

Makes 6-8 full pita burgers

1 lb ground beef (not the leanest, I used about 85/15. An 80/20 would work too)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Scant teaspoon salt

Fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoon grated white onion (about 1/4 of a large onion)

2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1 cup grated pepper jack

6-8 pitas

Serve with guacamole, sour cream, bean dip, salsa, etc. 

Mix together ground beef through cilantro until well combined, and then stir in the grated cheese. Slice open each pita, so that you have two rounds for each one. Spread about 1/4 cup of beef mixture on half the pita, in a thin layer, all the way to the edges, and top with remaining pita half. Press together firmly.

Heat grill over medium-high heat, and grill each side for about 4 minutes, until beef is cooked through. 

To cook inside on an oven-safe grill pan: preheat oven to  400 degrees. Heat grill pan on stovetop over medium-high heat, and grill prepared pita for about a minute on each side just long enough to get grill marks, then put the whole pan in the oven for about 4-5 minutes, until beef is cooked through. 

Burnaby Empty Bowls and Get Rooted!

Burnaby Empty Bowls



Date: Thursday, April 23, from 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Location: Hilton Vancouver Metrotown, Crystal Ballroom (6083 McKay Avenue / Burnaby - map)

Cost: $65.00

The Empty Bowls Project was launched in 1999 to raise awareness about the existence of hunger and poverty in Burnaby.



Every two years, the Project hosts a fundraising gala. Funds raised go to support local programs for children, youth, and families in Burnaby that provide nutritious food and help to build skills that encourage healthy lifestyles



The
reception-style gala will include food prepared by local chefs, jazz
music, and a silent auction, and each guest will also go home with a
handcrafted ceramic bowl made by Lower Mainland potters.



For tickets, visit the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts website: https://tickets.shadboltcentre.com/


 

To find out more about Burnaby Empty Bowls, check out their website here.



Get Rooted! with Richmond Food Security Society



Call for Applications



Get Rooted! is a youth-driven summer leadership project aimed at providing youth with the knowledge, skills, and networks to build a just and sustainable food future.



If you are aged 17-25, a strong team player, and passionate about social and environmental change, you may be a great candidate for this project!



The project runs from May 23, 2015 to August 31, 2015.



Applications for Get Rooted! are due to the Richmond Food Security Society by Monday, May 4, 2015 at 5:00 pm.



2015 Get Rooted! FAQ (PDF)



2015 Get Rooted! Application Form (PDF)

You Never Remember Anything about Our Childhood

I was going through old documents and files on my computer, and found this thing I wrote for Amanda for her 30th birthday. I never ended up giving it to her, for whatever reason. We always joke (in a funny-'cause-its-true kind of way) that Amanda has the worst memory ever, and I exist to be her life historian, because I have a crazy good memory.


Anyway, I think this is perfect for a sunny Friday afternoon, and has me longing for hot, endless summer days! PS. That epic photo up there is my favorite family photo! So 80s/90s. The original hipsters. We actually have a series of these, because my dad would set the timer and run back for the perfect shot. Check out the expression I'm making...HA! So good.

TGIF, friends!

You Never Remember Anything about Our Childhood (So I Remember it All)
Vol 1. Summer.

Overexposed and faded. Pastel and neon.
It was the 90s, after all.
We had big box fans and spray bottles for AC.
We had jugs of sun tea brewing on the picnic table in the front yard.
Mom and dad called it the back yard, which never made sense.
Mom with her tanning oil and tube tops.
The blue and white striped one was our favorite. Because it was her favorite.
It was hot and dry. Never humid.
Everything was the color of wheat, from the sky to the grass to your sun-bleached hair.
Except for the garden. It was like a jungle.
Lush and green, cool and shaded. Full of life.
We went barefoot over a path of hot gravel.
Like firewalkers on burning coals.
We had tough soles back then. And tougher souls.
We had iced sun tea in jelly jars, nestled in the cool garden dirt.
Yours with sugar, mine plain. Never with lemon.
The water from the hose was always sizzling hot at first.
Straight from the well, it tasted like the hose.
Rubber and metal, and earth.
The roma tomatoes, covered in a light layer of dust.
They were our favorite. Because they were Richard�s favorite.
Farm to table. Minus the table.
And minus the farm.
When dad came home from work, we chased the dust down the driveway.
We got to eat dinner outside.
We got to have fruit salad with an icy scoop of lime sherbet.
On the deck in the back yard, which mom and dad called the front yard.

Food Reward Friday

This week's "lucky" winner... bacon fried Oreos!!

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Eat Your Greens Workshop

Burnaby Food First is pleased to present another FREE workshop (funded by Vancity)!



Eat Your Greens

Wednesday, April 29

6:30 pm - 8:15 pm

Brentwood Community Resources Centre (2055 Rosser Avenue / Burnaby - map)



Join Maya Thau-Eleff for this tasty, hands-on workshop!



Learn how to make delicious stir-fries using greens that are in season and already in your fridge -- and without buying sauces or adding sugar.



Registration is required. Space is limited! To register, please call (604) 618-3581 or email us.

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Enjoy Burnaby Food First workshops? Want to get involved as a
volunteer?

Check out all the great ways you can get involved. All are welcome, and we'd love to have you on
board! For more information, send us an email.