a peek inside the fishbowl

This was the scene at the curb this morning:

We had three different containers of compostable goods (two that were full of yard waste and one that was mostly kitchen-related compost), one black box (cardboard and paper) and one big old cardboard box leftover from our move.

It’s hard to imagine that once upon a time all of this would have gone straight into the landfill, isn’t it?

As many Ottawans know we’ve been living in a new world of garbage pickup. Household garbage is picked up every two weeks with recyclables being picked up on alternating weeks.

Now that it’s Spring and our big green bin has thawed out I’ve realized that immediate action needs to be taken and it will need a good scrubbing sooner than later. The green bin needs to be washed at least once a year to keep the yucky things at bay. I mean, you COULD skip it, but then you run the risk of it becoming unbearably gross.

The way I see it, you can either:

a) Use a pressure washer
b) Get out ye old garden hose and an old mop and give it a good scrubbing that way.

Option B is what I normally do because we don’t have a pressure washer. Sometimes I use a small bit of dish soap and a bucket of hot water, but it’s not strictly necessary.

Either way, I strongly recommend you wash your green bin on the grass. The wash water is actually pretty good for your lawn, and any bigger chunks can be removed by hand. Leaves and smaller stuff can just stay there and become worm food. It will dissolve quicker than you think.

The trick to successful and yuck-free composting is to avoid putting loose food scraps into the green bin. I hear complaints about maggots and other gross things, but we’ve never actually had that issue with our bin. All you need to do is wrap your food in newspaper, OR, do what I do, and use something called a Kitchen Cone.

This handy little thing was given to me a couple of months ago and I have to say, I’ve been really happy with it. I bet you didn’t know it’s a local invention too (which ups the cool factor in my books).

This is what it looks like:

I keep it on the counter during dinner prep, like this, so I put veggie peels and stuff right in:

When we’re done with it after dinner (because plates get scraped in there too) it goes right under the sink.

You don’t need to buy bags or make your own folded bags out of newspaper with the Kitchen Cone, which is what we were doing for awhile when the bins were first introduced. All you need to do is take a couple pages from the Citizen and just drop ’em in (right side up of course). No folding or fuss.

Part of the reason it works so well is because of the holes in the sides. It dries out the compost a bit and prevents any mucky stuff from collecting on the bottom, which was something I hated about the city-issued container. It had a tendency to collect The Worst Gunk in its murky corners, giving it serious a gross factor that resulted in me being the only one rinsing it out because the rest of the family wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole.

Our Kitchen Cone absorbs damp foods quite well (although I wouldn’t pour anything sopping wet in there – like soup). At the end of the day we just pick it up by the ends, roll up the top part a bit, and plunk it in the green bin. Sometimes it unrolls at the top but it’s really no biggie.

It never smells – although we empty it every day or so – and we haven’t even been using the lid that comes with it.

So what do you think of the new garbage pick up schedule now that we’ve been living with it for awhile? Is it working for you, or not? Is it encouraging you to use your green bin more often?

I am fretting because I’m not sure if I have enough food to get me through next week.

I’ve never been truly poor. I was an only child raised in a suburb in a middle-class family. My mother stayed at home. My father owned a store and had a couple of employees. We had two cars, green grass, a dog, and there was always enough to eat.

Although I don’t remember wanting for anything growing up and I can’t say that money was plentiful, my parents did make a significant contribution to my university education. A scholarship made it a little easier, but still, a post-secondary education isn’t cheap. While I was away at school I worked a variety of different jobs to pay the bills. I do remember the times between paychecks when my bank account was nearly empty, and having to decide whether I could afford to buy milk that week. I also remember times when I couldn’t afford butter or margarine, and having to eat my KD with nothing but powder and a little water. But that wasn’t true poverty. In hindsight I know I could have called my parents and asked for money. But I never did.

I had options, but many people in this world do not. That’s why I’m participating in the Live Below the Line Challenge between April 29 and May 3. According to the Global Poverty Project, 1.4 billion people are living in extreme poverty. These are people who can barely afford to eat and are often faced with indescribable hardship and impossible choices. Picture yourself having to choose between purchasing food or medicine for example. Can you imagine being a mother under such circumstances? I cannot.

Live Below the Line is a way to get people thinking about those who have less, and, here’s the crux of it, as part of my participation in this project I have agreed to live on $1.75 a day for five days.

Why $1.75? I wondered about this number, and that was Mark’s first question too. Doesn’t $1.75 buy a lot of rice and beans in developing countries? Well, here’s the answer in case you’re wondering too.

I’ve already made a couple trips to the store to buy my food. I’m not supposed to do a big shop (a trip to the grocery store usually runs $100 or so) and subtract my foods from that. My cash flow has to be like their cash flow. I have $8.75 to spend, and that’s it.

Pennies are making a huge difference. I keep doing the math, again and again. I’ve already spent most of my allowance: 99 cents for a can of diced tomatoes at the Superstore and $3.94 at Bulk Barn, where I’m pretty sure the cashier overcharged me for one item. I’ve also had to return one item (well, return it to my cupboard unused) because I’ve decided to forgo the luxury of green tea in exchange for other things. I have a couple items left on my wish list and I’m hoping I will have enough for a can of peas and maybe, hopefully, an onion. I would love a potato. My saving grace will be a dozen eggs bought cheaply from a local farmer. I’m just hoping that deal works out.

This is what I’m looking at as I type this:

I will post a more complete picture complete with cost breakdowns and a “menu plan” soon.

My mind is buzzing. How am I supposed to do this while feeding my family? How am I supposed to do this while I’m supposed to be working? How can I live without fresh vegetables? AND COFFEE.

I have already given up 100 times and I haven’t even started.

I’m worried and I’m saddened and I don’t think I can do it. I’m worried because there really isn’t my much food here to sustain me, and I’m saddened that so many people have to live like this every day of their lives.

So there it is. Do you feel like joining me in this impossible challenge? Or maybe giving up a visit to Starbucks today and putting that money elsewhere? Just for today? You can do that right here.

I think the hardest part of this challenge won’t missing big, beautiful, balanced meals for five days, it will be knowing that I can go back to eating what I always do when it’s over, and knowing that so many people cannot.

More to come.

I know it’s not good for me but I have a weakness for ramen noodle soup. This has been the case since my university days. Unfortunately it contains all kinds of crap that I try to avoid: namely palm oil, hydrogenated stuff, and sometimes MSG. Also: it is SODIUM CITY, and I like to limit my visits there. But, but, but … every once in awhile I get a craving for it, and that time came last week when I found myself knocked out by a cold.

Now that I’m older and wiser I’ve kicked it up a notch and turned it into a healthier meal.

1) I only use half of the flavouring in the package. (This is where all the salt and MSG is anyway!) I started doing this awhile back and honestly, I can’t tell the difference.

2) I try to add a few healthy ingredients in order to improve its nutritional value. Last time I made a bowl (pictured above) I added some leftover diced chicken, some sliced carrots, and some green onions. I would have liked to add some sliced mushrooms, boy choy, and maybe drop an egg in there but I really didn’t feel like jumping into the car. Plus, they say that you’re not supposed to operate heavy machinery when heavily medicated. And I was. Medicated.

By adding some veg and protein you are really kicking it up a notch, and making this university dinner into something a little more grown up… and a heck of a lot better for you too!

Do you love ramen noodles too? Do you eat ’em plain or add something to it? Share your ramen secrets!