Cooking creation

This morning I ate creation. Oats, golden raisins, cranberries and a small handful of pecans. Cooked in clean water with a pinch of salt. Topped off with a lil' drizzle of maple syrup and some almond milk. Fair trade coffee, of course! And an itty bitty mandarin.

In our household, my wife and I are working toward nourishing our selves in ways that are nutritionally sound, environmentally sustainable, cruelty free, and economically just.

One thing I love and respect so much about my partner is that she is very committed to these principals in how we meal plan, grocery shop, store food, cook and feed our bodies. She rarely wavers on her values, and is so beautifully committed to incorporating more awareness into our cooking lives.

Everything's in one pot for my sister's carrot, rice & red lentil soup recipe

Valuing something implies that it is important, that it is worth something, that it is precious, that it deserves care and tending. Our bodies and all of creation are important.

When you value food, you value God's creation. In other words, valuing creation is valuing the process of producing animal and plant-based foods. It is valuing the people, animals, plants, land and resources that produced the food. Valuing the people who prepare and store it, the people who are nourished by it, and the ways in which food waste is handled.

Keeping it fresh: hydrating asparagus and cilantro at home

If you want to eat more nutriously, justly and kindly, meal planning is a good way to get there. We try not to over think it. Look at the coming week, then simply plan some meals around it. Start with a few special mealtimes: for us that's a Sunday sit-down dinner, and a mid-week nacho-night. Then, fill in the rest of your meals with practical ole' stand-bys you can make with your eyes closed (pasta toss or shepherd pie, anyone?).

My plate of veggie burger and fries at a local resto

Doing good with our dollar is essential if we want to eat justly. We do groceries in this tiny little grocery store that used to be a curling rink. It is small but always very, very busy with a high turn-over of produce and dried beans, which means they are always super fresh.

Since we eat a plant-based diet at home, aka we're vegan, we are always looking for plant-based food variety. For example: there are 3-4 varieties of processed plant-based protein in a regular store (some firm tofu, veggie hotdogs and processed veggie ground round). However, we can find maybe 15-20 varieties of raw plant-based protein in our store, that serves diverse ethnic communities.

If you research which cultures, in general, have eaten healthfully and sustainably for generations (hint: asian cultures), find out where people from those cultures do their groceries... and go there too.

Ethical and fairly traded food is a journey. How can we eat food knowing that it was produced through major oppression? Easily, it is everywhere. It is the way of our culture. Currently, food injustices are not marked on labels, and our food culture has not yet shifted on a large scale.

How can we avoid eating food made of economic-oppression or animal-cruelty? Through knowledge and community. Beginning to grocery shop around these values isn't difficult, it just takes some awareness and action.

Through Jesus, and perhaps through our own experiences, we know that small actions are cumulative. To get you started, find fair trade: coffee, sugar and bananas. These first steps that will lead you to more and more resources.

More faith exploration of this topic to come.

Blessings, MM

#commentary #reflections #socialjustice