cdkitchen > cooking experts > pamela chester
With the recent celebration of Earth Day, being more environmentally conscious is on more than a few people’s minds. Maybe your kids had a special activity at school and are bringing home new ideas on how to conserve our resources for a healthier planet. But you may be wondering, what exactly does the phrase being “green” mean?
It’s a relatively new term for the concept of more eco-conscious living. Basically to live green is to go by the mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle.” The philosophy also incorporates the idea of making a smaller impact on the environment with the stuff we use and consume in everyday life. As the dire warnings predict, if we don’t make an effort to reduce our footprint on the earth today, there may be less hope for tomorrow’s generation.
Now you can find “green” alternatives to common cleaning supplies, packaged goods, paper, clothing, appliances and many other household items. As far as being green in the kitchen though, it’s not just about buying heavily marketed products with fancy recycling logos on them. It’s also about being less wasteful with the resources we are fortunate to already have.
Here are a few easy ideas for more eco-conscious cooking and eating for you and your kids:
Put a Lid On It: You can save energy every time you boil water by placing a lid on the pot. A bonus is the water will come to a boil faster.
Make Your Own: Taking the time to cook many of your own meals and baking breads and other goodies from scratch involves way less packaging than takeout or frozen meals and boxed mixes and snacks, with the bonus of being healthier and more economical.
Grow Your Own: Let your kids take ownership of their food choices by planting a vegetable garden plot. It’s one of the most rewarding childhood experiences to watch food being created from seed to plate.
Composting: Start a compost bin where any food scraps can be regenerated into fertilizer for your lovely garden.
Buy Locally: A green cooking philosophy involves buying food that is produced in a more sustainable manner. When you buy your food from a local farmers market, there is less packaging and transportation. The less processed our food choices are, the less resources and energy are consumed to produce them. Local farmers tend to use more organic methods (even if they are not certified organic) with less pollution and health risks.
You can try buying and cooking locally with this Farmer’s Market Frittata, an Italian style omelet ideal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. See how many ingredients you can source locally!
Less Waste: Try to reduce the amount of food you do throw out with more careful meal planning.
Better Materials: With summertime just around the corner, you can try packing lunches in fun reusable containers, for camp and other activities.
Reusable Bags and Containers: Switch to your own canvas bags to bring home groceries and more reusable containers as opposed to plastic bags and Ziplocs that get tossed.
Gas Grilling: Using a grill fueled by natural gas creates less pollution than the soot created by charcoal and wood burning grills.
Switch to More Energy Efficient Appliances: You will be surprised at how much your electrical costs could be reduced by switching to newer, more efficient appliances. You can also get rebates on energy star certified appliances that consume less power.
I am sure your kids have a ton more ideas to help conserve our planet’s precious resources. Some of the best ideas come from sharp young minds. Please feel free to share them below!
It’s pretty easy to make some small changes for a better environment and make every day Earth Day. And best of all, you won’t have to buy a thing!
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1154-eco-conscious-cooking/
It's Easy Being Green
With the recent celebration of Earth Day, being more environmentally conscious is on more than a few people’s minds. Maybe your kids had a special activity at school and are bringing home new ideas on how to conserve our resources for a healthier planet. But you may be wondering, what exactly does the phrase being “green” mean?
It’s a relatively new term for the concept of more eco-conscious living. Basically to live green is to go by the mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle.” The philosophy also incorporates the idea of making a smaller impact on the environment with the stuff we use and consume in everyday life. As the dire warnings predict, if we don’t make an effort to reduce our footprint on the earth today, there may be less hope for tomorrow’s generation.
Now you can find “green” alternatives to common cleaning supplies, packaged goods, paper, clothing, appliances and many other household items. As far as being green in the kitchen though, it’s not just about buying heavily marketed products with fancy recycling logos on them. It’s also about being less wasteful with the resources we are fortunate to already have.
Here are a few easy ideas for more eco-conscious cooking and eating for you and your kids:
Put a Lid On It: You can save energy every time you boil water by placing a lid on the pot. A bonus is the water will come to a boil faster.
Make Your Own: Taking the time to cook many of your own meals and baking breads and other goodies from scratch involves way less packaging than takeout or frozen meals and boxed mixes and snacks, with the bonus of being healthier and more economical.
Grow Your Own: Let your kids take ownership of their food choices by planting a vegetable garden plot. It’s one of the most rewarding childhood experiences to watch food being created from seed to plate.
Composting: Start a compost bin where any food scraps can be regenerated into fertilizer for your lovely garden.
Buy Locally: A green cooking philosophy involves buying food that is produced in a more sustainable manner. When you buy your food from a local farmers market, there is less packaging and transportation. The less processed our food choices are, the less resources and energy are consumed to produce them. Local farmers tend to use more organic methods (even if they are not certified organic) with less pollution and health risks.
You can try buying and cooking locally with this Farmer’s Market Frittata, an Italian style omelet ideal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. See how many ingredients you can source locally!
Less Waste: Try to reduce the amount of food you do throw out with more careful meal planning.
Better Materials: With summertime just around the corner, you can try packing lunches in fun reusable containers, for camp and other activities.
Reusable Bags and Containers: Switch to your own canvas bags to bring home groceries and more reusable containers as opposed to plastic bags and Ziplocs that get tossed.
Gas Grilling: Using a grill fueled by natural gas creates less pollution than the soot created by charcoal and wood burning grills.
Switch to More Energy Efficient Appliances: You will be surprised at how much your electrical costs could be reduced by switching to newer, more efficient appliances. You can also get rebates on energy star certified appliances that consume less power.
I am sure your kids have a ton more ideas to help conserve our planet’s precious resources. Some of the best ideas come from sharp young minds. Please feel free to share them below!
It’s pretty easy to make some small changes for a better environment and make every day Earth Day. And best of all, you won’t have to buy a thing!
Farmer's Market Frittata
Made with zucchini, garlic, eggs, lemon, Parmesan cheese, parsley, kosher salt, black pepper, olive oil, yellow onion
Made with zucchini, garlic, eggs, lemon, Parmesan cheese, parsley, kosher salt, black pepper, olive oil, yellow onion
Serves/Makes: 4
- 8 eggs
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more, to taste
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 small zucchini, sliced 1/8 inch thick
- 1 cup shelled peas
- 4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a medium, ovenproof, nonstick skillet, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent, 4-5 minutes over medium heat. Add zucchini and cook until just tender, 6-7 minutes.
Add the egg mixture and peas, using a rubber spatula, quickly and lightly stir the eggs in a small circular motion to combine them with the vegetables. Using the spatula, gently lift the cooked edges to allow the uncooked eggs to flow underneath.
Sprinkle the goat cheese on the frittata. Do not stir. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until frittata is puffy and golden brown.
Using a spatula, loosen the edges of the frittata and gently lift it onto a platter. Cut into wedges and serve.
share this article:
related articles
Write a comment:
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1154-eco-conscious-cooking/