Going Green in Comfort

When I was in college, I used to go for drives to clear my head before I had a paper to do or before I sat down to study. The school I attended was three hours from my hometown, so, especially at first, I would just marvel at the landscape. The area where I grew up was full of trees and tall hills; the landscape surrounding college was, by comparison, incredibly flat. Any elevations were smaller, "rolling," I believe is the term most often used. Photo by Tom Fisk from Pexels It was on one of those drives that I saw a most unusual hill. It was taller and in kind of a pyramid shape, unlike the other rolling ones in the area. Squares of sod grass covered it, which was obvious as each square seemed to be a different shade of green. This, I could tell, was not a natural feature of the landscape. As I wondered what is was and why it was there, I saw a sign that told me all I needed to know; this behemoth out in the middle of the prairie was the county landfill. Buri...

Oatmeal for breakfast © Sugar0607 |  Dreamstime Stock Photos  &  Stock Free Images I'm on the hunt for grab-n-go breakfasts that meet the following criteria: Require no cooking to save on electricity. Are healthful. Can be made using all eco-friendly, organic ingredients. Because I bought a big tub of oatmeal a few months back that I've never opened, I figured oatmeal recipes were a good place to start. So I googled ideas on grab-n-go, no-cook oatmeal, and found quite a few out there that say to just let oatmeal soak overnight, then just grab it on your way out the door the next day. So for the past few days, that's been my breakfast: A bowl of oatmeal soaked overnight in water (many recipes call for yogurt or milk, but I'm trying to avoid sugars, so I just opt for water). I toss in a few pecans and chia seeds, and dig in. I was surprised to find I like it. I really didn't expect to. (Though I recommend stirring in some salt.) To vary...