This morning, I set out to do a simple pea-mint-feta kind of salad for dinner, as I thought it would be a refreshing side to add to the butter chicken, which was a request from my little. I usually have a few bags of organic peas in my freezer, I thought for sure I must have some. Instead, I found the last dregs of a bag we've been using lately, but no backup in the freezer; I resorted instead to what I have on hand. As most people do most nights, amiright? This was a "quick! toss it together! and get out the door!" kind of salad. This last week of June always seems so loaded every year; loaded with expectations, with good byes, with quick conversations on summer plans and tentative camping plans being set up (heck ya!). There are meetings to attend, and year-end concerts and final soccer games, the pressure just feels like it's ON. And I'm ok with that. I still love food at these times, and really use that short window of prep time to make something delicious so at least we can all share a meal together. Well, today was not one of those days. (See how I set you up there?) I had the most wonderful afternoon with my little, wrapping up her current school year with lunch on the town and throwing rocks in the river. But we ran out of time to do our annual tradition of picking a super summer read (new book!) on the way home from all this. I had a meeting to get to across town through rush hour traffic, so the window of prep got cut right short. It's ok. I roll with the punches. I still had to make that butter chicken...

Well that was to be left in my honey's very capable hands. I on the other hand, now had 25 minutes to make my dinner-to-go, clean up and look fairly decent. And then, found out there were no peas. Again, witness, me rolling with the punches. I put the water on. I blanched some frozen green beans (thank you freezer), and added that last bit of peas I had in the freezer at the very end. Tossed in some of my now-frozen-but-pre-soaked-sprouted-then-cooked-Puy-lentils from A Month of Salads Day 7 in order to get them to defrost. Drained the lot, and ran it through cold water to shock them and stop the cooking.

In the meantime, I chopped some spinach I had on hand, added a fistful of chopped pea sprouts from Hotchkiss just down the road from yyc, an equal fistful of mint from my garden (even used my strawberry mint here. Interesting!). I knew chlorophyll was going to be the main attraction in this salad. What's not to love?

spinach mint and pea sprouts. talk about super greens.

On top of this green mound, I added more green (and white and purple): the green beans, smidgen of peas and puy lentils, crumbled some feta, some fermented red onions (quick ferment in brine for 1 week; alternately, you could do pickled red onions) and added some fresh Johnny Jump Up flowers my little pulled out of our patch out back. Did you know you could grow flowers and eat them? Get yourself acquainted with ones you can eat STAT. Because it is one of my favourite summer things.

So tucked the container in my bag, along with a package of seaweed crisps and a few water kefirs to share. Oh yes, and the dressing: maybe 2 tbsp of olive, 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp of honey, 1 tsp mustard, S&P. And off I went, to my evening of work. Feasted on this baby, along with my two colleagues/friends. Just pulled in; it's 1.15am. Thank goodness for good friends in this life, who I could spend hours talking with about anything and everything. I am posting this and am now off to bed. And planning a stop tomorrow to get that summer book read for my lady.

Mom was right, kids: EAT YOUR GREENS. And for my friends in need of thyroid support, swap out that goitrogenic spinach for something like an arugula or romaine lettuce. You're welcome.