Now, I’m not a rabid “greenie” by any means. I live in a regular suburban home where we enjoy the air conditioning and use our clothes dryer several times a week and all. We don’t have a single solar panel or electricity-generating windmill on our property anywhere. Ed Begley would probably throw up his hands in disgust if he saw how we live. But — within the constraints of being a full-time working mom with a 35-mile commute and a lot of other irons in the fire, so to speak — I do what I can.

See, I truly believe if we all do even just a little bit, collectively we can accomplish a lot. And isn’t it better to do something, no matter how apparently insignificant, rather than just sitting around moaning about how “somebody” ought to do “something”? You are “somebody,” ya know, and here’s something you can do.

When you brew that morning cup of coffee, make sure your coffee comes from a company committed to working with growers who use sustainable, earth-friendly methods of farming and who provide fair wages, health care and education to their employees and their families. If your morning infusion of caffeine is certified organic and shade grown, this means while you’re getting your heart pumping and awakening your brain, you’re also helping the environment.

I dunno about you, but knowing I’m helping hardworking farm families and the environment just makes coffee seem to taste better.

Sometimes we get caught up in paradigms and overlook really obvious stuff.

Like, for instance, while I was trying to figure out what to put on the table for supper the other night, I had one of those “duh!” moments. I realized I was getting hung up on what is “breakfast food” and what is “supper food”… and totally missing a great, quick supper idea. And a great, quick breakfast idea…

Which is: why not serve breakfast at supper? (And vice versa…)

Think about it — why not have a peanut butter and banana sandwich (on whole wheat, natch!) for breakfast? Quick, good for you and easy to prepare (even when half asleep) and easy to handle even if you’re eating on the go.

For supper, a Western omelette with a bunch of grapes and/or a small tossed salad. Tasty, filling, nutritious — and you can have it on the table in 20 minutes or less, even counting taking time to chop up the ham, onions and peppers.

Or maybe some oatmeal sprinkled with cinnamon, with a serving of applesauce stirred in. On hot summer evenings, a bowl of cold cereal and milk topped with summer berries could be a light and refreshing evening entree.

What do you think? Have you ever had “breakfast supper”? Can you (and your family members) get past the idea of “cereal is for breakfast”?

— Diane