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The text read “first turtle of season hatched, returned to water, I have fleas and ants in my backpack.” These are the only words from our daughter who’s living along the remote shores of Costa Rica to help save turtle eggs from animal predators and human confiscators. Here I go…it seems like just yesterday when she showed her animal love with a puppy nail polishing stand. She couldn’t pwonouce her r’s and couldn’t get a comb through her hair.

Before you think I let my now seventeen year-old venture on her own into the treachery of Central America, which I might consider during those moments of passive aggressive radio play in the car, she and a friend joined a respectable turtle conservation program for a nine day community service camp. Although her years of required community service for school are behind her, she will log more hours on this trip than any previous year. Maybe mandates limit potential.

She combs the Punta Judas beaches at night, fending off mosquitos the size of hummingbirds, looking for newly laid turtle eggs. She and her team thenrelocate the eggs to the safety of a hatchery. After the eggs hatch, they return the young sea turtles to the water to live on their own or join up with a random family. I’m sure she feels like doing the same on occasion.

Meanwhile back at home in California, three of us are practicing for when – about one year from now – Kendall will leave us for college, her first step toward living on her own. So, we ate dinner at our four-top table and the conversation turned to topics like ping pong matches, rules of Scrabble, and why it’s necessary for the boy to release even louder bodily sounds during meals.

Perhaps a nod to Kendall’s global travels or respect toward her conserving nature, a meal emerged worthy of note here – a world of flavor and, without trying, only three dollars per serving.

Trying to buy less and use more of what we already have thanks toAmerican Wasteland, a book that exploited our 40% food waste. Although by the looks of us Americans, s0me food is getting in our bellies. I had on hand: a pork tenderloin, four eight-ball squash from the CSA, and a $2 bag of sugar snap peapods that I couldn’t resist at the farmers’ market.

I relied on a meat seasoning recipe that I had savored back in December when we paid homage to Africa. I sliced the peapods into slivers and splashed them, while still on the cutting board, with a whipped up three ingredient Asian vinaigrette to heighten their sweetness.

And then the squash, perhaps the discovery of the night and a harken back to the Tuscany trip. Its crispy coating of panko crumbs and parmesan cheese became a table favorite even with the boy who emitted sounds of chewing and licking fingers.

The details of our seasonings are less important (detailed below) because in fact you could just season each of these foods with the magical trio of salt, pepper, olive oil and turn out a fine meal. Rather, the availability of reasonably priced clean foods is more the saving sentiment. Pork tenderloins, especially when using doctor recommended 4-6 ounce serving portions, give more juiced out flavoricious essence per dolllar bite than just about any other protein. If you’re not an other white meat eater, I get that, chicken is cheap cheep too. We used half of the peapods ($1), one zucchini (cents, I imagine), and the tenderloin was about $9.

So, a few food discoveries, three remaining squash, and open arms will await Kendall’s return this week just in time to lose her once again to the challenges and workload of senior year.

At least she will be sleeping close by in a bed without fleas.

For now.

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