buying local

This week I used up our last "fresh" butternut squash from last fall's harvest. It's amazing how long certain vegetables will last if stored properly. We still have some garlic hanging in the basement stairwell. And there are still a few bags of frozen veggies in the freezer.

Monday:
Ryan & AJ: wheat gluten "chik'n" salad; mini-blueberry muffins; broccoli; mango slices.

Tuesday:
Ryan: 1/2 multigrain bagel sandwich with hummus & lettuce; baby carrots; snow peas; mango & strawberries.

Wednesday:Ryan & AJ: baby corn; soba noodles (with a little sesame oil & soy sauce); edamame.

In the afternoon we drove over to north Cambridge (where we used to live pre-children) for haircuts for my husband and the boys at Hair International; it's worth the 40 minute drive for cheap quick cuts done by the sweetest asian ladies, (who are also sisters), surrounded by lots of plants and classical music. It's also near my husband's business, as well as some great asian markets.
Before the haircut I hit Kotobukiya for some groceries:
No bento gear besides some paper liners and plastic grass, but always a great assortment of china, along with a good grocery selection. Unfortunately they were out of a few things I was looking for, but still worth the visit.
After haircuts we always go to our favourite Japanese & Korean restaurant, Hana Sushi; they don't have a website, but here's a review from the Boston Globe. We've been coming here since before we had kids. It recently changed hands last summer (to relatives of the Korean market next door apparently) and was completely renovated. But it still has the same feel, cheerful staff, and great food at a good price.
Nate wanted to use his chopsticks for everything. AJ's favourites are green tea and inari. Ryan inhales more sushi than the adults do now. And everyone enjoys the oshitashe and edamame.
Next door to the restaurant is a small Korean market , J & K HanARum, where I always stop in after dinner for a few items; their soba noodles are the cheapest I've found, and I'm always running low on pickled daikon. I can't think of a time that I've brought the boys in with me that the owners haven't doted on our "three boys!" giving them various treats, this time lollipops that made the ride home quite enjoyable, LOL.

Friday:
AJ & Ryan: honeydew melon; crackers with Tofutti cream cheese; bean salad; crunchy asian peas.

My mother never liked to cook (or eat for that matter) and still doesn't. I think the only recipe she ever made that I use to this day is her recipe for bean salad. For potluck dinners when I was a kid she either made meatloaf or her bean salad. I only had 3 varieties of beans available in the pantry this morning when I whipped it up, but usually I replace the lima beans with cannellini or black beans. And obviously I choose a vegan mayonnaise. Here is her recipe:

Four Bean Main Dish Salad

1 can chick peas
1 can lima beans (or other bean)
1 can kidney beans
1 can cut green beans (or frozen thawed equivalent)
1 rib celery, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onion
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 T. vinegar (red wine vinegar works well)
1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 pepper
1/2 tsp. dill

Rinse beans. Place everything in a large bowl and mix.
Looks nice served over lettuce.