CityMama™

Meal Planning Monday (now with lunchbox and snack ideas and a budget!)

As our economy heads into a tailspin, I've been thinking a lot about what this means for our family. Ever since I had Bunny in 2002, we've learned to basically live on one income. My work as a freelancer isn't always steady so we view anything above and beyond my husband's salary as icing on the cake. We've been living on a budget for six years now, so as people around me tighten their belts yet again, I thought I'd add a little twist to my weekly meal plans: I'll share how much I spent (roughly) on groceries for the week, and I'll also share some lunchbox and snack ideas. Of course I share these ideas (the weekly meal plans, lunchbox, and snack ideas) hoping that you will do the same since I get so much inspiration from all of you. If it takes a village to raise a child, maybe we can pull together to share some economical tips on how to continue to feed our families healthfully, locally, organically...without breaking the bank.

Lately, I've been doing lots of our grocery shopping at a small, local market in Silicon Valley called Milk Pail Market, pictured above. (For me eating locally also means supporting local grocery stores as much as possible.) It's the kind of market that carries an abundance of local produce including an absolutely dizzying selection of fruit (maybe a little banged up or bruised) and hundreds of different kinds of imported cheeses and a plethora of dairy items. It caters to an ethnic population (lots of items appeal to Asians or the growing Russian population in our area) so prices are reasonable. It also has quite a following among people who love to bake so their freezers are chock-full of bread dough, unbaked croissants and pizza crusts, and bulk items like cream cheese, farmer's cheese, butter, and heavy whipping cream sold by the quart.

Happy Corned Beef Day!

Who's cooking corned beef today?  I might. (My recipe here.) We forgot to pick some up over the weekend and so far nothing has compelled me to run out and pick some up.  J. said he'd maybe bring me some at lunch today. We'll see. If he does, I'll cook it (because I do love it), and if not, we'll cook it up on the weekend. Last year we had loads of fun on St. Paddy's day. We were sitting outside, even!

Part of the reason why I'm not into it this year is because of the beef recall. I broke my no meat streak in grand style this weekend by eating a bone-in ribe-eye at Fleming's, but it took a lot of nerve.  While I was eating it, I didn't have that feeling of "Oh god I miss this," and frankly, the seafood sounded better. So corned beef? We'll see.

I did send Bunny off to school with a green lunch, though, so I'm not a total party pooper.

Avocado sandwich on whole grain bread, peas, Japanese pistachios, and a green honey stick.

Bunny's Lunch Box: Inari sushi and strawberries

A story to go with this bento:

Yesterday when I picked Bunny up from school she said, "There was a boy who cried because he didn't understand what we were saying. He only speaks Japanese."

"Oh, that's so sad! What could you do to make him feel better," I replied.

Bunny thought about it and responded, "We could learn to speak Japanese!"

"Okay, but that might take time...what's something you can do tomorrow if he feels bad?"

More thinking, "Maybe teach him a word? ...Or, give him a hug?"

"Those are great things to do," I said from the front seat as my eyes inexpicably filled with tears. "I'm sure he would love that."

Bunny told me that this little boy also has to eat lunch at a special table because he is allergic to nuts. Heart-breaking, right?  So I talked to Bunny further and told her that she already knows some words in Japanese like: miso, sushi, nori, tofu, ...and Totoro!

Later, as I was packing her bento Bunny sidled up to me and said, "Hey, I can show (boy's name) my lunch tomorrow!  I can tell him, 'I'm eating inari sushi! That's Japanese!'"

And I said, "That's a great idea!"

Then she added, "But don't pack any nuts. No nuts, Mamma, because I want to sit next to him at his table!...Remember, no nuts!"

***

Can you see why I'm so head over heels in love with my daughter? Sometimes I wonder where she comes up with these things. She astonishes me with her emotional intelligence.

Bunny, I am so proud of you. You are the most special, the most big-hearted, the most loving, the most caring little girl in the whole wide world...or so I'd like to think. :-)

I love you, and I hope you enjoy your lunch today!

***
INARI SUSHI

• 1 can inarizushi-no-moto (aka aburage or fried tofu pouches, available at any Japanese market)
• seasoned rice wine vinegar
• hot, cooked, short-grain rice
• (shredded carrots, toasted sesame seeds optional)

Prepare rice according to directions on the can (sprinkle with rice vinegar). In Hawaii inari (or cone) sushi rice is often mixed with a few strands of shredded carrot (for color) and a sprinkling of sesame seeds, but you can omit.

Carefully peel apart the fried tofu pockets (like for pita bread) and stuff with a small rectangular ball of seasoned rice. Place seam-side down on a plate. Serve right away.

Bunny's Lunch Box: Installment No. 1: I was born to bento

I love that the concept of packing bento-style lunches has reached insane levels of popularity these days with whole sites dedicated to the concept. As someone who was born in Hawaii, I grew up eating bentos from Zip-Pacs to custom-made creations from the Shirokiya food hall to home-made containers packed with leftovers. I say "born in Hawaii" as the dintinguisher because in Hawaii everyone—not just Japanese people—are familiar with bentos. It's part of our culture and people pride themselves on packing a good one. Do you include plain musubi or nori-wrapped? Should you include takuan or kimchi? Fried spam or a hotdog? People in Hawaii can talk about bentos for daaaaaaayyyyyyyyssssss.

When we moved from Hawaii to California in 1981, I was in sixth grade and I remember vividly the day I brought a bento to school for lunch. It was packed with musubi (rice balls) and fried chicken and I remember thinking about that lunch all morning.  When it was time to unpack our lunches. Twenty heads swiveled my way to see what I had in front of me.

Little did I know I had just committed my first junior high faux pas.