Meal Plan June 10 with Local Ingredients

The Neighborhood Farm spread of fresh greens

Today was the day.  Opening day of the Needham Farmers Market.  I’ve been working on this for two years so it was a really special to see it all come together.  The vendors had a successful day, the weather was stellar and everything went according to plan.  Best part of all, I now have some locally grown meat and produce to enjoy in the coming days.

Sunday~ Grilled salmon picked up at the farmers market.  We used a lemon garlic rub on the salmon fillets and grilled them.

Monday~ Beef hotdogs from Foxboro Cheese/Lawton Family Farm.  Real beef, no nitrates or nitrites and the farmer said I will see real meat when we bite into the hot dog.  “Not a pink circle” Farmer Ed Lawton had a lot to say about the meat raised on his farm and I expect to pick up a lot more this season. He also sells raw milk at his farm if you are looking for it.

Tuesday~ Teriyaki Salmon Burger.  They were a hit last week so we got some more since they were on sale.  We mixed up our own tartar sauce for the topping.  Just a little mayo and some relish.  I get relish from Whole Foods since it’s nearly impossible to find relish at a regular grocery store without high fructose corn syrup.

Wednesday~ Pulled Pork Sandwiches.  I’m pulling out the crockpot and working on a list of favorite recipes to utilize the crock pot in the summer.  There is no reason to put this great task-maker away, especially when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen in the hot summer season.

Thursday~ C.O.R.N….Clean-Out-Refrigerator-Night

Friday~ Pizza night!  I’ll be sharing this week what pizza night means to our family and share a great new product we reviewed, Summit Pasta sauce.  Did you know you can get 6 vegetables into a sauce that kids will love?!

It’s your turn…what is on your meal plan for the week?

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Boston Irish Festival 2012

We hit the 22nd annual Boston Irish Festival today with the kids.  It was a gorgeous day and we had fun dressing up in our green and orange for the occasion.  There was just enough kid stuff to do to keep them engaged, but not overwhelming.  Face painting, balloon animals, berry-go-round and of course, a train.

Our favorite was the Irish step dancers.  It was a group from BU called Step About Boston.  Madison sat for the entire show and was mesmerized.  I love watching irish step dancing but this was so different as half of the numbers were set to modern hits.  I think I may be looking into step dancing lessons for a little someone…

Click here for more info.  The event is held at the Irish Cultural Center in Canton, MA. Free parking, kids under 12 are free and a little Irish culture to boot.  Fun time had by all.

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Looking for guest posts!

Have you ever written a guest post? Do you know what it means? If you have an awesome eco-friendly, healthy or frugal idea to share, I would love to hear it. You may have your own blog and want to bring in more traffic. Or you just have a cool idea to share. Here is the place to to get your writing out there to a new audience. Share a favorite recipe, craft or something to add to our summer bucket lists.


If you are interested, send me an email at randomrecycling (at) gmail.com.

I’m sharing this request with the readers of Sustainable Ways.

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Meal Plan June 3

Happy June!  The beautiful weather we had has been replaced by chilling wind and rain.  However we did kick off the weekend with a great picnic with our playgroup.  I made my chocolate chip cheesecake cookies and there wasn’t one left.  There will be a picnic post coming up soon with a big giveaway!

This week is crunch time as the new Needham Farmers Market opens next Sunday.  I am involved in getting all of the vendors organized so there may be less posts this week as I help everyone get ready for our very first market.  I’m so excited to pick up some fresh fish, grass-fed beef and loads of produce on Sunday as I make my meal plan.  I’ll share pictures of our opening next week!

Sunday~ Hamburgers, salad and brown rice with fresh chives.
Monday~ Maple Glazed Salmon, Roasted Green Beans with Parmesan and Rice
Tuesday~ Kids having hot dogs and Trader Joe’s shelled edamame
Wednesday~ Sautéed Chicken Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Thursday~ Pesto Ranch Chicken (leftover freezer meal)
Friday~ Pizza night!

I’m also going to test out a new snack this week~ Cinnamon Honey Wheat Thins. Don’t they look delicious?! And you can pronounce all of the ingredients…

What are you  making this week?
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Garden Update~ June 1

Hello summer.  This is the status of our raised bed we had installed and filled with organic soil.  It is made with red cedar, a safe wood that doesn’t release any harmful chemicals into the soil.  (Thanks Soil & Seed!) It is filled with heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, celery, sugar snap peas, eggplants, peppers, carrots, herbs and marigolds for good measure.

This is one of our smaller beds and everything was started from seed.  We have baby spinach, a lettuce blend and pickling cucumbers.  I’m glad that we will have a staggered harvest of our greens.

The broccoli was also started from seed and is doing great in both the raised bed and also a windowsill container.  I can just see the start of the florets.

I have one more square foot to plant.  What do you think I am missing? What are you looking forward to harvesting in your garden?


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Keep Pests Out of Your Garden Naturally

Keep Pests Out of Your Garden Naturally

There is nothing worse than spending loads of time and money on your vegetable garden, only to have it decimated by natural predators.  This is our first year doing square foot gardening in our raised beds.  I’ve had to do some research into how to keep our neighborhood bunnies, foxes and friends away from my young vegetables.  We have had containers on our farmers porch the past few years and didn’t have to deal with any pests, aside from the curious toddler. Here are a few things we plan to try out in the garden, plus some that my Dad has done for years.

Source

~Dried blood keeps the bunnies at bay.  Rabbits don’t like the smell of dried blood, or hair from it’s predators (coyotes and foxes). Get these items at your local garden store and sprinkle them around the perimeter of your garden.  Too gross?  Build a 3 foot high fence instead.

Source

~Cup of beer to drown garden slugs.  There were always little cups of beer in our garden growing up.  Usually filled with slugs.  They are attracted to the yeast and barley in the beer.  I would use a little yogurt cup filled halfway with beer.  Replace as needed.
~Plant an onion border around your garden.  Bunnies don’t like onions!

Source

~Marigolds are your friend.  Plant them around tomato plants to help deter pests like tomato worm, white flies and nematodes.

Source

~Garlic Fire Spray.  Keep the bugs at bay with this homemade recipe from No-Dig Vegetable Garden. This will take care of ants, grubs, caterpillars and most small bugs.  Be nice to the ladybugs though, they are your friend. They eat aphids!
~Cats may not be nice to your garden. Discourage them by giving them a little squirt with a hose.  Don’t let them take a cat nap on your little seedlings.
~Groundhogs.  If you got them, build a fence.  A tall one.

There are loads of other natural gardening remedies online and I support giving them a shot if you end up with some pests in your garden.  Think twice about chemical pesticides that have been linked to cancer, nerve damage and birth defects.  Keep your garden and your food clean and healthy with these natural gardening tips. Good luck!

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Monday Meal Plan May 28

I hope everyone had a lovely Memorial day! It was a fun filled family weekend for us so the meal plan was a bit delayed. The warm weather is inspiring me to do more grilling and keep some of the heat out of the kitchen.

Monday~ Grilled chicken breasts and whatever veggies we can find in the house.
Tuesday~ Grilled salmon burgers. This will be a first for both us and the kids. Let’s see how it goes. I’m thinking asparagus on the grill too and a little rice.
Wednesday~ Lemon and mushroom chicken in the crockpot. I use a whole chicken stuffed with one lemon cut in half and a few other spices. The recipe is from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook.
Thursday~ Daddy is carbo loading for his charity century ride on Saturday. We will have a sausage and chicken baked pasta dish and a green salad.
Friday~ Pizza night! Our playgroup (of 50) will have the first summer picnic dinner at our local playground.  I’m on dessert duty so I’ll share later this week what I’m making.

What’s on your list to make this week? Remember, you can get a sneak peak into what I am making by following my favorite recipe board on Pinterest.

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Happy Summer!

Happy Memorial Day everyone! I hope you all have some time to relax with friends and family.  This weekend always feels like the start of summer, even if the calendar doesn’t say so.  Bring out the white pants and sunscreen, we are ready!  I am enjoying some family time so this week’s meal plan may be a little delayed.  Thank you to my wonderful readers who have been so supportive of this blog.  It means a lot to me!

Got yourself a Little Miss Coppertone like our little water baby?  Win a chance for a dream family vacation by entering your little girl here.

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No Purchase Necessary. Contest Ends on 6/22/12. Disclosure: We are entering for a chance to win a gift card in exchange for this post.  No monetary exchange took place.

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Being Sentimental and Green

One of my goals this year has been to cut down on the clutter in our home and try to limit the amount of new stuff we purchase.  We have been in our home for almost 6 years and we are at the point where there are some dark piles of stuff in the basement that haven’t seen the light of day since we moved in.  Slowly we are attacking these piles and making the hard decision to give away some of these possessions.

The hardest thing to part with are those family items handed down from grandparents.  I’m a bit sentimental and find it hard to say no when they offer things.  I have one set of china from my grandmother that passed away this year and although I haven’t opened the box in this home, I’m still hoping to find a place to use it in my next home.  You have to make the choice whether you want to sacrifice some storage space for these items taking up room in your home and your heart.

My other grandmother recently moved and offered up lots of items in her home to her many children and grandchildren.  I was very selective and happily accepted her crystal glassware.  I chose my own crystal glassware for my wedding registry specifically because it reminded me of my grandmother’s.  Now I get to add some of hers to my own collection.

The glasses above are the latest find from my grandmother.  They match another set of glasses I already collect which reminds me of Gloucester, also known as home. I clearly have a soft spot for anything nautical.  Plus they bring back memories of my grandparents entertaining at their summer cottage.  It will be really cool to use these glasses for the next 20 years and know they have served so many friends and family.

When you have the chance to get these hand me downs, it’s so much easier to say yes when you know it’s something you treasure.  If it’s just more stuff, pass it along to someone else that can put it to good use. No sense trying to be green and salvage something if it’s just going to create more stress in your storage world.  Know when to say no, and know when to hold on to something that warms your heart.

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Monday Meal Plan May 21

Is it really the last week of May? Where has the month gone?  The weather has finally turned and we started the week off with our favorite hamburgers on the grill, corn on the cob and Cape Cod potato salad.   Madison is still outside enjoying her homemade popsicle of pink lemonade and frozen blueberries.

You can get a sneak peek into what I’m planning for the week by following my Favorite Recipe board on Pinterest.  Although truth be told I think I need to create a Sweet Shop board for all the dessert recipes I’m pinning.

Monday~ Autumn Chopped Salad.  Yes it’s spring, but it looks great.
Tuesday~ Pesto Ranch Pasta Bake.  I’ll be adding in some cooked chicken to our dish.  Rounded out with a green salad and fixings from our local farm stand.  Local asparagus time too!
Wednesday~ CORN.  That’s Clean-Out-Refrigerator-Night for you newbies.  Kids and adults have split dinner time this night so it’s a great chance to eat leftovers.
Thursday~ Steak Tips, Sweet Potatoes Fries.
Friday~ Pizza night.

Memorial Day is at the end of the week. Time to plan ahead for some packable treats and cookout goodies.  I plan to break out my new Joy the Baker cookbook since there in an entire chapter devoted to perfect picnic snacks.  Plus I created a new Summer Holiday board in Pinterest so there will be some patriotic dessert ideas if you are looking for inspiration.

Have a great week!

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I love to hear your feedback and comments. Stop by and visit Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter for more conversation!  Or get posts delivered via Email or RSS Feed. Thanks!  For more meal planning ideas, stop by Meal Plan Monday.    
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