S is for Sushi, Snack Mix, and S'mores...on Saturday!

I'm almost afraid to share the amazing sushi buffet we've discovered for fear it will become wildly popular and there will be no avocado rolls left for us.  Cafe Ima, located at 10645-B Braddock Road at University Mall in Fairfax serves a sushi lunch buffet Monday through Saturday from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM for $10.95 per person over six.  The buffet is FREE for diners under 6. Since the Bigger One has loved avocado sushi since he could tear his little teeth through the seaweed wraps, this has been a wonderful find for our family as he can eat all the rolls he wants for free! Meanwhile, the Littler One can scarf down as much white rice and edamame as he can handle. 


Considered Asian fusion, the restaurant stocks its buffet with Japansese fare such as sushi rolls, nigiri,  and miso soup as well as dishes from other cuisines, like kim chee. The manager reports that in addition to the sushi and rolls there are 8 hot dishes and 6 cold dishes at each buffet.  We went for a second trip this past Saturday with the Carnivore's parents and sister's family.  Four kids (my LOs and our awesome nieces) ate absolutely free of charge. The restaurant seems to welcome young children and even offers chocolate milk (the first time we went they had Horizon milk; this second time it was "school-cafeteria" chocolate milk).  The best part: a sushi buffet satisfies every eater in our family from a vegetarian like me to the sashimi-loving Carnivore to our somewhat picky little foodies. 


After generous helpings from Cafe Ima's yummy buffet, the family fun continued at our house, where my totally crafty and creative sister-in-law showed us how to make a St. Patty's Day snack mix. I found the recipe on this website which describes a Jello recipe that looks beautiful but also extremely intimidating.  I'll think I'll stick to SIL's sweet and salty mix.

Lucky Mix Recipe:

• 2 cups Lucky Charms cereal
• 1 cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch
• 1 cup Honey Nut Cherrios
• 1 cup Mixed Nuts or Peanuts
• 1 cup Green Skittles or M&M’s
• 1 cup Pretzels

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Serve in a small dish or little Pots of Gold.


Not sure what a "Pot of Gold" entails; we just used our little bowls.  The kids had a lot of fun taking turns pouring and stirring the ingredients.  A no-bake activity that we all enjoyed!!




Spiderman pours pretzels into the mix.

Cousin stirs it up.

Sampling our masterpiece

To end our day's adventures in eating, we congregated in the backyard around our fire pit and roasted marshmallows for s'mores.  This was our third time in about a week that we've taken advantage of our fire pit to make a tasty campfire treat (we took Nana out when she was visiting last week).  The boys think we're camping and ask for campfire stories every time. 


This time, the adults spent most of the time shielding the children from the fire (and certain children who shall remain nameless stole most of the chocolate squares instead of using them for s'mores).  It was one of those experiences where you can sense lasting memories are in the making. 

I'll have s'more, please!!

The adults did most of the roasting.

The wind was blowing with all its might and the adults remained huddled by the fire while the kids ran off to play.  As cold as we were, we still felt that warm, fuzzy feeling that only comes from spending quality time with the people you love.  It was a Saturday filled with some of my favorite people and favorite foods.  What are some of your favorite foods to share with loved ones?