Wondering what to pack in your kid’s school lunch for a snack? These ideas make school snacks a cinch.

Check out the Sundried Tomato Hummus here.

Special thanks to Our Green House, a fabulous source for eco-friendly products, for inviting me to do this video. Also, thanks to Cate from Sweetnicks for the fabulous frozen grapes idea and to Shawn for taking over so I could go.

If you are a Sarah’s Cucina Bella fan on Facebook, you know that I was ridiculously excited about my grocery store purchases earlier this week. That photo above is what I purchased. And I spent (drum roll please!) $52.47.

Here’s what I got:

• 6 boxes of cereal (great for snacks and early morning breakfasts)
• 8 boxes of pasta
• 1 lb shrimp
• 2 packages of ground turkey (1 1/4 lbs each)
• 1 four pack of turkey burgers
• 2 boxes of brownie mix (yes, I use boxes. Sometimes.)
• 1 quart of half and half
• 1 sour cream
• 3 boxes of taco shells
• 1 package of taco seasoning (it was free — gave that away. I prefer homemade taco seasoning)
• 1 dozen cage-free eggs
• 3 cans kid-friendly pastas (good for rushed lunches … once in a blue moon)
• 2 cans of soup
• 1 jar peanut butter (gave this away after checking the ingredients, but it was only $0.99 with purchase)
• 1 loaf bread
• 2 salad dressings
• 1 mayo
• 1 box bakery brownies, from the day-old rack

When I told my friend, Angel, about this, her first question was HOW?!?

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Back to school is heavy on my mind these days. We are less than a week away from Will starting kindergarten. But as I wrote recently on Tablespoon, it’s Will’s school lunch that I think about most. Ok, think might be an understatement. I obsess.

I’ve checked out the lunch menu for his school and its … not good. A packed lunch it will be (and he’s okay with that!). Still, what do I pack? How do I keep it from getting too boring? Thank goodness for good friends like Cate, who give me fab ideas (like frozen grapes as a snack/way to keep the whole lunchbox cold. Love that!).

One snack that I know I will be packing is homemade hummus and veggies. Will adores hummus, as does Paige. Toss in some slices of cucumber, red peppers and carrots and you have a delish snack (or even a lunch item!).

This fast, easy hummus is filled with the warm, smoky-sweet flavor of sundried tomatoes and my very favorite herb: basil. I made it this afternoon for a very special video shoot (more on that later!) and it totally got rave reviews.

Now, I need some more ideas. What inventive foods do you pack in lunchboxes?

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I love the taste of roasted leeks. Almost smoky … and so tender, with a hint of crisp. Then there’s the roasted beets, they get this beautiful sweetness to them. But the roasted eggplant? The crispy caramelization on the outside and creamy inside was sublime. As far as eggplant recipes go, this is a new fav. And the whole dish is infused with the roasted garlic which makes it all the better.

Roasted vegetables are really divine. I loved this dish. This roasted vegetables recipe is a perfect side dish for the chilly evenings we’ve been having. Unfortunately, the kids were less enthused. They both enjoyed the roasted beets in this dish, but were mixed on the other veggies. Shawn wouldn’t try it. Oh well. Can’t win every time, right?

Sadly, this week there were no beets, leeks or eggplant in the CSA box. But if you have leftovers from last week, then this is a great recipe to make. Or, you could just buy the ingredients and make it. Heck, I might do that.

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When I moved to New York (as in Manhattan) to go to college, I craved freedom and devoured the city. I walked everywhere, breathing in the skyscrapers and eying the fabulous fashion and amazing pace. Everything seemed so special, so amazing.

One of my favorite things was checking out the myriad grocery stores in the city. The small markets that dotted much of the Upper West Side where I dwelled were such a big change from the mega-sized supermarkets of upstate New York where I grew up. And the foods! They had fresh mozzarella, couscous salads and something completely unfamiliar called tabbouleh. I tried them all, one by one, discovering that I adored the fresh mozzarella and couscous salad, but not the tabbouleh.

So, yes, I am writing a post about a tabbouleh salad recipe, when I don’t like the stuff. But here’s the thing: this isn’t traditional tabbouleh. Adapted slightly from a Health Magazine recipe, this Whole Wheat Couscous Tabbouleh Salad is filled with fresh veggies and bright flavors. It’s lively and perfect for a hot summer day … and since it’s made with whole wheat couscous, it totally lacks the offputting crunch-factor that I don’t like about traditional tabbouleh made with wheatberries. I guess that makes it more of a couscous salad recipe, huh?

In any case, I loved it. This Whole Wheat Couscous Tabbouleh Salad is entering my lunch rotation …

Are you a fan of traditional tabbouleh? Couscous?

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Earlier this year, I made my first panzanella (aka bread salad). It was a fabulous, flavorful, fresh salad perfect for a summertime (and it’s so unfair of me to mention it, since that is one of the few recipes I kept to myself — I promise to reveal it someday). So, when I contemplated how to pair tomatoes and corn in a special dish for Foodie Fights!*, my mind jumped back to panzanella. (Psst! If you head over to the site, vote for my dish! Please?) What better way to use two of my favorite summer farmers’ market finds than in an easy summer salad?

Panzanella is a traditional Italian dish, typically served in the summer months. From what I’ve read in books and online, it’s big in Tuscany and other areas. Can’t you just imagine yourself eating this while sitting on the patio of a fabulous Tuscan villa? That’s what it totally reminds me of. Think Under the Tuscan Sun. (Coincidentally, did you know that Under the Tuscan Sun is a memoir? I didn’t. And apparently it has several follow-ups too, including Bella Tuscany: The Sweet Life in Italy. Who knew?)

This version of panzanella, my Balsamic Tomato, Corn and Cucumber Panzanella, has a lovely sweetness to it from both the fresh sweet corn and the lightly sweetened balsamic dressing. Bread salads like this aren’t just croutons on a tossed salad — the bread soaks in the dressing giving you spurts of freshness throughout. It’s delish.

Since this is a traditional type dish, it has a set of traditional ingredients that you’d normally find in it. Typically, it’s made with old bread, fresh tomatoes, onions, basil, vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper, among other mix-ins. For this one, I skipped the onions and added cucumbers and fresh corn. Read the rest of this entry…

Happy Weekend, everyone! It’s been a crazy week here, so I am going to keep this one brief.

This is a topic that I love — how to save a little money. Sure, saving a $1 is a small thing, but if you do it regularly, then you could save hundreds or thousands over a year. That’s no small thing at all, is it?

10 Ways to Save $1 or More

1. Go bigger on soda. Skip the 16 or 20 fl oz soda and buy a 2 liter bottle. You will pay roughly the same or less for the 2 liter bottle as one 20 fl oz soda — but you will get more than three times as much soda.
2. Pack your own water. Most people have a reusable bottle kicking around … but are you using it? If not, you should be. Bottles of water can cost anywhere from just under $1 to $2.50 or more. If you fill your reusable bottle at home, it’s virtually free.
3. Pay attention to gas prices. This week, I saved $0.10/gallon by using my Stop and Shop Card at a Stop and Shop gas station. Because I had spent over $100 in groceries at the store in the past month, I earned 100 points, which translates to the $0.10 discount. Better yet, the gas price was already the cheapest in town. From the club card savings, I spent about $1.50 less for the tank … couple that with the savings over other stations ($0.10-$0.20), it was $3 or more in savings on that tank. Now, imagine that you did that every week — it really adds up.
4. Take your own grocery bags. Bringing your own grocery bags to some grocery stores will score you a discount. It’s not much — maybe $0.05 per bag — but it adds up. Just think, if you bring five bags each week, that’s $0.25 discount per week and $1 over the course of a month.
5. Use coupons. I know, it’s a hassle but it’s worth it on items you already buy. And most grocery stores automatically double coupons, so all it takes is 1 $0.50 off coupon or two $0.25 off coupons to save $1. Coupons can be found in circulars in the Sunday paper and also online at SmartSource.com. Also, keep an eye on the coupons that print out in the checkout line (known as Catalinas) … they can save you more money too.

This German Striped tomato came in my CSA box yesterday. The big, juicy, thin-skinned heirloom tomato was prime for slicing. We ate it tonight for dinner with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of sea salt and couple spoonfuls of crumbled blue cheese. Delish.

German Striped tomatoes are sweet, smooth and fabulous. If you haven’t tried them before, you should.

Last night, a neighbor dropped by as we were starting to sit down to dinner. She took a look at the table and said, “Wow.” Our dinner featured grilled sirloin, which I sliced thin so that we could stretch the portions so that it would feed seven. Then there was Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage, rice pilaf and this vegetable platter with Basil White Bean Dip.

This easy bean dip was one of those things that just came to me when I was trying to figure out what to do with some leftover basil. I didn’t want it to go to waste, and I also didn’t want to turn it into pesto. Instead, I found a can of white beans in the cabinet and set to work. White bean dip, here we come!

Best of all? This Basil White Bean Dip helped me use up some spare veggies too. We had celery, red sweet peppers, and cucumbers with this, but any firm summer veggies would do. The simple, easy, bright flavors of this easy bean dip are a big favorite around here.

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When I saw the eggplant in my CSA basket last week, I couldn’t contain my excitement. Yes, I yelped. I’ve been waiting for eggplant to appear for weeks, which is a funny thing since I didn’t eat it at all for many years.

When I was in my early 20s, coworkers of mine gushed about a fabulous eggplant parmesan sandwich sold at a local restaurant. They urged me to try it, but I sharply resisted … after all, eggplant was on my “no way” list. I played it safe with chicken parmesan, and told them no way, no how would I ever eat eggplant. Ever.

My aversion started in childhood. When I was a little girl, my mother used to tell me everything was chicken — what’s this shrimp-like thing? Chicken. This breaded circle? Chicken. The whole thing completely backfired. I didn’t eat shrimp until a few years ago. But the eggplant was the most traumatizing — when I bit into the breaded circle and felt seeds swimming around my mouth, I gagged. I didn’t eat eggplant for more than 20 years — close to 25.

Thank goodness for maturity. A few years ago, I started opening up to try things that I didn’t think I liked. After all, if I asked that of my husband, shouldn’t I be willing to try things again too? As a result, I have discovered a fondness for shrimp, an adoration of squashes and even a fondness for eggplant.

As a sidenote, I am firmly against lying to my kids about what they are eating. When I make bread with zucchini or cupcakes with squash, they know it.  The sneaky food movement? Totally not my thing.

Back to the eggplant. All summer, I have been waiting to make two things: eggplant parmesan and ratatouille. I made ratatouille in the crockpot a few years ago, but I rarely use that anymore … and I wanted a version that would cook up faster and without heating the chicken. This Grilled Ratatouille does the trick.

Ratatouille is kind of like an all-star summer veggie dish. Eggplant, zucchini, onions, garlic, tomatoes and more are chopped and grilled in a foil packet until tender. Then the dish is finished with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. It’s warm and comforting and so flavorful. The vegetables retain their shape, but the flavors meld and blend … it’s just perfect.

Do you have any traumatizing food stories from your childhood? Share in the comments.
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