We’re into the swing of things now. School started in late August, and we’ve acclimated to the waking up thing. We’ve also found a new flow with the new (later) bus pick up times. Well, mostly.

Packing lunches? Got it! I have a flow to things. Will gets a main item — a sandwich or leftovers, usually — and three other items (one for snack time, two to be eaten with lunch). Typically two of those are fresh fruits or veggies. We really, really love our fresh fruits and veggies. Since it’s fall, we’ve been doing a lot of apples and peppers (my kids adore red bell peppers), along with bananas. But with winter coming, I’ll need some new options to keep things interesting.

Recently, I had the opportunity to try Libby’s Single-Serve Fruit Cups, which are available in Mixed Fruit, Diced Pears, Diced Peaches and Cherry Mixed Fruit. Each cup contains a serving of fruit. Honestly, the scent of these fruits as my kids opened them took me back to my childhood. I loved when I would find diced peaches or pears in my lunchbox, so it was fun to try these. I haven’t bought fruit cups like this in years, but they can be a good option for tossing into lunchboxes or bringing along for a quickie snack.

The kids were so excited, since this is totally out of the norm for us. What they really enjoyed was that the cups had firm, sweet fruit that was all ready to eat with a spoon — no need to cut into anything or do anymore than open them. For me, I appreciate how sturdy the cups are (which really is a big deal — kids can be so rough with lunchboxes). But I do wish these cups were available packed in pineapple juice instead of light syrup — hopefully Libby’s will release juice-packed cups in the future.

Still, these are a good option for an quick grab snack or even a treat for the kids. And they can totally change up the lunchbox monotony.

Also, Libby’s has teamed up with soccer star Brandi Chastain this fall. She provided a few tips for raising healthy kids.

Brandi’s Kid Friendly Tips for Healthy Living:

• Hydrate to perform great. Kids should drink water before, during AND after exercise. While exercise generates heat and increases the body’s core temperature, water works to bring body temperature back to the normal 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Let your child pick out a colorful water bottle to make drinking water fun!
• Always make time for healthy meals. The USDA says that half our plates should be filled with colorful fruits and veggies, but when your children are constantly running from school to practice and back, it can be tough to get them to eat that perfect meal. Add Libby’s® Single Fruit Cups, which contain one complete serving of fruit, to your children’s bags for an easy and nutritious snack.
• Sleep is important! Children should receive an average of eight hours of sleep each night. Without enough sleep children get cranky and lazy, and will not perform to their full potential during school, practice or games. Help your children stick to a regular sleep schedule by making bedtime fun – read them a story or sing a song while they fall asleep.
• Turn exercise into a family affair. When exercising is a solo act, it can sometimes feel like a chore. Bring the whole family on-board and make exercising fun, family time! Join your kids in a game of soccer, Double Dutch or kickball.
• Lead by example. When you set a good example, your kids are more likely to follow. Although it’s easy to stop at the drive-thru on the way home from practice, make an effort to eat well and live a healthy lifestyle. Become a role model by exercising regularly and eating healthy foods, like Libby’s Canned Fruits and Vegetables, with your children. It’s easier when you make it a team effort!

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Disclosure: I am working with The Motherhood on a project with Libby’s and am being compensated. All opinions are my own.

The post Raising Healthy Kids and Thoughts on Libby’s Single Fruit Cups appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That’s because it fires up and fuels your noggin. Repeat: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

The question is … are your kids (and you!) eating it? If not, you all should be.

“Breakfast is key for adults and children alike, since it provides the body and brain with energy after the overnight fast. Remember, during the night the body is repairing and healing itself, for kids, growing as well. So a new dose of valuable nutrients gives the brain the energy it needs to get the body back in motion and the brain back to learning,” says Christen Cooper, MS, RD of Cooper Nutrition.

Despite the importance of breakfast, it’s a too-often often skipped meal, Cooper notes. “Recent data indicate that about 5% of children ages 2-5 skip breakfast, as do 14% of children ages 6 to 11. This number jumps during adolescence to 31% (ages 12 and 19), with girls skipping breakfast more often than boys,” says Cooper, referencing a study published in 2000 in the Journal of Adolescent Health. “For children ages 6 to 11 and 12 to 19, breakfast provides 15% to 18% of daily energy, yet it provides from 15% to almost 40% of daily intake for various vitamins and minerals and daily fiber.”

So when kids skip breakfast or eat less than nutritious ones, they head off to school without the necessary fuel to learn.

Your Body and Brain on Breakfast

Let’s talk breakfast foods for a second. What is a healthy breakfast anyway? A healthy breakfast is balanced and hearty enough to keep your kids (and you) going until lunchtime.

Cereals? They aren’t always the best choice unless you are super diligent about checking labels. “Avoid sugary kid-marketed cereals. Fortified or not, these highly processed food-ish items offer little health benefit,” advises Debra Wolf, MS Clinical Nutrition, who practices out of the Naugatuck Valley Women’s Health Specialists in Middlebury, CT. “High fructose corn syrup, a common ingredient in processed food, may be linked to increased plasma triglycerides and insulin resistance. In addition, certain artificial flavors and colors have been implicated in childhood disorders such as ADHD.”

Instead, go for well-rounded breakfasts that include items from several important food groups like fruits, dairy and grains. Which ones?

According to Cooper, the ideal breakfast includes:

• Fruit, a food to encourage, providing soluble fiber (heart healthy), vitamins and minerals
• Whole grains (providing fiber, B vitamins, minerals including folate which prevents neural tube defects). Ready-to-eat (cold or hot) breakfast cereals have been shown to promote nutrient adequacy in kids, since they are fortified and palatable to kids.
• Dairy (providing calcium and protein…Americans do not get enough lowfat and nonfat dairy)
• Lean protein (egg whites, lowfat cheese) Lean protein leads to satiety and in many people, the ability to eat reasonable portions. It also provides materials for growth and repair of body tissues.

5 Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes

Convinced on the importance of breakfast? Good. Now, let’s talk a little about what to make. One great option is to make the main component of your breakfast ahead of time. These breakfast ideas are perfect for that.

• Bacon, Egg and Cheese Bites
• Breakfast Blueberry Cake
• Whole Wheat Applesauce Graham Muffins with Streusel Topping
• Asparagus Swiss Mini Frittatas
• Red Pepper and Scallion Mini Frittatas

6 Quick Breakfast Recipes

Have time to make something fresh? These breakfast ideas are quick and easy — but totally loveable too.

• Whole Grain Toast with Mashed Avocado and An Egg
• Delicate Ham and Cheddar Omelet
• Spinach and Cheddar Egg White Omelet
• Swiss and Roasted Asparagus Omelet
• Toasty Coconut and Caramelized Banana Oatmeal Recipe
• French Toasted Apple Grilled Cheese

15 More Breakfast Ideas from Around the Web

So many great breakfast ideas can be found around the web. These 15 breakfast recipes are perfect for kids and adults alike.

• Avocado Breakfast Toast on Bell’alimento
• Crispy Gooey Trail Mix Bars on Family Fresh Cooking
• Homemade Pop Tarts on Healthy Green Kitchen
• Whole Wheat Vanilla Chocolate Chip Pancakes on Tickled Red
• Whole Wheat Raspberry and Mango Pancakes on Two Peas & Their Pod
• Spinach and Dubliner Cheese Egg Cups on The Little Kitchen
• Spinach Egg Breakfast Cups on Sweetnicks
• Green Chile and Cheese Egg Muffins on Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Freezer Sausage and Egg Burritos on The Sweets Life
• Speedy Huevos Rancheros on The College Culinarian
• Blueberry Smoothie on Bell’alimento
• Green Smoothies on Aggie’s Kitchen
• 1 Minute Blueberry Citrus Shake on Family Fresh Cooking
• Layered Fruit and Yogurt Salad on Eclectic Recipes
• Overnight Blueberry Almond Oats on Two Peas & Their Pod

Athens Foods Giveaway

Giveaway closed. Thanks to Athens Foods!

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Disclosure: This is NOT a compensated post. However, Athens Foods is providing the item for giveaway and also provided me with free product that I used to create a recipe. All opinions are my own.

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Once upon a time, I was a mom to one veggie-loving toddler who ate everything and I thought I knew it all. I had everything figured out, and my son’s wide palate was proof positive that what I was doing worked. In some ways, I was right. He did and continues to love fruits and veggies. The way I introduced fruits and veggies as just part of our daily eating habits worked for him. But after my daughter came along, with a completely different personality and a stubborn streak bigger than I had ever seen before, I realized that there just is no one-size-fits-all solution to getting kids to eat their veggies. All kids are different.

While both my kids love fruits and veggies, Will remains my adventurous eater. Paige is more choosy. She’s not picky per se, and loves fruits and veggies. But she has some foods she refuses to touch — like lobster, for instance (but, believe it or not, it’s an ideological refusal. Yes, at age 4 1/2) and pungent cheeses. There are days when Paige loves bananas and other days where she won’t touch them. She prefers plainer brown or white rice to risotto. And given the choice, she’d happily have a hot dog or grilled chicken instead of dessert.

That last one has me baffled.

Still, I am often asked for tips on getting kids to eat their veggies. Whenever a parent learns that I am a food writer and recipe developer, their eyes light up and they lean in eagerly asking, as if I hold the holy grail of getting kids to enjoy vegetables.

I used to share some standard tips — shop the farmers market, go to a pick-your-own farm, let them choose in the grocery store, cook with them, try cooking veggies a different way, grow some veggies together — but these days, I’m over it. The bottom line is that there is no magic solution to get all kids to suddenly crave broccoli and adore asparagus. I can’t impart a pearl of wisdom for your kids, because it doesn’t exist. Yes, I can share these tips that work for some kids, but it’s not what you really want. I know what you’re looking for — it’s that instant gratification of solution that just works, changing everything in one swoop.

But much like weight loss, learning to like any food is a process that takes persistence, dedication and having a certain energizing belief that it will work. If you talk yourself or them out of liking veggies, then chances are they won’t like them anyway. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy like that. But by the same token, even if you think it will work, for some kids it just won’t. For some kids, there are deeper reasons at play that stop them from loving veggies. As I said, there is no magic answer to getting kids to eat their veggies.

Of course if you want to know why my kids like fruits and veggies, the best answer I can give is that they just do. Since they started eating solids, it was an expectation that they would eat fruits and veggies. I never wavered from that and never thought that they wouldn’t eat something. Most of all, I never said “you aren’t going to like this” or “it’s okay if you don’t like this”. For them, fruits and veggies are a natural part of their diet. There are plenty of nights in the dark days of winter where I just don’t feel like cooking and toss together pasta, Romano cheese, olive oil and whatever veggies I have on hand. The kids rank that as one of their favorite meals. Salads? They are another favorite.

Eating veggies in my house isn’t a process. I don’t have to beg them to do so. Veggies have been a huge part of their diet their whole lives, so they aren’t scary or something to be avoided. So I guess the secret is that my expectation has always been that they would eat their veggies — and they do.

This worked for me. For us.

All that said, we aren’t without our share of dinnertime issues. There are nights where all my daughter (remember, she’s 4 1/2) wants is salad — and she skips everything else. There are nights when Will’s appetite has him requesting thirds. There are nights when I make truly hideous dishes (aka recipe testing gone wrong) and there’s just nothing that any of us want. We roll with it — when Paige only wants salad, I require a few bites of something else on her plate too. When Will asks for thirds, I consider how much he’s eaten before responding (if the answer is a lot, then I say no). When the food is just bad, I break out something else or phone in an order.

And in case you are wondering, there are no forbidden foods for my kids. Sometimes, we have dessert (though my daughter politely declines more often than not). Sometimes, we have breakfast for dinner. I keep a cookie jar stocked during the school year for an after-school treat. And fast food? Yes, they eat that sometimes too. But most often, it’s a home cooked meal with 2-3 servings of fruits and veggies for summer. That’s just our norm.

This works for my family. It doesn’t mean it will work for you. You need to find what works for your kids. Be persistent. Believe. Keep trying. And hopefully, your own method will pay off too. Even if they never enjoy all veggies, relish in the ones they do enjoy. Celebrate them. Push the envelope to get them to try more. Keep at it, and I hope you find the solution for your kids.

So, I am sorry if you ever asked me “How do you get kids to eat their veggies?” and I couldn’t give you that magic answer. But the answer doesn’t exist.

The post How To Get Kids to Eat Their Veggies? (There is No Magic Answer) appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

The days are quickly ticking by until school begins again. And while I am excited for the start of school — all the new supplies, the fresh start, the new teachers — I am sad that this summer is almost over for us. I am mourning a little.

But, there are highlights … the kids can’t wait to start school. And Will is psyched to have soccer again (this season will include his first games!). Paige is starting a dance class in September as well, which she is proudly telling anyone who will listen about. So it’s good too.

And with school approaching, I am also starting to think about food for the school year. Mornings are a mad, crazy rush since Will’s bus comes very early — earlier than we actually wake up in the summertime. So, breakfasts need to be quick, efficient and filling.

Now, I know you are wondering what this has to do with pancakes … Pancakes aren’t exactly fast (or at least fast enough for a school day) when made from scratch. But they can be totally school-day friendly when you freeze homemade pancakes for reheating later. That’s exactly what I did with the leftovers from this pancake batch.

Hint: To reheat leftover frozen homemade pancakes, preheat oven to 325. Place the frozen pancakes on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Done.

In the meantime, we are enjoying ourselves and tucking into maple syrup drizzled stacks of pancakes like these Banana Toffee Pancakes — a perfect treat breakfast (no, these aren’t for everyday). The sweet bits of toffee and chocolate melt into the soft, fluffy banana pancakes. It’s heavenly. Like dessert masking as breakfast …

What do you serve your kids for breakfast?

Banana Toffee Pancakes
serves 4

1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup nonfat milk
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 large banana, peeled and mashed
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup milk chocolate toffee bits (such as Heath’s, found in the baking section)

Heat a large nonstick griddle on the stove with the heat set to just below medium. Allow to heat for at least five minutes. 10 is better.

While the griddle is heating, prepare your batter. Crack the egg into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium-high until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the flour, milk, brown sugar, banana, baking powder and salt and mix briefly (about 30 seconds) on medium. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and add the milk chocolate toffee bits. Mix again briefly (about 30 seconds) to combine.

Drop the batter onto the heated griddle using a ladle (fill it about 1/2 way). Cook, flipping once, until lightly brown on both sides.

Serve with maple syrup.

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It’s been said that I go a little crazy around back to school shopping time. I buy a few more boxes of crayons than seem prudent. I stock up on paints, clay, glue sticks, paper and markers. And I tuck most of it away for later. They call it crazy, I call it smart. Why wouldn’t you stock up on crayons when they are a mere $0.40/box? (Actually I usually stock up when they are $0.25/box, but haven’t seen them that inexpensive yet.)

Besides. I just love the new supplies.

Of course, back to school isn’t just about the school supplies. There’s also the matter of food. School lunch food that is.

My son doesn’t buy lunch at school. Whenever I look at our school’s monthly lunch menu, I cringe at the sight of brownies dished up with pizza and chicken nuggets with tater tots. Haven’t we learned anything yet about serving our kids better food in schools? Why would I pay $3.50/day for that? So I choose to pack lunch for my son everyday.

Packing lunch means that I need plenty of packing supplies. I prefer reusable containers that are dishwasher safe, though I make an exception for the hot food container that has to be hand-washed. While I am shopping for penny pencils and cheap durable folders, I also keep an eye out for containers that make packing lunch easier. It’s important to have a selection of containers to send lunch in so that you have flexibility in what you can pack.

Earlier this summer, I picked up a few containers for keeping snacks cool (complete with freezable lids!) that were on sale and I am excited to use them. I am still looking for a new hot food container as well, since ours had an unfortunate demise in the dishwasher right after school ended (it wasn’t dishwasher safe). I also bought several spill-proof drink containers so that we aren’t reliant on juice boxes this year too.

Once all the supplies are purchased, I will be all set for packing lunches … Here are a few ideas of what I’ll be packing for my son’s lunch this year:

• Do-It-Yourself Combination Lunches
• Balsamic Pasta Salad
• Jazzed-Up Turkey Sandwiches
• Tomato Bisque
• Balsamic Tomato, Corn and Cucumber Panzanella Salad

Again, thanks to Crocs for sponsoring this post. Check out their new line of back to school shoes, which are pretty cool. Also, there’s this fun Crocs video that I was asked to share. Have a great weekend!

The post Back to School Shopping for School Lunches appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

These bars are just dreamy. Creamy pumpkin cheesecake sits on top of a sweet-salty chocolate crust. Serve it with a dollop of whipped cream and it’s just amazing. Sprinkles optional.

The good folks at Betty Crocker recently asked me to think up a sweet treat for Halloween using one of General Mills’ Big G cereals (disclosure: I freelance for General Mills’ Tablespoon.com). I decided to go with Cocoa Puffs, which have a fantastic sweet-salty thing going on.

The resulting dessert is Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares. And oh, are they good!

The whole thing is relatively easy. You mix up the two-ingredient crust, press it into the pan, mix the cheesecake portion, pour it on and bake. Easy peasy. And they are almost guaranteed to draw oohs when you serve it.

Of course, my kids were ridiculously excited when they saw me bring home a box of Cocoa Puffs. They’ve never had them before, and were dying to give their chocolate-y goodness a try. Try explaining to two eager kids that the chocolate cereal is for a recipe, not for them. Yeah. So I caved and gave them a little to snack on.

After trying it, they were even more excited about the Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars. Smiles all around.

Cocoa Puffs Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
yields 12 bars

1 1/2 cups finely ground cocoa puffs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 pan (glass preferred) with parchment paper, letting the edges of the paper rise up the sides of the pan.

Prepare the crust. Stir together the ground cocoa puffs and butter until well combined. Press into the bottom of the 9×13 pan, creating an even coating all over.

Combine the cream cheese, pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully combined. Add the vanilla extract and beat on medium for 10 seconds.

Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust, spreading to even it out.

Slide the pan into the oven (the rack should be in the middle of the oven) and bake for 20-25 minutes, until set. The bars are done when a knife inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean.

The post Halloween Treat: Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

Will is totally enthralled with those pre-packaged lunches at the supermarket that come with a few bits of meat, cheese and crackers in a shiny yellow container. I never buy them — honestly, I think they are gross. The meat is slimy, the cheese is mediocre … they look a lot better than they are.

But I am all for making my kids happy, so I decided to make my own for Will’s school lunch. It’s really just a fun combination lunch, which gives several tastes in a cute package, so it’s pretty easy to create yourself. How?

For Will’s school lunch, I used:

• 1 old Chinese takeout container, but a stout reuseable container would work too
• 6 silicone cupcake holders (you may need less/more depending on your container)

Now, what did I fill it with?

• 4 small slices extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 slices beef summer sausage (precooked)
• 1/2 cup red grapes
• 1 small red pepper, sliced (picked this morning in the garden)
• 6 sungold tomatoes (picked this morning in the garden)
• crackers
• 2 Oreos (Joe-Joes from Trader Joe’s are my fav, but I haven’t been to the store lately)

So, did he eat it? Of course! Between lunchtime and snacktime, Will ate everything in his combination lunch. But it was a bit much just for lunch … After talking to him, I think he could have used four components for his school lunch, instead of six. But overall, I am happy with how it worked out. I am going to seek out a slightly smaller container that will easily hold four components.

You could easily trade in other components too — berries instead of grapes, turkey or chicken instead of the sausage, etc. Heck, you could even include lettuce leaves instead of crackers, so that kids could do lettuce wraps.

Tomorrow? I am planning on leftover turkey, cheddar cheese, grapes, cucumbers, crackers and some sort of special treat.

The post Cooking for Kids: Fun Combination Lunches For Kids appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

Mmm. Guacamole. Just add chips or chopped up veggies.

But this isn’t your typical guacamole. This one is infused with the tart fabulousness of tomatillos, a relative of eggplants and gooseberries. It’s unexpected, but delicious all the same. We have a big crop of tomatillos growing in our garden this year, so I foresee a lot more Tomatillo Guacamole in our near future.

Recently I served this fun take on guacamole as an appetizer at a family birthday party and the bowl was completely cleared. Not a stitch of leftover guac. I don’t know who liked it the best: the kids or the adults. If you (or your kids) like avocado, guacamole and the like, then this is a fabulous thing to serve. Even if they don’t like avocado, this is delicious.

On a side note, kids do eat avocado. And like it. I know plenty of children who are practically addicted to it (and guacamole too!). But when I recently featured this recipe in my Tablespoon column, in a post about Kid-Friendly After-School Snack Ideas, I got a surprisingly negative reaction. I took some serious heat on Tablespoon’s Facebook Fan Page for suggesting that kids (or anyone) would enjoy this.

Guess what? Kids do eat this. They do. Not all of them (because seriously, everyone has preferences and tastes). But there are plenty who do.

When I spoke at BlogHer last month, I made the point that approaching food and eating with positivity is so important to getting kids to eat well — and really it is. Avoid negative statements (“I don’t think you will like this but..” “You usually don’t eat this …” “It’s okay if you don’t like it …”) and kids will be more likely to try things. Will this work every time for every child? Of course not! But even if it only works sometimes, it’s better than having your child married to a diet of white foods or whatever. Just my two cents.

What do you think?

Some more recipes you might like:

• Lime Guacamole
• Tomato Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatillo Guacamole
serves 4
NOTE: Scroll down for the printable recipe

1 avocado
1 tomatillo
1 tbsp lime juice
1 jalapeno, seeded
salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Peel the skin off. Then, slice the avocado. Transfer to a food processor.

Remove the skin from the tomatillo. Wash carefully to remove the stickiness. Roughly chop the tomatillo and add to the food processor.

Add the lime juice, jalapeno and salt and pepper to the food processor. Pulse until smooth.

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve. Alternatively, this can be tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to use.

The post Tomatillo Guacamole (and Positivity in Eating) appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

And just like that, summer ended.

I mean, of course it’s still technically summer. But this morning, as I woke Will from his peaceful slumber and got him fed, brushed, washed and dressed for school, summer was clearly over for us. We’re now entering the wonderful world of schedules that revolve around five-day-a-week schooling and assorted extracurriculars.

The free-flowing days of summertime, where we woke when we felt like it and giggled in bed until it was really time to get up are over. But that’s okay. We had a wonderful summertime, and now Will is super excited to be a kindergartener. Paige is just as excited to enter preschool.

Putting Will on the bus this morning, I was a ball of nerves. Would the bus come? Will he be okay riding the bus home? And in all my myriad thoughts, the idea of crying at his big, huge, mega-step was never there … until I turned my back on the bus and the tears sprung to my eyes.

That’s my baby.

Paige, who wore her PJs to the bus stop, held tight to my hand as she, Shawn and I walked down the hill to our house. She’s been so helpful today, following me around with frequent assertions that “I do it!” But this afternoon, I will take her to school too. She went to a casual program last year. This year, she’s off to real preschool.

My children are growing up faster than I ever imagined possible. In a blink of the eye, they have gone from little lumps cradled in my arm to thinking, caring, doing, intelligent children. And try as I might, I will never be able to force them back to their littler states. It’s exciting and sad all at once.

Right now, Will is just about finishing his lunch – the school lunch that I worried so much about. What did I end up packing for his first day? At his request, I whipped up a batch of Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta with Romano Roasted Shrimp and packed it with sliced nectarines and one Oreo. For snack time, he has sliced peppers and ranch for dipping.

But this pasta is the star of the day. When I recently made Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta with Romano Roasted Shrimp for dinner, Will adored it (so did Paige and I!). It’s a minimal cooking dish (cook the pasta, broil the shrimp, and that’s it), so it’s fabulous for when you are short on time. Or making a fresh lunch for school.

I just hope he loved it at school too …

Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta with Romano Roasted Shrimp
serves 4
NOTE: Scroll down for the printable recipe

1 cup fresh diced tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup, plus 2 tbsp freshly grated Romano cheese
sea salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 lb penne pasta, prepared

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil and 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Stir well, then set aside.

Preheat your oven’s broiler for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange the shrimp on a baking sheet (you may wish to line it with aluminum foil for easy cleanup). Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Then, sprinkle with 2 tbsp Romano cheese.

Broil the shrimp for 4-5 minutes per side, until cooked through and lightly browned. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside.

Add the cooked penne pasta to the tomato mixture and stir well. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Romano cheese, salt and pepper. Stir again. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Spoon the pasta into bowls and top with 1/4 of the shrimp. Serve immediately.

The post Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta with Romano Roasted Shrimp appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

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.

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