Alright friends, it’s officially back to school for all and that hopefully means a bit more structure is taking place for you and your family. Bedtimes, routines, healthier eating and meal planning. Love – no – crave it all. And now that fall is right around the corner I thought there would be no better time to introduce some wonderful new basics for our kitchens. I teamed up with Martha Stewart Living (I know, so fun!) for a ‘recipe remix’ to hopefully inspire and freshen things up for your own kitchen. I so loved these ideas all made with such high quality products: Bumble Bee Tuna®, TRISCUIT crackers, and Barilla® Gluten Free Pasta. Wonderful brands that your family can trust and reach for over and over and over again in the store. Now, let’s break these ideas down!
To start, it’s snack time. You know the scene….the kids practically tumble into the door and before their backpacks are off their backs the words ‘I’m STARVING’ come out of their mouths. Huh, that’s odd. Did you not eat the wonderful well balanced meal and snack I lovingly prepared for you today? Who am I kidding. My kid is a chatty Cathy, I wouldn’t be surprised if only about 30% of his lunch was consumed. It is what it is. Yet now we’ve got homework and football on the agenda so time to get something filling, healthy, and hearty in his tummy. I love the idea of a kids antipasto platter. TRISCUIT crackers, sliced applies, sharp cheddar, and PB&Jams but butters. It’s the perfect way for kids to mix and match different flavors, or, L’s favorite….all piled on top of each other! Inspired by Meghan Gibson at PB&Jams this oh so delicious idea should, hopefully, keep your kids full through dinner time.
- Original TRISCUIT crackers
- Peanut Butter, we love PB&Jams nut butter
- An apple, sliced (we love honeycrisp!)
- Sliced cheddar (we lean sharp)
- Arrange on a platter or stacked all on top of each other and enjoy!
And now, what about mom? This will be the first year my youngest will be eating his lunch at school. Granted it’s only one day per week (I’d miss him too much!) but Friday is officially mom gets to lunch on her own day. I have visions of meeting up with friends on pretty patios and chatting the day away but we all know that’s not exactly what goes down. Or is it? Who knows. Yet what I do know is that I have a bit more time to be bit more creative about what I get to eat and hopefully serve a friend or two. Straight from the kitchen of Martha Stewart Living, this Tuna Nicoise Sandwich recipe is just the thing to make you and any of your girlfriends happy come lunch time. Light, refreshing, and oh so pretty all that’s missing is a glass of wine. Yet hey, we’ll leave that for post pick up.
- 2 cans Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore Tuna in water, drained and chunked
- 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup plus 4 tsp olive oil
- 2 TBS red wine vinegar
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
- 4 small ciabatta rolls, split
- head of bibb lettuce
- 1/2 cup nicoise olives, pitted
- 4 hardboiled eggs, peeled and thinly sliced
- Put onions, 1/4 cup olive oil, vinegar, and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium bowl. Season with salt & pepper. Toss to combine and let chill for 10 minutes.
- Add Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore Tuna to onion mixture. Add lemon juice and 1/4 tsp salt, season with pepper. Gently toss to combine.
- Cover bottom halves of rolls with lettuce. Top with olives, eggs, and tuna mixture, dividing evenly. Drizzle each with 1 tsp olive oil. Cover with top halves of rolls and serve with lemon wedges.
Finally, you’ve made it through the end of your day. Homework is out on the counters, the husband is starving, you’re starving. Let’s get a glass of pinot noir going and this Barilla® Gluten Free Spaghetti with Tomatoes & Pine Nuts in the works. With only 10 minutes to prep, and 30 minutes or so of cooking time it comes easily together even for a busy week night. And hey, a big time saver hint to start: roast those tomatoes earlier on in the day and just let hang on the stove. Cuts the cooking time down, deepens the flavors, and gets dinner on the table even faster if needed. Who am I kidding, that is always needed.
I have to say, I was skeptical about serving the husband gluten free pasta so…..I didn’t tell him. Ha. I had so many people swear it tastes the same yet I was concerned. If anyone were to notice a difference it would be my meat and potatoes Mike and frankly, I just didn’t want to hear it. Well, it helped that this recipe has some killer key ingredients he loved. I mean caramelized onions and parmesan go a looooong way in this home. As it was coming together though I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. With no plan B this was dinner.
The end result? I loved making it and he – and the kids – loved eating it! So delicious. Yeah for a win all around. He didn’t even comment on the pasta and I didn’t say a word. We all have little tricks up our sleeves, don’t we? And some things are just better left unsaid.
I hope this recipe is as much as a win for your family as it was for mine. Bon Appetite! 
- 1 box Barilla Gluten Free Spaghetti
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 4 TBS olive oil
- 1 cup red onion, sliced
- 1 TBS parsley, fresh chopped (I threw in some basil too)
- 1/4 cup Pecorino cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup pine nuts (I toasted mine quick)
- salt & pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 425 and bring a large pot of water to boil.
- Toss the cherry tomatoes in 2 TBS olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until blistered brown, roughly 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a skillet, caramelize the onions in 2 TBS olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Add the roasted tomatoes to the skillet.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
- Drain and toss pasta with sauce and cooking liquid, stir to combine.
- Remove from heat and toss in fresh herbs, cheese, and pine nuts.
“This post is sponsored by Meredith Corporation and I have been compensated to promote their recipes and products. I never recommend or write about anything I don’t truly love and believe in. ”
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Courtney
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Great ideas! I love a good nicoise salad..sandwich…anything!
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