*Back to School for Winter Semester Mini Series Day 2*

Today I want to share a quick and easy make and take lunch idea with you. I prefer to make my lunches and snacks and take them to school and work with me. It saves me some money and is much better for me than running through a drive thru on a short break. I have a few that I find myself going back to because I can make them on the weekends and put them in containers for the week ahead. My spin on pasta salad is my favorite and is super easy. Just a few ingredients and the most time consuming part is cooking the pasta. 

First I boil some water and cook any pasta we have around the house according to the directions. I cook about a half cup per a day that I want this meal. Then, I gather a few spices while it is cooking. 

Dried basil, during the summer I use the fresh that we grow in our garden. Garlic powder, you can also use fresh, minced garlic but for a small batch the powder is fine. Salt and pepper. 

At this point I take a small handful of cherry tomatoes and slice them in half. 

By this point the pasta is cooked and I drain it. I add it to the bowl with the tomatoes and toss it with a very small amount of extra light olive oil. Just enough so the spices stick to each bite and the pasta is not sticky. 

Now, I had a dash of each seasoning and mix everything together. I let it cool and then put it in an air tight container and store in the fridge until I am ready to take it school or work with me. 

When I am feeling a little crazy I add a small amount of bacon and some parmesan cheese for some extra flavor.

Another go-to make and take lunch ideas I have is rice and frozen veggies. I cook one serving of rice, put it in a container and then take a single serve frozen veggie pack with me to work. At work I just use the microwave to cook the veggies and put them over the rice. I also enjoy a good classic peanut butter and banana sandwich on occasion too. 

This semester I am making a goal to make those super cool salad in a jar recipes as well, so when I do try that, I will let you know how it went! 

Until next time,