Hello, friends! I hope you’re having a good week so far. We’ve had a busy week here, with parent/teacher conferences, volunteering at my girls’ school, preparing for our spring break trip, and, of course, staying busy in the kitchen. Whenever I have a trip coming up, I make a concerted effort to use up most/all of the perishable items in my fridge before we leave (I can’t stand wasting food); it’s a delicate dance of buying just enough to make for varied, tasty meals in the days leading up to our departure, but not so much where I end up composting perfectly good food.

A brilliant way to make use of extra veggies and herbs is by throwing together some sort of bean and grain salad – it’s endlessly customizable, nutritious and hearty. If you keep a variety of dried grains on hand, as well as a few of types of beans (either canned or dried), you can almost always make a version of this salad. Typically, I’ll cook up the grains, drain and rinse a can of beans, whisk together a simple dressing, chop up some herbs and crunchy, sturdy veggies and toss everything together. It’s a fantastic lunch to have when you’re on the go (keeps well at room temperature for several hours) or just need something quick and healthy to have at home. If you’re traveling and have leftovers on the day you need to leave for your trip, pack some up in a container to enjoy en route to your destination (so much better than lackluster airplane or road trip food!).

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