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It must be the start of school, because I’ve never seen so many cool book and reading related activities going on. Here’s a roundup:

• The 40th anniversary of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders: You can join the online book discussion this month at the Barnes & Noble kid lit book club site.
• September 8 is International Literacy Day: International Literacy Day is a timely reminder to the world about the importance of literacy for individuals, families, communities and whole societies. The official celebration includes the awarding of the 2007 UNESCO literacy prizes to laureates from China, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the United States of America. RIF (Reading is Fundamental) and Colgate’s Healthy Habits/Healthy Bed: The two organizations have joined forces to get wash, brush and read at bedtime. The website features tips for parents and activities for kids including starring in your own bedtime story. You can customize and create an adventure story online, then print it out for your child to keep. If you have kids who don’t like to brush their teeth, you may want to create a Healthy Habits Nightly Log.
• September 20 is Jumpstart’s Read for the Record: Jumpstart is asking Americans to support early education opportunities by reading The Story of Ferdinand together on September 20, 2007. They’re trying to break the record for the largest shared reading experience ever, which was set by 150,000 people on August 24, 2006 during the inaugural year of Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign.

Now what’s on the menu for lunch?

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Lucie begins her first day of pre-K this afternoon, and is so excited to start! A wonderful book from Random House that captures this feeling is Kindergarten Countdown by Anna Jane Hays and illustrated by Lind Davick.

A little girl named Lucy counts off the days by naming what she’ll do in kindergarten, what she’ll wear, and what she’ll learn. The countdown is a great way to prepare kids for that exciting first day of school (if you have a preschooler or in my case a pre-K’er, then substitute the right grade when you’re reading it out loud).

Not only was I thrilled that the main character had the same name (though spelled differently) as my daughter, the book captured the excitement and all the things she had to look forward to - making friends, playing games, practicing writing, using your manners, and so on.

Activities
This would be a really fun book to use as a countdown to the days leading up to school. You could read Kindergarten Countdown and combine it with a calendar. Assign an activity like “buy school supplies” or “pick out school clothes” to the days before school starts. You could also make time to come up with snack and lunch box menus. Each time you do a countdown to school activity, you could discuss all the exciting things they will be doing, and answer any questions your son or daughter may have.

If your child is apprehensive about his or her first day, having a Kindergarten Countdown activity would be a good way to help them through their fears. You may even want to combine the calendar with a “dry run” by getting up early, getting dressed, getting their backpack ready, and pretending to wait for the school bus, or walking or driving to school. Many schools have open houses before the first official day, and that’s a great opportunity for your child to walk around the school, meet the teachers, and find out where the bathrooms are.

More Bento School Lunch Ideas
Are you tired of bento box lunches yet? I hope not because they’re so fun to look at even if you’d never take time to make them. Check out Laptop Lunches, a website featuring American-style bento boxes designed to help book, The Laptop Lunch User’s Guide: Fresh Ideas for Making Wholesome, Earth-friendly Lunches Your Kids Will Love. (A good pairing with this book is Ann Cooper’s Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children.)

Another site to check out is the Lunch in a Box blog. Blogger “Biggie” makes bento boxes for her preschooler, “Bug.” Read her Need for speed: A mommy’s lunch manifesto. I’m very inspired by this wonderful blog, though I’m not sure how much bento box creativity I can get out of PB&J and pudding - the only two things my son Nathan wants to eat for lunch these days.

(And thanks to The Common Room: Recipe Carnival - LUNCH for the bento links and other great lunch ideas.)

I’ve written about bento box lunches before. Japanese moms really go nuts with bento box edible art, and what they come up with is rather intimidating.

So when I came across Gentle Bento (thanks to The Attached Mother) I was relieved. Maybe I could actually try this! I love her examples of Kiddie Bento, too - it looks like something Lucie would come up with, though hers would have more princesses and kitties. (Wonder where she got that Hello Kitty bento box. I’ll have to look for something like it next time we go to the Asian market.)

For more bento box inspiration, check out Jennifer McCann’s book Vegan Lunch Box based on her blog of the same name.

Did you know that the seasons change in the oceans as they do on land? Ocean Seasons by Ron Hirschi and illustrated by Kirsten Carlson, explores seasonal changes in the Pacific Ocean. Like on land, spring brings new plants and baby animals. Plankton lights up the ocean in the summer. Autumn winds blow across the sea, and humpback whales swim to warmer waters in winter.

The “Creative Minds” section - a feature of all Sylvan Dell Publishing books - explores the ocean’s food web and its plants and animals. Creative Minds and the Sylvan Dell website are great resources for teachers and homeschoolers. The website features an Ocean Seasons teaching activities PDF that further explores the book, vocubulary, animal classification, and humpback whale migrations. The website also has a page of learning links about kelp, sea creatures from the book, the ocean food web, and whale migration.

So what food to pair with Ocean Seasons? Let’s try an update on the tuna fish sandwich from the U.S. Tuna Foundation. They recommend this back-to-school recipe as a healthy alternative to mayo rich tuna salad sandwiches on white bread. Plus, it’s a easy way to get fish and some Omega 3s into your kid’s diet.

Scoop-It-Up Tuna Salad
Makes 2 Servings

Ingredients:

1. One 6-ounce can solid white or light tuna in water, drained and flaked
2. 1 small carrot, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
3. 3 tbsp. light canola mayonnaise
4. Salt and pepper
5. Scoopers: Baked tortilla chips, cucumber wheels, mini whole wheat pitas, celery sticks, and whole grain crackers

Directions:

1. Combine the tuna, carrot, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl and mix well.
2. To pack for a school lunch, place the tuna salad in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. Keep it in an insulated lunch bag with a ice pack.
3. Pack “scoopers” in separate containers or baggies.

I am so over summer.

Last week I found Nathan and Lucie in a death struggle over a video. They were screaming in each other’s faces and had tears running down their cheeks. Who are these savages?

My house is gross.The kids have been treating it like one giant garbage can, leaving juice boxes and wrappers on the floor. When I found a candy wrapper among my workout clothes I nearly cried.

So with 10 days to go before school starts, it’s all I can think about. And judging by my blog traffic, seems that my readers are looking for back-to-school recipes and lunch box ideas. So here some links to help you out.

Back to School Snacks and Lunches:

• Healthy Snacks for Kids - not just for after school, lots of these recipes are lunchbox friendly
• Lunch Box Rules
• Lunch Box: PB&J Makeoever - PB and Apple Sandwich? Boy that sounds GOOD!
• Lunchbox Ideas - back to school lunch box and snack ideas from About.com
• Back To School Fun with Food from Reader’s Digest
• Back to School Recipes from Epicurious - if your child’s a vegetarian, check out the Southwestern Tofu Wraps
• Some ideas from the Snack Food Association (who ever knew there was such an organization?)

Breakfasts

• Back to School Breakfast Ideas - FabulousFoods.com knows that a good breakfast is important!
• Make Ahead Breakfast Recipes - Pressed for time? Try these recipes from About.com. I love their ideas for overnight crockpot recipes - what a great idea!
• Quick and Easy Back to School Breakfasts - smoothies and shakes are a great way to save time in the morning. If you have a sport shaker bottle, you can drink them in the car on the way to school. Muffins are a good on-the-go breakfast, too.

Do you have a favorite lunch box, after school, or quick breakfast idea? Share it below!

Summer is nearly over and school’s about ready to begin. I noticed that my readership dropped this summer. At first, I thought it was because you were all running off to the beach. But now I’m guessing that turning My Readable Feast into a mostly writing blog, with some book reviews and recipes, wasn’t as successful as I hoped. Lesson learned. (And if you have suggestions about what you’d like to see at My Readable Feast, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.)

So no more writing prompts and Tuesday haiku. Instead, let’s go back to what this blog was all about - books and food!

With that said, are you looking for some school lunchbox ideas? Last year around this time I posted information on:

• The art of the bento box - how traditional Japanese lunch boxes can inspire our school lunches
• What’s in your lunch box? - with a recipe for Rachel Ray’s Turkey and Black Bean Tostadas

Frankly, I’m a bit concerned about what to feed Nathan this year. Some of the old standbys, like fruit rollups, are going bad in the pantry. Plus, Nathan has become a “pasta-terian” this summer - he doesn’t eat meat or vegetables, only noodles and eggs.

Luckily FamilyFun.com has a whole section devoted to Back to School food ideas. I guess there’s always Nathan’s favorite PB&J, but how can I make it more exciting? How about peanut butter and jelly stars? This looks like a great way to sneak in some whole wheat bread into Nathan’s diet, too.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Stars

Ingredients:

1. 2 slices white bread
2. 2 slices whole wheat bread
3. Peanut butter
4. Jelly
5. 1 1/2-inch star cookie cutter

Directions:

This is different than the directions on the FamilyFun.com site. From the comments it seems too hard to spread the peanute butter and jelly after you cut and swap the stars. Maybe making the sandwiches first, then swapping mini-star shaped sandwiches would be better? I’d have to experiment. Maybe try a simpler shape like a circle would be easier. It’ll be messy, too, but the results will certainly be cool.

1. Make two PB&J sandwiches by spreading peanut butter on one wheat and one white piece of bread. Then spread jelly on one wheat and one white piece of bread. Make one wheat sandwich and one white bread sandwich.
2. Carefully use mini cookie cutters to cut puzzle pieces out of white and whole wheat sandwich. Swap the whole wheat shapes with the white, then press them into place.

If your child is into funky sandwich combinations, I’m sure they’ll get some clever ideas from What’s Cooking, Jenny Archer? It may even inspire them to pack their own lunches.

However, you may be safer going with the lunch box recipes The Associated Press (via the Denver Post) took from the August-September issue of Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine. As The AP writes:

Lunch shouldn’t be a chore and shouldn’t be boring, whether it’s for a back-to-school lunchbox, a brown-bagger’s menu, or to eat on the spot at home in the kitchen.

Let’s liven it up, lightly and easily. That’s the cue to take a look at a couple of suggestions from the August-September issue of Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine, from a feature on stylish lunch boxes and tasty meals that are good to go, and can be prepared in less than half an hour.

These two recipes are based on turkey and chicken, respectively; nothing outre about that. But look at the details: You’ll see that beans, corn and a dash of chipotle give the turkey tostadas a special flavor.

To prepare this lunch special, you just pack up the ready-to-eat ingredients, and then assemble the tostadas as you eat, Silvana Nardone, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, says - and points out it’s fun and interactive, especially for kids.

Turkey and Black Bean Tostadas
(Preparation 20 minutes)
Makes 2 tostadas

Ingredients:

1. 3 1/2 ounces roast turkey, from the deli counter, finely diced (3/4 cup)
2. 1/4 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
3. 3 tablespoons fresh corn kernels or thawed frozen corn
4. 1 small ripe tomato, finely diced
5. Juice of 1 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
6. 1 tablespoon chipotle sauce or hot sauce, to taste
7. 1/4 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
8. 1/4 cup plain reduced-fat sour cream
9. 2 flat corn tostada shells
10. 1/2 cup shredded lettuce
11. 1 tablespoon snipped chives (optional)

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the turkey, black beans, corn, tomato, lime juice, chipotle sauce and cheese.
2. Pack the turkey mixture, sour cream, tostadas, lettuce and chives separately until ready to use.
3. To serve, spread some sour cream on each tostada. Top each tostada with some turkey mixture, lettuce and chives.

With the curried chicken salad, tossing in broccoli, dates, apple and celery makes clear this is not the same old, same old. It effortlessly introduces children to spices with familiar foods like chicken and fruit, Nardone says, and there’s an added bonus: “You get to sneak in some vegetables!”

Curried Chicken Salad With Broccoli and Dates
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

1. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2. 1 whole skinless, boneless chicken breast
3. Salt and freshly ground pepper
4. 3/4 cup broccoli florets
5. 1/3 cup mayonnaise
6. 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
7. 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
8. 1/2 Granny Smith apple, chopped
9. 3 dates, pitted and finely chopped
10. 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
11. 2 pita rounds

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
2. Season the chicken breast on both sides with salt and pepper and cook, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side; let cool.
3. Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil, add the broccoli and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.
5. Chop the chicken and broccoli into bite-size pieces.
6. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar and curry powder. Add the chicken, broccoli, apple, dates and celery, and toss.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with pita.

More school lunch ideas from Everyday With Rachael Ray (and other places) tomorrow.