Arriverderci packed lunches and a comforting veggie soup with stelline pasta.

Plus, a new playlist from OKDre.

Veggie Soup with Stelline

We are still two months away from receiving our container with all our kitchen supplies, so cooking has been very challenging with the limited pots and pans we've been able to borrow. A wonderful new friend loaned us a big pot, so there has been lots of pasta and soup on the menu at our house. Today, while shopping at a supermarket in Torino called Esselunga, we spotted the tiny star-shaped pasta called Stelline. These had been so hard to come by in Los Angeles that Andre got super excited when he spotted them, as they are a favorite from his childhood, bringing back lots of memories of his Nonna cooking delicious soups for him.

So, tonight, I gathered all the vegetables we had on hand and made a comforting Veggie Soup with Stelline. We topped it with grated Pecorino Romano, freshly cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of excellent olive oil we picked up recently. Make sure to add this soup to your list of things to make once the days get cooler or if you feel under the weather and need a little comfort in your belly.

VEGGIE SOUP WITH STELLINE

Serves 4

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely diced

• 1 celery rib, ends trimmed and finely diced

• 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced

• 1 small fennel bulb, ends trimmed and finely diced

• 1 small zucchini, ends trimmed and finely diced

• 1 handful of cherry or grape tomatoes, cut into quarters

• 4 cups vegetable broth

• 1 cup water

• 1 tablespoon parsley leaves, roughly chopped

• 1/2 cup dried Stelline (the little star-shaped pasta) or pastina or any other tiny pasta shape you can get your hands on!

• Sea Salt

• Black Pepper

• Optional: Pecorino Romano for finishing

In a large pot, add the olive oil and turn the heat on medium. Next, add the garlic, onion, celery, carrot, and fennel. Stir to coat and season with sea salt and some black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to become tender, 3-5 minutes. Next, add the zucchini and tomatoes. Stir again to combine. Cook for a few minutes to soften.

Pour the vegetable stock and water into the pot and bring the soup to a gentle boil. Cook for around 10 minutes. Add the Stelline pasta and cook until the pasta is done. Stir in the parsley. Taste and season with sea salt and black pepper if necessary.

Divide the soup among four bowls. Finish with grated Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

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Arriverderci, Packed Lunches!

I love cooking, spending time in the kitchen, and making delicious food to enjoy, but I've never loved packing lunches. It started calm and well-intentioned, preparing one lunch with some healthy offerings. But by the time we left LA, it was an exercise in aggravation, making three separate lunches of mainly processed snack foods. Initially, with Costa, I would attempt some creativity, constantly watching Instagram moms sharing lunch ideas, inspired by their ability to get their children to eat things like dragonfruit, tomatoes, and broccoli for lunch. But, as we had more kids and the picky eating stages arrived, the task became more and more daunting. Trying to find healthy things they would eat without wasting food was exhausting. And then, eventually, I got into this horrible routine of giving them more and more of what they would eat, even if the meals were not balanced, because I just wanted them to eat something! I know... it's not a good place to be. But opening up a packed lunch box they hadn't touched was the worst. Ultimately, before we left, I made each child a different lunch to appease all their likes and dislikes (I don't recommend getting into this habit!). And, even if the lunch was "healthy," I found myself including processed foods like cookies, chips, or crackers as the kids were always begging to have food their friends had too.

Though Andre and I were excited about the Italian school lunch program, we were slightly worried about the boys' adjustment to a very new way of doing things. Food is not processed, frozen, or industrially made in these schools, public or private. Food is seasonal, freshly cooked and prepared, nourishing, and real. Of course, not having to deal with lunches sounded incredible, and knowing they would be eating real food sounded great, but would they freak out? Was every day going to be filled with an emotional breakdown about having to eat something they didn't want to eat? Costa and Paolo have been in a picky eating stage for quite some time now, so we had no idea what the reaction would be to this new way of doing things. We were not optimistic about the adjustment period being easy. Luckily, there was no other option, so eventually, they would have to find their way and get used to it; it was just a question of how much anxiety and drama would be wrapped up in this transition.