Longing for more than yet another limp salad? Tired of tussling with the kids over junk food lunch kits? Sounds like you’ve got the lunch box blues. J. M. Hirsch has the fix. But it isn’t a cookbook. Because when it comes to lunch, nobody has time to break out a recipe to bang out a brown bag special. Busy people need lunch ideas. Lots of them. And those ideas need to be healthy, fast, easy, affordable, and delicious. That’s what Beating the Lunch Box Blues is—an idea book to inspire anyone daunted by the daily ordeal of packing lunch. Jammed with nearly 200 photos and more than 500 tips and meals, this book is designed to save families time, money, and their sanity. Whether you want to jazz up a grilled cheese, turn leftover steak into a DIY taco kit, or make pizza “sushi,” Hirsch has it covered. And because the best lunches often are built from the leftovers of great suppers, he has also included 30 fast and flavorful dinner recipes designed to make enough for tomorrow, too. Crazy good stuff like short ribs braised in a Rosemary-Port Sauce, Hoisin-Glazed Meatloaf, and kid-friendly classics such as Turkey Sloppy Joes and American Chop Suey. With ideas this easy and this delicious, there’s no reason to let the lunch box blues get you down.

“Does a truly sweet job of helping parents pack more inspired lunches . . . recipes for everything from wraps and sandwiches to pizzas and salads.” —Publishers Weekly Best Lunch Box Ever is full of recipes, ideas, and strategies for packing creative and healthful lunches for kids, solving what is for many parents the most taxing of daily chores. Kids will love the scrumptiousness, while busy moms and dads will appreciate the quick and simple solutions for wholesome, balanced meals developed by Katie Sullivan Morford, a registered dietician and mother of three. The sixty-five recipes are easy, delicious, and—best of all—packed with nutrients for well-rounded lunches and snacks, including Deconstructed Caprese Skewers, Easy Cheesy Thermos Beans, Pesto Pita Pizza, Cinnamon Wonton Crisps, Parmesan Kale Chips, Crispy Applewiches, and more. “Katie Morford has dozens of interesting and sometimes surprising suggestions for easy, delicious, and nutritious lunch items that kids will enjoy—if parents don’t get to them first.” —Marion Nestle, James Beard Award–winning author of Unsavory Truth “This wonderful book is sure to get you out of a lunch-box rut, with inspiring, easy, healthful ideas for lunches that will put a smile on any kid’s face!” —Ellie Krieger, host of Food Network’s Healthy Appetite “Ideal for parents and professionals, this cookbook features winning lunch ideas for eco- and health-conscious households.” —Library Journal

Growing up on his family's orchards in Appleton, Michigan, in the 1950s, Martin Dijksterhuis finds everything he needs in his extended family and in the land itself -- in the reassuring routines of growing and harvesting, spraying and pruning. Although his mother wants him to get out of Appleton, which she finds impossibly provincial, and attend a great university -- the University of Chicago, her alma mater -- he has no desire to leave. In the autumn of his junior year of high school, however, in the camp of the migrant workers who come north every year to pick the Dijksterhuis peaches and apples, Martin discovers his vocation, the country blues -- unsettling melodies that cry out from a place in the soul he never knew existed. He also falls in love with Corinna Williams, the strong-willed daughter of the black foreman who runs the Dijksterhuis orchards. His blues vocation and his love for Corinna are the two stories of his life. His struggle to combine them into a single story takes him a long way from home and from the life he had always envisioned for himself, and then it brings him back again in a way he could never have imagined. In this beautifully rendered novel, Robert Hellenga, author of The Sixteen Pleasures and The Fall of a Sparrow, explores the fragility of happiness, the difficulties of following one's calling in life, and the sorrows and satisfactions of being a parent.

Rachael's top 10 lists of 30-minute meals For more than a decade, Rachael Ray has wowed you with her flavorful dishes on TV. And she has written one incredible collection after collection of delicious 30-minute meals. Her latest cookbook includes her most-requested recipes from fans like you and her family faves. Rachael Ray's Book of 10 is jam-packed with thirty top 10 lists of recipes in all your favorite categories. Leave it to Rachael to make a book that is easy to use and fun, too! There's a chapter on Burgers with 10 Figure-Friendly Faves, 10 of John's Faves, and 10 Gut-Busters. She has lists of Date Night/Fake Outs for you and your special someone, Seafood for a Steal, and Potluck Picks. You will find a list of 10 for whatever you are making for dinner—Family Faves, Great Rollovers, Kids' Picks, and many more. There are even 10 variations on Surf 'n' Turf! Looking to show off? Try Spinach-Stuffed Steaks with Sautéed Cremini Mushrooms. How about a veggie sammie? Rachael includes Grilled Eggplant Roll-Ups and Mushroom Veggie Sloppy Sandwiches. What's great for the grill? Baby Lamb Chops with Artichoke and Tarragon Dip or try a Grilled Flank Steak Sandwich with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette–Dressed Arugula and Pears. Rachael has a recipe for you for every simple dinner, family meal, and special occasion. There are endless ideas here for what to put on the table.

After a brutal day investigating a quadruple homicide, Detective Hoke Moseley settles into his room at the un-illustrious El Dorado Hotel and nurses a glass of brandy. With his guard down, he doesn’t think twice when he hears a knock on the door. The next day, he finds himself in the hospital, badly bruised and with his jaw wired shut. He thinks back over ten years of cases wondering who would want to beat him into unconsciousness, steal his gun and badge, and most importantly, make off with his prized dentures. But the pieces never quite add up to revenge, and the few clues he has keep connecting to a dimwitted hooker, and her ex-con boyfriend and the bizarre murder of a Hare Krishna pimp. Chronically depressed, constantly strapped for money, always willing to bend the rules a bit, Hoke Moseley is hardly what you think of as the perfect cop, but he is one of the the greatest detective creations of all time.

Exciting Whole-Food Lunches You’ll Be Proud to Pack and That Kids Will Love to Eat! *60 Recipes and 60 Photographs Plus a Bonus Chapter of Homemade Healthy Staples!* Pack your child a healthy, tasty lunch the easy way! Each lunchbox focuses on just one nutrient-dense homemade component that can be prepped ahead of time for easy grab-and-go options on busy days. Prep a big batch of Carnival Copycat Corn Dogs and stick them in the freezer— they’ll defrost just in time for lunch. Make The Best Chinese Takeout Copycat for dinner one night and you can pack the leftovers in the kids’ thermoses later that week. And what could be easier than letting your child assemble their own lunch with a chapter full of healthy Lunchables ® copycats? From Pizza Lunchables ® Copycat featuring whole-food pizza crust and customizable toppings, to Easy Homemade Cracker Stackers Lunchables ® Copycat, you’ll find tons of ideas to make lunchbox prep fun, nourishing, and practical. Renee Kohley, author of Nourished Beginnings Baby Food, has compiled this delicious, allergen-friendly collection of gluten-free lunches to make sure every child has the energy they need to power through the busy school day. Fill a lunchbox with no-fuss sides like seeds, crackers, and fresh fruits with a single from-scratch item for a balanced meal that your kids will be excited to eat. With so many great choices, you’ll never have to wonder what you should pack for lunch again. *All recipes are gluten-free and allergen-friendly!*