I am sharing a favorite recipe with you today. A good friend of mine shared this with me a few years ago and it has been a favorite ever since. This is a delicious pasta salad, perfect for any barbeque or potluck!

12-16 oz pkg colored spiral noodles
1 diced red pepper
1 diced green pepper
1 diced cucumber
sliced olives (I usually do 3/4 of a can)
diced mozzarella cheese (optional)
Bernstein’s Cheese Fantastico Light Italian Dressing

Boil noodles according to package directions. Do not overboil! Want them a tad chewy. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Add in all other ingredients and toss in a large bowl. Dump a bunch of the dressing over the salad, about 3/4 of the bottle. Sprinkle with lots of Parmesan cheese. Stir and refrigerate.

Best made the night before or the morning before you plan on serving it. Very good when all the flavors meld together overnight. When you take the salad out to serve, freshen it up by shaking in a little more Parmesan cheese and another good amount of salad dressing. I usually end up using the whole bottle. You could also use any other Italian dressing your family likes.

* Check out the PYP Navigating Rite Aid posts to help you along your shopping journey at Rite Aid.

* Read the Rite Aid coupon policy and keep it in your coupon binder.

* These are just the BEST offers this week. Always check your local ad to verify prices as they change by region.

* Participate in Rite Aid’s Video Values to be able to print valuable coupons that you can combine with manufacturer coupons!

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M&M’s 2/$5
Use M and Ms Chocolate Candies, any 10.9 oz. or larger bags $1.50/2 (6-10-12) RP-5/6
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There are many DVD printable coupons right now Group A.   All these coupons range from $3/1 to $5/1!   Print them quickly, before they disappear.  Select “Home Entertainment” from the drop-down menu to see the full collection.  Remember, you can print each coupon twice.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
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But, how do you encourage your child to read? Here are some ideas I have used over the years and some I’ve learned from others.
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1) Begin early. Picture books are a great way to start out. My children loved Eric Carle!
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2) Once your children are old enough to read on their own, continue to read with them. My daughter is 18 and a couple of weeks ago, while we were both sick, we read Jessica Day George’s Dragon Slippers together. I loved the book and the time spent with my daughter!

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3) Read the beginning of the book to your child and get them hooked on it and then leave it lying around where they can pick it up and finish it on their own. This will encourage the private reading time that some children struggle with.

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4) Have a special reading place designated. Small tents work great for this. You can make one yourself by spreading blankets over a table or purchase one. Make sure this tent is just for reading!

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5) Have a family read-a-thon. Make special snacks and put beanbag chairs or pillows and blankets around and everybody just READ!

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6) Allow your children to select their reading materials. I am a big believer in this one. Obviously, there are exceptions to this, but choice is a big deal. A lot of children dislike reading because they don’t like the books they read at school. It is good to teach them there are other options. Not all books are for learning. Some are just for fun!

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7) Spend time in the public library. Even if you are a Kindle reader (like I am!) make time for the library. It is important for children to see and hold books. The library will help teach them about the variety of books available and instill in them a love of the written word.

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8 ) Share your enthusiasm for books with the children in your life. I read a lot of juvenile fiction and this helps me to have referrals ready for my young nephews. Plus, there are some really good books out there in the juvenile category!

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9) Get your hands on some audio books. These are especially great for long car rides. My daughter has a great love for Shakespeare that began with dramatized audio versions of the stories. When my children were young, I didn’t want to spend the money for audio books, so I digitally recorded me reading some of my favorite stories (including the entire 1st Harry Potter book). We burned the books to CD and listened to them on vacation as we drove from Utah to California.

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Although you can set up a reward system for reading, I think it’s important for children to learn that reading is one of those things that really is its own reward. However, I know that reward systems have worked well for many families! and my children always participated in the library summer programs when they were young.
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What do you do to get your children to read?

There are some great new coupons on Group C this morning, like this Stubb’s Bar-B-Que Sauce, Marinades or Spice Rubs, any $1/2 coupon.  This is a rare coupon!   Group C coupons tend to disappear FAST, so print them quickly. Remember, you can print each coupon twice.

There aren’t many things I would ever brag about being the best at, but making No Bake Cookies is one of them.  I am often asked to make them, asked for my recipe and have even had people who swear they don’t like No Bakes tell me they like mine.  I made a big double batch today for a family party and thought I would share.  You’re welcome 😉

No Bake Cookies

1/2 C. Milk

1/2 C. Butter

2 C. Sugar

5 T. Cocoa

1/4 C. Peanut Butter

1 tsp. Vanilla

3 C. Quick Oats

1 C. Coconut

1/2 bag Butterscotch Chips

Mix together milk, butter, sugar and cocoa in saucepan.  Bring to boil – stirring constantly – and boil for 60 seconds.  Remove from heat and once it stops boiling, add vanilla, then oats and coconut, then butterscotch chips.  Mix these in quickly, being careful not to over stir.   Drop by spoonful onto waxed paper or foil.

Couple of notes:

• You can make these using margarine instead of butter; I sometimes do. They will turn out ok, but they are amazing with butter.
• I don’t really measure the peanut butter, I just scoop out a big spoonful and plop it in, but it is probably about a 1/4 cup.
• If you don’t want to use coconut, then just use more oats.
• Start with the stated amounts of oats and coconut, but you really want to mix it in by sight.  Add until the mixture looks like this:

DON’T add too much;  stop when they still look a little too wet; this is key!

• If you don’t like butterscotch, try chocolate chips, or the swirled chocolate and vanilla chips; ALTHOUGH, I am not a big fan of butterscotch myself and I think that they are best with the butterscotch chips.