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File this money-saving advice away for fall when your children or grandchildren head back to school or use it now to pack lunches for work and camp. Carol O'Shea of St. Louis is the latest winner in our Cheap Eats contest for creating what she calls lunches from leftovers.

According to Carol, school lunches have not only risen in price but they are often not filling enough for her sons who will be in 8th and 10th grades this fall. In addition they are not always as healthy as a home-packed meal . . .

File this money-saving advice away for fall when your children or grandchildren head back to school or use it now to pack lunches for work and camp. Carol O'Shea of St. Louis is the latest winner in our Cheap Eats contest for creating what she calls lunches from leftovers.

According to Carol, school lunches have not only risen in price but they are often not filling enough for her sons who will be in 8th and 10th grades this fall. In addition they are not always as healthy as a home-packed meal. "Both schools have microwaves available and neither boy minds carrying a lunchbox," and Carol adds that lunchbox design has improved with the boxes more like a backpack or gym bag. She buys plastic containers in school colors to fit in the bags.

And to fill those bags, Carol cooks dinner for eight instead of four. "As I make up plates for dinner, I immediately make four lunches for the next day," as Carol and her husband take these leftover lunches to work as well."Occasionally I make a homemade 6-inch sub sandwich or chef's salad with lots of toppings. But those are always planned ahead so fresh hoagie rolls, deli meat, and salad makings are bought."

And if that isn't impressive enough, Carol says she has a two-month rotation of menus "so meatloaf never gets the 'not this again look.' " Her sons' favorites? Carol's beef stew and vegetable soup - anything from one pot.

My money-saving tip for this week?
Fewer trips to the grocery store, less gas consumed, and produce from a local farm. Carol O'Shea and her family have a garden that offers a bounty of summer produce. Our home is not blessed with the necessary full sun a garden needs. So I purchased a share in a local farm, what is called a CSA or community supported agriculture. Every Sunday we pick up our share and it has contained fresh Tennessee strawberries, onions, radishes, broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower, and fresh peas. This week we got yellow squash and zucchini and you would have thought it was a surprise party with all the fanfare as we opened the box. A love the fresh supply of new produce, grown organically, ready for cooking and savoring and saving me trips to the grocery.

Our favorite recipes so far? Roasted cauliflower, believe it or not. My husband broke the cauliflower into florets, tossed them with olive oil and a little salt and roasted them at 375 degrees until tender, about 20 minutes. And strawberry shortcake - bake biscuits (homemade or frozen) until golden, split and lightly butter. Fill with sliced, sweetened strawberries and top with a dab of whipped cream. Yum!