Sunday brunch - an oldie but goodie.

Sunday mornings can be as easy and as lazy as you want.

I tended to the garden on the balcony, I read some magazine articles and I played Scrabble online.

I love eating al fresco, admiring the rewards of my gardening efforts, and sitting out in the fresh air listening to the sounds on a lazy Sunday; lawnmowers, kids playing in the street, dogs barking. Later the smells of weekend barbeques will fill the neighbourhood air.

Today I had a craving for something my Mom used to make for us kids; Soft boiled eggs and Toasted Soldiers. I believe this was some British nickname for the meal. Yes, this was comfort food from the 60's! How simple yet delicious and nutricious! Brunch can't get any better than this in 5 minutes flat preparation.

Easy Rice n Beans

Dinner began two nights ago when I prepared a side dish of rice with sauteed onion, garlic and vegetables.

Tonight's dinner, was a complete meal, that simply began with my leftover rice dish.

I simply heated some canola oil in the fry pan and added my leftover rice. Then I picked some fresh herbs from my balcony garden; basil, chives and parsley.
I chopped these finely and added to the rice.
Lastly, I tossed in one-half cup of chickpeas.

Easy rice n beans. Dinner in one pan. Delicious!

Shrimp - yes please!

Every once in a while, I buy those shrimp rings - you know, the cocktail shrimp in a ring? On sale, one can snag a package for under four dollars. Pop into the freezer for when the urge hits and voila - easy gourmet dinner can be yours tonight!

This decadent treat can be served as an appetizer or as a main meal alongside stir-fried jasmine rice.

I purchased the ready-made puff pastry shells at a steal of a deal; 6 for $1.25.

Then, I prepared a basic white sauce and added sauteed onions, garlic and diced red and orange pepper. At the end of the cooking stage, I added the shrimp.

A spoonful of the creamy shrimp filling was placed in the shell and topped with garden fresh chives and parsley.

Sunday

Sunday morning and a lazy one at that.
But, since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I try to keep on top of putting some healthy food into my body. (alongside coffee of course)

A simple breakfast today; I prepared an open faced fried egg on a thin toasted and buttered bun, topped with garden grown chives.

Courtesy of www.getcracking.ca
The protein in eggs can help you lose weight by controlling the rate at which your body absorbs calories. A recent study compared an egg-based breakfast to a bagel-based breakfast, each containing the same number of calories. Those who ate eggs for breakfast consumed 163 fewer calories at lunch, felt less hungry and ate 418 less calories over a 24-hour period.*
When managing your weight, choose foods that provide the maximum amount of nutrition for the least amount of calories. Eggs are great nutritional value for those trying to lose or maintain weight. A large egg contains 14 essential nutrients, but just 70 calories.

Breakfast for Dinner.

It was one of those nights.
A night when my tummy needed a sweet breakfast.
What better than to make French Toast with a side of strawberries?

I always make sure to let my one piece of white bread (it makes the best French Toast if you ask me) soak in one egg with some milk.

Breakfast for Dinner. How yummy!

When it gets extremely hot and perhaps humid as well, the lifespan of a banana in that same hot and humid kitchen is quite short.So, if you have found yourself to be the keeper of several over ripe bananas, there is a delicious remedy.

BAKE BANANA BREAD

If you don't have the time to bake, or the kitchen is just too hot to turn on the oven, put the bananas into the freezer.There are two ways to keep bananas frozen; one is my preferred method. It's easy, and I don't have to clean a container after they thaw. I simply toss the over ripe bananas into the freezer, as is; in the skin. No preparation, no fuss, no muss. Done!

The other method is to prepare the bananas for baking. Simply mash the bananas and put into freezer containers. Place in freezer. Done!

When the day comes to do your baking, simply remove the whole banana-in-the-peel and place in a bowl to thaw. When thawed, mash and measure for your recipe.You may notice the thawed mashed banana is a little watery. You may choose to drain a bit of the clear liquid, although I do not and have never had any problems.Or: remove the pre-mashed frozen bananas and set aside to thaw - this may take a while, and you may choose to use low power microwave to speed up the process.

Proceed as normal with your mashed bananas.

Banana Bread is a staple in my home. Not only is it a great breakfast food on the run - it also makes for a nutritious snack in lunchboxes.

For an added treat, I add chocolate chips.

Dinner al fresco.

At the end of a hot day, the last thing I want to do, is cook using the stove or oven. A fast, easy, and wonderfully pleasing dinner for the eyes and the tummy is my platter of cold finger foods.

Behold the colourful array of tastes:
Garlic dills alongside spicy pepper rings on mozarella cheese upon whole grain crackers.
Cucumber slices kissed by honey mustard and hugged inside a mini croissant.
Delicious devilled eggs with yolks that have been blended with creamy mayonaisse and balcony grown chives.

I do believe there is some of that rhubarb pie still in the refrigerator.
It'll be a fine way to end a great meal on a wonderfully warm evening.