a great & quick lunch......

I had an appointment this morning at 10 am and neglected to have any breakfast before heading to it. I know, this is so bad! I would be the first person to let anyone know that this is not a recommended practice. Given my absence of breakfast I decided that lunch needed to be a great one! So.....what on earth did I have on hand to make that happen?? I looked in the refrigerator and found myself a boiled egg. That's where the inspiration began. I pulled the multigrain bread from the freezer and took out one slice. No need for two as the calories add up in bread. It was going to be open-faced for sure. I mixed the egg with some mayo and thai basil and then headed to add some romaine and thinly sliced tomato. And so far the organics are adding up too! I try to incorporate organic as often as I can to keep us on the protected and healthy side of the farming fence. Next I sprinkled the egg salad with some hemp hearts and then saw some guacamole in the frig and placed a dollop on top of it all. I have to say it not only was going to taste amazing, it looked amazing!! I sat out on my deck in the warm summer air and enjoyed every morsel of my open-faced sandwich.

I hope you can find some inspiration in your refrigerator for your lunch or any meal for that matter. Keep it stocked, as well as your pantry and you will be less inclined to stray into the fray of foods that are maybe not as healthy for you. The more convenient the food, often the less healthy it is for you.

Be kind to yourself and feed your body well. You are the person that your body depends on to fuel it well! Make your food choices the best you can and you will feel the rewards!

Here's a pic of my amazing lunch!

delicious! 

Healthy blessings to you all!
Maggie

lunch in a minute........

Last minute lunches can be a challenge when my daughter sends a text in the morning only. I have the dog at home today so shopping is not an option, so I simply had a look to see what was in the refrigerator and it wasn't too bad. Some leftover chickpea quinoa salad, a few fingerling potatoes that I mixed with spring onion, basil and some olive oil & garlic vinegar, quickly boiled some organic eggs to make devilled eggs, lettuce & our first carrots from the garden and organic tomatoes! It all came together perfectly!!.....and was delicious! We topped it all off with a bowl of organic strawberries drizzled with a touch of agave and a couple of pieces of dark chocolate on the side!

lunch time!

 It was a great lunch on the deck under the warm summer sun!! 

I hope you had a tasty lunch as well! 

Blessings, 

Maggie

our small harvest......

I have a community garden plot with my partner Kelly and we tend to it lovingly and watch it grow daily. We have had our challenges with the rabbit and the deer that like to come and visit and nibble on our lettuce, beans, beets and peas. We have decided that these plants won't be able to be a part of our garden next year as they are food for the animals and we never get to have much of a taste. The lettuce are the only plants that we have been able to harvest from. Our tomatoes are fine as are our carrots and radishes. It's been a learning curve for us but that hasn't kept us from enjoying a tasty salad!

I am also on the committee for the community garden and we held our meeting at the garden site last evening. After the meeting I picked some lettuce and basil and took it home to share on our table. It's just the best thing to be able to pick your own food and have it fresh to eat. From garden to table is the best way. I do wish I had a larger garden and I wish it was at my home, but since I live in the city my yard doesn't allow for that. Next year we will have some containers on the deck that we will use to grow the plants in that the deer seem to love. We will simply work around the deer problem.

Here is a pic of my harvest from last night.....I just love it!

Red leaf & oak leaf lettuce as well as basil...

And I just couldn't resist sharing this pic! I just think this cabbage is a thing of beauty!!! It's not from our plot, but it's awesome looking!!

I hope your garden is growing and that you are enjoying yours as much as we are. Ours is only a small 10 x10 plot but we love watching it grow our own food! 

Blessings to all,

Maggie 

backyard life.......

It's hot and steamy Monday morning and I did a bit of work in the backyard before heading inside to the cool air. I live in the city but manage to have a garden that I love to sit in and find my zen. It's a flower garden with trees and shrubs and on our deck I have a small kitchen garden in a planter. This morning I watered the flower pots since they dry out so easily being that they are clay. I felt dreadful last week when one of my pots was looking rather sickly after it dried out from the hot sun. I soaked it well and kept checking on it all day to see if it was going to make it.......and it did! So nowI make sure that I water daily if not more, so that they can show their beauty each and every day!

My grandson is over this morning and he helped out the best way he knew how with his little watering can in hand. It was mostly the garden river rocks that were watered by him :). Just before we went inside we picked some lettuce from the small kitchen garden. It's just big enough to hold some lettuce, basil, thai basil, lemon verbena and a sprig of oregano that is giving its all to stay alive! I must say it's nice to hand pick some lettuce for a salad or sandwich or quickly pluck some basil to whisk into some oil & vinegar for a salad dressing.

Here's a peek at my kitchen garden planter ........ I just love having it right outside my door!

My grandson proudly holding this mornings harvest!

Lemon verbena for my morning tea!

A beautiful small bouquet of lavender from the garden......

I hope that some of you are able to enjoy a garden whether it be a vegetable garden or a flower garden! It truly will bring you pleasure! 

Blessings to all.....

Maggie

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