Healthy Wholegrains and Friendly Fats

I lost my camera so I can't take a photo of my lunch, but I'm going to blog it anyway!

I'm trying to get back on a health kick again- it got sabotaged by Christmas, New Years, and dad not letting me do the groceries alone each week.  Dad means well, but he doesn't always like the food I cook because it's not steak and potatoes.

I made a delish stir fry last week but he wouldn't even try it!

Anyway, here is today's lunch!  I made it in bulk so I could use it for other lunches/dinner this week, so that's why the quantities of the beans are SO large.

Wholegrain tortilla with beans and friendly fats

Ingredients:
TO COOK:
1x 400g can kidney beans
1x 400g can cannellini beans
1x sachet of Old El Paso Burrito seasoning
3x miniature capsicums (diced)

Everything else:
1x wholegrain tortilla (I used Bazaar)
1 level tbsp avocado
1/2 a large tomato (diced)
Generous handful of mixed lettuce
2 pieces of  Heller's sliced roast chicken (these pieces are very thin, but full of flavour.  You don't need many.)
1 level tspn lite sour cream

TO MAKE:

Mix seasoning with water to packet directions, then pour into a pan.  Add beans and cook for around 2-3 minutes or until heated through, then add the diced capsicums; cook for another 30 seconds until warmed then remove from heat.

Spread the avocado and sour cream over 2/3s of the tortilla.  Lay the chicken over the top then layer around 3 heaped tbsp of the bean mix on top.  Cover with the diced tomato and lettuce, then fold the bottom up.  Roll the tortilla so the third without any avo/sour cream is on the top...

then enjoy!

I had this for lunch with a small white-flesh plum.  Delicious!

Full skirted fashion!

That's me in the background there.  My friend Kelsey took the picture before I even realised I was in it, hence her lock of hair smothering my face, haha.  You can't quite see my full dress, but this is what my Nonna made me!  I absolutely love it even though the back piece is a little too large still after several fittings.  Ah, Nonna!

I wore it with a grey matte belt to mimic the silver lines that ran through the fabric, some flesh coloured stockings, my bolero you can see there, a beautiful pair of black pumps... and lastly, my beautiful, fabulous crisp black petticoat.  It made it floof out so lovely- I'm not even holding the skirt out in that photo, that's how puffy it made it.  I felt just like Betty Draper when I was walking around, the skirt and petticoat moving forward and back.

Grazie, Nonna!  Io amo il vestito! E 'così bello!

"Mother tells you how to make unusual sandwiches" and I didn't listen.

I have a book that contains little comic strip styled instructions on how to do things like a proper 50s and early 60s teenage girl.  It's called "Mother Tells You How" or something like that, and is a collection of the illustrated instructionals (is that a word?  It is now...) from Girl magazine.  In it, one of the things is 'MTYH: to make unusual sandwiches."  I don't know about you, but mashed luncheon makes me feel a little concerned- it should be thin and disc shaped.  As does butter, honey and maples on brown bread.  Not sure what to make of that one.

My girls and I had a 1950s themed picnic today, so I decided to channel my inner unmarried, untrained housewife and made club sandwiches!  I made salmon, cream cheese and chive ones, another eight of ham, cheese and gherkin, and then lastly, chicken, lettuce and cranberry jelly.  All -delicious-, and all on white bread.  To finish it off, I made asparagus rolls by slipping some tinned asparagus into white bread coated with a bit of light margarine.  Delish!

The Bresolin brothers are god.

I have never had a more amazing salad than the one I ate for lunch yesterday at Scopa.  I thought I'd try eat healthy- or as healthy as you can in an Italian restaurant- so I ordered the insalata Scopa "Caprese."  For those of you who don't speak Italian, or aren't familiar with the cuisine, a Caprese salad is traditionally slices of buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, to represent the colours of the national flag.  At Scopa, they've added finely sliced rocket to add a bit more body to the meal, and although I thought it was slightly lacking on the basil, the tart vinegary dressing gave an otherwise ordinary salad a very strong punch to the tastebuds. 

For $19, I did find the salad a bit on the small side and so I ordered a side of sauteed asparagus, which judging by the residue in the plate and the light coating of flavour, was dressed with basalmic vinegar, olive oil and sea salt.  The addition of the asparagus to the Caprese salad brought the meal to a whole new level entirely, and I only wish that the asparagus had come served with the salad instead of having to pay an extra $10 for it.

All in all, it was absolutely delicious- my only regret was that I didn't take a photo of it.  Guess I'll just have to go there again!