Embracing Lunch

 What does your lunch look like today? I have to admit that until recently, my lunches were pretty pathetic. I was never a breakfast skipper -- there's always a smoothie around or jazzed up oatmeal on weekends. Even when I'm on vacation, breakfast is always a must -- even if it's a bagged granola and warm pineapple juice (ahem .. that was Spain 2005.. don't ask ..). I almost never skip dinner -- it was a big affair growing up and everybody would sit down. Occasionally I've had hot chocolate and pretzels from the back a car (ahem .. Monton 2010...) and sometimes it's a bowl of chocolate granola at 5:30 and a bowl of Raisin Bran at 8:30 .. but that's rare, and it's still dinner. Lunch on the other hand I'm more prone to skipping, especially on lazy summer days when the morning melts into the afternoon, and I've already been eating mounds of watermelon and drinking too many cups of iced tea. Lunch doesn't seem to fit in.

But for the last couple of days, I've embraced lunch. It's helped that I had beautiful fresh organic eggs and veggies that needed to be eaten up, and a huge craving for citrusy orangey treats -- the perfect time to pull out a little jar of homemade mixed citrus marmalade from the winter. And I poached an egg! For the first time! Lunch is great!  Here's a peak ...

This is: toasted english muffin with marmalade, blanched green beans, carrot sticks, grapes, lemony sparkling water with berries and some good reading.

This is: poached egg (!!) nice and runny and yolky with pepper and herbes de provence on top of blanched green beans, half a peach, grapes, and toasted english muffin with marmalade.

This is: the last of the green beans, chickpea salad -- cooked chickpeas smashed with celery, chopped mint and basil, a dollop of yogurt, mustard, a squeeze of lime juice.

Ok, this is more like dinner, but still ... : beautiful organic eggs scrambled with fresh Ontario spinach, a handful of leftover chickpeas and lots of fresh herbs -- basil, mint and thyme, with beautiful cherries on the side.

I admit that these beautiful lunches only lasted for a few days, and then it was back to watermelon, iced tea and handfuls of granola. But hey, I'm learning.  What should I have for lunch today?