Healthy Jacket Potato

It's been a while since I harped on about healthy eating, but after recently being called a gym-junkie (an exaggeration, I promise!) I realised that maybe my diet should start matching my exercise regime.

My gym spruiks the paleo diet which I think is a little too extreme, but I do think that it is worth avoiding high fat, high carb meals. Unfortunately that is what I was craving - a big jacket potato, topped with sour cream, bacon and spring onion. Delicious! Now (as you may have guessed from the picture below) I decided to get a little creative to give myself that creamy, salty potato topping but without the guilt.

Green Vegetable Pasta

I recently had a craving for green vegetables. Now I know this doesn't sound momentus, but I'm not really a fan of the standard meat and 3 veg so I am always trying to come up with new ways to enjoy vegetables. This meal was inspired by what I had in the fridge (again not sounding all that exciting), but it was such a success that I have decided to share it with all of you on the interwebs.

I used asparagus, green beans and broccoli, but you could easily play around with any green vegetable that is in season; spinach in winter, fresh peas in summer. Potentially non-green vegetables would work, but the lemony sauce really seems to work with that chlorophyll flavour.

Nama Nama

On my (frequent) trips to Melbourne, I love to wander around the city. In terms of cities I've lived in and visited, it's not vast or even that busy, but I enjoy the quietness; a contrast to the weekday hustle and bustle.

I know I am not alone in this enjoyment, slowly there has been a shift in the weekend food options throughout the city. I'm not talking about the thriving restaurant business that requires hours of queing for lunch or dinner. I mean the small places that you can meander into, sit at a table by the window and settle in for a few hours of slow eating and world watching.

Nama Nama is opposite Treasury Gardens with views of Parliament House. It allows you to stare out at the lush greenery or watch as multitudes of wedding photos are taken...and if you are like me - the opportunity to critique their fashion choices!

Banana Bread

In Canberra, everyone believes that ANZAC day is the unofficial start of winter and the weather definitely agrees. It's time to start making soups and curries and casseroles - all those hearty, warming foods. Unfortunately most recipes are normally designed for 4 and I only cook for 1 which means a lot of leftovers and the need for a lot of freezer space!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I freeze bananas (and anything else that will survive) rather than wasting it. However bananas seem to take up most of my freezer space, so I am on a clearing out spree to make room for all my winter warmers. The latest banana using addition is this delicious banana bread from 101 Cookbooks.

Libertine

What: Libertine

Where:  500 Victoria St, North Melbourne VIC 3051

The final Restaurant Express lunch for 2013 was at this North Melbourne gem. Just up the road from the Queen Victoria Markets, this French restaurant is cute, quirky and charming with food is pleasing to the eye, the palate and even the wallet.