Breakfast Wrap, Tuna Salad and Cupcakes!

Omigosh, has it been two weeks since I've written for this blog?

It’s not that I haven’t been thinking about food. Or cooking. Or even taking photos. I have--all those. Just no long step-by-step creations. More in the line of take each day, one step at a time (step by step). Whatever comes of it, that’s what you have.

There has been so much heat in my life for the past couple of months. Remember the trip to Maryland and the 100+ degree days? We’ve had some pretty hot ones back here in New York State too. Now, however, it’s cooling down (80s are cooler, while I crave the 70s more than I used to when I was younger.)

Even though it’s cooler outside, I have to pick and choose what I cook and the times of day I cook ‘cause I’m in an upstairs apartment and it can get really hot and muggy in here. Just one little air conditioning unit doesn’t always cool things down enough to suit me.

Okay, enough of that. What I have to offer today are a couple of things I cooked for meals and some cupcakes I put together out of a boxed mix (cringe!).




BREAKFAST...
I like lots of ingredients, colorful and tasty, yet nutritious.

For instance, when I had a bowl of oatmeal this morning, I added a cut-up banana, a couple of teaspoons of organic flax seed (ground in my coffee grinder), cinnamon powder, sliced almonds and almond milk.

But, no photo of oatmeal. Who wants to look at pictures of oatmeal? Not me. In spite its yummy taste, oatmeal -- any way you dress it up -- is not that pretty. (Unless, of course, it’s part of Chocolate No-Bake Cookies!)

Instead, what you get are these pictures of my Breakfast Wrap...

* 90-calorie spinach Flat Out flatbread
* Morning Star Farms veggie bacon strips
* light sour cream
* shredded carrot
* eggs
* parsley
* kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

I found a wonderful recipe on Helium http://www.helium.com for scrambled eggs, and I wanted to give you the link as well as give credit to the author of the article. But, now I can’t find it! Here are the instructions to the best of my recollection.

1. Crack egg(s) into small dish. Do not stir. Pour into hot (medium heat) pan and stirring constantly, cook till starts to set. Lift pan off heat for a few seconds as you continue stirring. Put pan back on heat. Do this 2-3 times till eggs are set the way you like them.

2. Remove the pan from the burner and stir in a teaspoon or two of sour cream (depending on how many eggs you’re cooking) and some salt and pepper.

3. If you decide to add any extra ingredients, such as diced onions or parsley, do your prepping beforehand and add them at the end. (Items that need cooking should be cooked and set aside until the eggs are done.)

LUNCH OR SUPPER...
Again, colorful, tasty and nutritious.

A salad -- always easy and quick to prepare. Just check the frig and the cupboards for ingredients to mix and match. In this case...

* leafy green lettuce
* cherry or grape tomatoes
* yellow summer squash (from a neighbor’s garden, sliced and lightly steamed
* shredded carrots (steamed with the squash)
* a whole (small) can of tuna in water -- drain off the water before adding to the salad

Arrange artfully and appealingly! Top with your favorite salad dressing.



DESSERT...
Perhaps my best cupcakes ever.

I had a coupon, so I cheated and bought Betty Crocker “FUN da-middles”: cupcake mix with creamy vanilla filling. Couldn’t help myself! There was a great coupon in the Sunday paper, so I got myself a deal when buying two boxes. I baked the vanilla version (as is obvious in the pictures). Love the filling--it’s marshmallowy!

Mmmmm, cupcakes even look yummy in black and white...

The icing came straight from my freezer. Homemade. Leftover. From Coconut Rum Cupcakes that I made for my son’s birthday. The texture and taste of the cupcakes was pretty bad, so I quickly removed that “pin” from my Pinterest cupcake board! The icing, on the other hand (with its tiny addition of coconut rum) was the best!

Doesn’t this picture make you a wee bit sad that you weren’t here the day I made them. I handed most of them out to neighbors.

******


Basil leaves and a marigold from my little garden...