My First Cornish Pastie

The tour director instructed all of us to jump out of the bus and buy a quick sandwich to take over to Garnish Island for a picnic in the gardens. Are you kidding? a sandwich in Ireland when I could have this baby for lunch.So much for counting calories and it was hot just out of the oven. The inside was stuffed with a slow cooked beef and potato stew. The only thing missing was a nice cold Guiness but that would have been totally inappropriate for the moment-too bad (besides I would have fallen asleep and missed half the tour for the day.)

Thankyou South Carolina Farmers

Words cannot express how delicous these peaches were to consume. In keeping with my desire to eat our national produce I paid lots of cash for these beautiful summer peaches. Although I am trying to buy food as local as possible we don't have the proper climate to grow peaches in the tropics. South Carolina is local for peaches for me. They were sun ripened and ready to eat immediately. No problem for us.

Definitely Not Bento But Truely Irish

This is my welcome to Ireland first course. Guiness is very big in Ireland, at least that's what they sell the tourists. I really enjoyed this cold frothy glass of guiness and fresh chedder cheese chunks. I think it would be a big sell on a hyper hot afternoon in Florida especially after a day at the beach. My visit was in the beginning of July in Ireland and hyper hot was not in the weather forecasts. The news reported spots of sunshine for the day. We actually had beautiful weather for 11 of the 13 days with only two really rainy days. I don't mind rain. I live in the tropics. I only mind Hurricanes. I think a nice cold frothy Guiness would be good for those too.

Silly Tourist on a Hill

That's me in Ireland with a great big smile on my face. I just got back from a 13 day tour of  the entire coast of Ireland and had the best of times. We started out in Dublin and traveled south around the entire coast of Ireland . Along the way we visited in many little towns and cities and learned so much about the history of this beautiful country. It was a true joy for me since my ancestors stem from Ireland and it was like I was hearing their story for the very first time through their eyes. What a joy! I only took about one thousand photos and I    have already printed over 500 of them to scrapbook and share. They should keep me busy for a while. Along the way I will post a few on my blog to share the journey and some of the food, but mostly the beauty.

Double Spinach Rollup

Sandwich roll ups are a grab and go basic for "Back to School" in my bento recipe box. They look a little like sushi rolls when they are tucked away in the corner of the box but are quick and easy to roll in the morning.These rolls are on a low fat, high fiber spinach tortilla with goat cheese and baby spinach leaves. I have also tried whole wheat tortillas with peanut butter and banana slices.
The possibilities are endless. Think cream cheese and strawberries, yum.

Lasagne Cupcakes Bentoriffic

This summer I am trying out new low fat recipes for use during the school year and in bento lunches. This recipe is from the HUNGRY GIRL cookbook series by Lisa Lillien called "300 under 300. I treated myself to her latest cookbook yesterday at the bookstore. Each portion is less than 200 kcal and chunk full of lean ground turkey, mushrooms, onions, fat free ricotta cheese and spinach. The mock noodles are wonton wrappers. They were a great success at our dinner table and will definitely make their way into our lunch routine.

Granola Bars with Blueberry Jammy Bits

 The best buttery homemade granola bar ever. Definitely not low calorie. These babies are created with walnuts, macadamian nuts, blueberry bits, oatmeal, sugar, cinnamon, butter and butter. That's not a typo. My husband loved them. They taste more like a cookie bar than a granola bar. I followed the recipe for homemade granola bars on the King Arthur Flour Recipe Blog. I am going to have to serve these slowly over time to spare the calories. I guess you only live once, these buttery sensations are definitely a calorie splurg.