A simple Saturday lunch

Saturdays are usually busy times in any household. It' s either house cleaning, grocery shopping or catching up on chores. There's no time for an elaborate mid day meal. There's nothing wrong with a simple lunch between the endless rounds of laundry and dusting. Sometimes just a good old fashioned sandwich and a glass of juice will tide you over until dinner,

What makes a simple lunch?For me it's a crunchy peanut butter slathered on two slice s of Arnold's sandwich bread.This and a glass of juice can carry me to dinner thanks to the protein s and sugar respectively in each one. Sometimes it's a simple turkey or roast beef sandwich, again with no mayo, just covered with a light sprinkle of salt and pepper .Now that it's summer another simple lunch time treat is a tomato and mayo sandwich. Nothing beats fresh picked fresh sliced tomatoes on may drenched white bread. of course there are salads. Sometimes just a simple mixed green with tuna and grape tomatoes is all you need on hot summer days. Also a salad make from all veggies is a good , simple lunch and one that can be enjoyed with garlic or onion flatbreads.

of course you can make a simple hot lunch for yourself as well. Boil some pasta and just melt a huge hunk of butter over it if you want add some fresh cut garlic too for taste or a few drops of olive oil to balance out the butter. Polenta is another good simple lunch . Make enough for one or two bowls and serve with butter and Parmesan cheese.A hot open faced sandwich is always good and it;s easy to make. Just used gravy in a jar, deli meats and bread and there you have it. Something hot and satisfying to get you through a round of work

Saturdays usually mean a day of catching up ion chores and finally getting to those DIY projects. Don't bog yourself down with the addition of making elaborate lunches. Stick to simple stuff that will sustain you through all that work!

Fish Foodie

Now that Lent is here and there's no meat on Friday , it's time to turn to seafood. To be honest I could never really understand why the Church didn't ban fish as well, After all they, like cows, sheeps, pigs and chickens are living things, with hearts, blood and brains. Yet they're the only acceptable meat on Friday for the next few short weeks.

Tuna fish is the fish of choice for most of us observing. It's less expensive than the other fish and goes well either in a salad or just plain with bread. My favorite is eating the oil soaked tuna with a good loaf of Italian bread. The bread's porousness absorbs the oil, leaving the meat fleshy and firm. It's also a wonderful taste. reminding me of a lunch in Cannes or Nice. Bumblebee has some new flavored tunas. I love their lemon pepper which is good over spring greens and veggies. I usually add a vinaigrette or Italian dressing over this for a low cal feast. There are also flavors such as sun dried tomato and basil along with spicy Thai chili. Any tuna is good in a mixed green salad and it's makes for a refreshing lunch or dinner.

If you're fishing around for something heartier there's always fish and chips. The problem with them in this country is they have to be done right. If the batter is too thin, soggy or oily then it leaves for a bad experience. The fish should be plaice or cod,. dipped in beer batter that can hold its' own against heavy frying. The end result should be a crisp exterior with a light flaky meat inside. Accompanying them should not be wimpy fries but wedges of potatoes that can stand up to malt vinegar and a good sprinkling of sea salt. Of course for people who still have their jobs and money, there's always lobster and shrimp. Even for those on a budget there the American classic chain restaurant, Red Lobster. Here you not only can get a decent treat but also have a salad plus the chain's famous cheddar biscuits thrown in too.

There are plenty of seafood alternatives if you're observing the no meat rule on Lenten Fridays. You can make something as simple as a tossed salad with tuna or go out for lobster and shrimp.The choices as varied and each are as tasty as a regular steak or chicken dinner.