A Tale of Four Salads and a Roll...

Workroom Play List:

Nickelback ~ Just For
Natalie Imbruglia ~ When You're Sleeping
Shakira ~ Whenever, Wherever (Sahara Mix)
Maroon 5 ~ Just a Feeling
Thunder ~ Retribution
Nickelback ~ Holding on to Heaven
Bryan Adams ~ You're Still Beautiful to Me
Audioslave ~ #1 Zero

Yesterday morning it can be safely said that if this crazy bitch lady..Ahem!..OK, OK..woman then..didn't get out of this house she was going to scream. It was also a Bank Holiday over here for Easter so that meant I had My Love home for an extra day..fantastic. We'd been holed up here, keeping away from family who had picked up a new round of lurgies as we were both feeling pretty Yuck anyway with our own illnesses. Don't we sound a healthy bunch? lol

But by yesterday I needed out...so we spent an hour debating what we were going to do. Everywhere would be heaving with people and neither of us wanted to deal with that. We tried to spring my kid brother for lunch but he was busy sanding things at a friend's house. So after another hour of debate we simply jumped into the car and headed out. All our friends had plans as far as we knew so we went in search of things to pick up for my birthday do at the weekend. (Arghhhhh! lol..Yep still freaking out..) And we seemed to be lucky with bargains in most of the places we ventured into..My Love got a new blue cap (not sports cap) and a very good bargain of a scarf for £1! I got a new satchel type bag that was drastically reduced...black and silver. Just what I needed...Oooops..we were supposed to be shopping for the party..anyway...lol.

After a couple of hours of bargain retail therapy we were getting a little tired out if not a little peckish. And that was where we hit the wall of "OH NO WHERE DO WE FIND SOMEWHERE TO EAT???.." we were in despair after our last failed outing..and after numerous attempts of finding somewhere new to eat we gave up. I remembered a salad I had enjoyed from a very expensive food store here Marks and Spencers Simply Food.  So we headed over to the store and I was lucky to find 4 little salad bowls in the Food On The Move section. Great! (And they were very much cheaper than I remembered which was good) But My Love found nothing...zip...nada..zilch that wasn't coated in gunk or naturally full of Salicylates. Not to be defeated, we headed to a Supermarket next door and a packet of All Butter Croissants, sliced white cheese and All Butter Flapjack were purchased. (I worry so much about what these foods are doing to My Love's body..Urgh) So with our purchases in the bag we decided to head to a favourite spot that we love to go and have a picnic...and then the heavens opened on us...Down pour doesn't cover it...lol.

Now My Love has a history of taking me to wonderfully named places on holiday like Scratby! But this could've been a disaster if car picnic's weren't one of our favourite things to do..lol. This was the lovely view from our car..looking out across the river from the foreshore picnic area..it's a lookout from the city over the bridge that connects to our little town we live in. And yes...that is a baseball boot air freshener hanging in the shot..long ago defunct but we love it so it's more of a car ornament now..lol. Anyway...

Foreshore view...lovely, lovely water..lol

Now the place we usually sit and eat at was a little wet..but slightly further down there was an ice cream van selling ice creams to a long queue of people...people were actually sat there at one point..lol And people think I'm rain obsessed..lol

Soggy picnic table..to the right.

So once we unbuckled, we set about trying to take photos of the view with My Love's phone camera..lol. Not the easiest of phones to work for me..so please forgive the quality. It was then a mission to photograph my lunch options. I was so excited to find four! lol. So first up was this little beauty...

This was refreshing and delicious..

Sprouted Pea & Bean Salad with a mint dressing. I didn't have the dressing as I'm not really a dressing person and I'm trying to keep my fats and sugars at a low. In this salad was sprouted chickpeas and aducki beans, fresh green peas and edamame beans and pea shoots. I ate half of this and then noticed My Love was looking at it longingly and I offered the remaining over..Could I really watch My Love eat green things again? I held my breath...a mouthful was tried..no reaction...and then the rest was devoured. I was delighted to say the least...

Oh my goodness..this salad was heaven...

Nutty Grain and Vegetable Salad with soy & ginger dressing. This was my next choice and as I peeled back the wrapper the smell that hit me was divine. The nuttiness, graininess and the veggies were heaven to me. As with the previous salad, the dressings were in little pots inside the salad and this time I shook it up and drizzled the tiniest amount..no more than 8 drops..onto the salad and then mixed it in. I can't begin to tell how much I enjoyed this salad..munching away with my feet up on the dashboard watching the river and rain with My Love sat next to me..Happy moment for sure. OK back to the salad..lol. In this salad was white quinoa, black eyed peas, carrots, faro, broccoli, peas, green beans, unsalted peanuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, coriander, pistachio nuts and poppy seeds. And OK it's a little high in fats but I refuse to feel guilty about it. It was good fats..and heaven!

Multi Seeded Roll..bird food in the end..lol

This was the little multi seeded roll that I picked up in case I couldn't find a grainy salad. It was very tasty so I suspect full of sugar. I didn't eat it all and the remaining became a picnic for the birds. I really didn't need it as my salads were more then enough but..it's bread..and I have issues with bread abuse..Urgh. But I did share in the end..lol.

My lunch today as I type this..Mmmm tasty..lol

Rainbow Vegetable Salad with a honey & lime dressing. Now obviously I haven't had the dressing with mine..and wouldn't anyway. But this lovely little salad bowl has giant cous cous, carrots, edamame beans, chickpeas, green lentils, red pepper, spinach, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pomegranate seeds, rocket, parsley, mint and a little sunflower oil. It's another refreshing salad and each mouthful a pure pleasure to eat. But as always I could have lived without the sunflower oil. But that's just my oil-phobic ways I guess.

This little lovely is tomorrows lunch..

Edamame Soya Bean Salad with a chilli and coriander dressing. I fear I may have to have a few drops of this dressing..it's chilli after all. But I am looking forward to the simplicity of this salad..in it are broad beans, edamame beans, sugar snap peas, green beans, rocket and coriander. Very green and very tasty no doubt.

I also bought a lush Conference Pear to go with my lunch but was so stuffed with salad I brought it home with me. lol. Our car picnic was a success indeed.

Next stop was to the Tree Sculpture that we saw when we was at the Farmers Market the weekend before. The site where the market is held was only a stones throw away...

Please remember it was pouring with rain and despite this I think My Love got some good shots..lol. Yep I had forgotten my coat so it was up to My Love to brave the rain and take these..things we do for this blog..lol

This was the little fella with eyes that followed me every where as I walked at the market. It's a little freaky..lol

And now for the back view...

The rose carving is beautiful close up..and the rope carvings are symbolic too..

So that was the tales of our Bank Holiday...we were both a lot weary when we got home..My Love especially so. But we both agreed it was worth it. Hope your Easter holidays were full of fun..in whatever form it came..

Thanks for stopping by...and I hope your Tuesday is a good one...

~R~

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