Lunch of Artichoke

So you're home alone and lunch time comes around.  Thoughts of " instant, defrost and heat-up" are high up there on the thought list and it sounds all-so-convenient!
and....while we're at it, maybe the need to dash in between ad-breaks to the kitchen and back again to that oh-so-comfy spot you were at,  are high up there too lurking and filling up a huge section of your thought system.  Familiar? :)

Well, this is a life I could choose everyday.  Moreover, I wouldn't actually have to do all that running in between ads too cause I'll have the house-keeper (Gloria) to do all that. Oh, c'mon! of course I know the "once-in-a-while" argument

  I've played it in my crazy mind of mine so so many times not including thoughts of the amount of calories I could potentially burn while running to the kitchen and back and of course shamefully thinking that that would be sufficient exercise for the day cause I'll actually have to prepare my own food when

Gloria's not around -by heating. 

Hey, but guess what?  I've discovered the celebration of food -  the beauty of taking delight in the whole process, the preparing, choosing what you eat and having a good meal !

It's all so wonderfully therapeutic.

 When you feel good inside, it shows  plus the extra trouble you'll initially put in, like the need to wash those fresh veges will spare you some time at the gym and if you're anything like me, you'll tend to feel incredibly great, self delusional and tend to dance around a bit in front of the mirror <smiles>

...........

 I'm mostly alone at lunch now, which is actually less stressful for me because honestly,  I'm a very slow eater- I'm sure people who know me won't contest except for a certain Miss Rachel cause she's by far the slowest eater I know - no honestly, when the waiter comes, we're all like,
 " Give it to Rachel !"

Thank God mum understood my need to chew real slow from a young age.  At that disturbing adolecent age too, I didn't even speak much, so she used to keep portions on my plate at meal times. 

But hey, I left home when I was 17,
so not  much fun when you actually have to scavenge for food that's right in front of you, have the whole
 waiter - hovering-over- you- scene cause the restaurant needs to shut down and the list goes on. 

At the Unda's,  it's no different. The Unda's are super fast eaters - I'm still figuring out the whole ice-cream parlour experience with them - how did they eat it up all so quickly and in mid-winter? Beats me.
Moreover, this thing I do also really doesn't help

-  I take breaks while eating, honestly like 10 minute ones
 ( I'm working on toning this down a bit especially when in the midst of others)

 Anyways. here's my afternoon with the artichoke. Even when alone, set your meal nicely wherever you're most comfy at - perhaps on a pretty tray too if you're not close enough to a dining table, try to have a balanced meal that's not too prosessed and enjoy every bite cause it'll surely make you feel good!  

 (I would have had a glass of white wine with my meal too but failed to discover where the mother-in-law keeps it all !)



Lots of veges and a piece of meat on a nice lined tray, a touch of chili for the meat ,
salt, pepper & extra virgin olive oil for the salad 



This was the stage I arrived at during my 10 minute break -  getting to the heart of the artichoke (the yummy bit)

1 hour later,  thanks to Luis, who took the trouble ( a couple of days before) and had had the patience to teach me to get to the "yummier" bits - to get through all that spine the artichoke has without causing a mess of the beautiful artichoke
 & more importantly, without causing any injury to the fingers
Oh, my newest craze ! -  The Artichoke.   I'm kooky about it also because of its nutritional value - it reduces cholesterol, aids in digestion, strengthens our liver and gall bladder function !
The Artichoke -  who new? :)