Healthy lunch
It’s been an unsettling week the last week, where you sort of start to wonder if you all of a sudden found yourself in a really bad movie… The week started with the funeral of my brother’s father in law who passed away the week before. I then got a phonecall a day later from my sister that her husband’s brother had died at the age of 57. Then Tom received a phonecall that the father of a close friend died and to top it off, another father of another friend died in that same week as well. If things weren’t already bad enough, on top of that my MIL was admitted to the hospital on thursday. I mean…. seriously; what is going on?? Even though we did not know all the people that died intimately it is always hard to see the people you love suffer due to these things.
We all know that life can be hard at times and we all know that it has an ending at some point, but some of the people above were really not that old and are really not that old. Ofcourse, I know that things can get worse and I will be the first person to rationalize things and to realize that these things just happen. The week before when I was at the gym, I heard that one of the little kids who comes there every week died at the age of three due to a virus that attacks the brain (I honestly don’t know all the english terms for things like this..) Three years old… now that is just unbelievable and make my skin crawl when I think about it. So yes, dying at 57 is certainly not fair and far too young, but dying at 3…. I can only imagine the pain the parents must go through! My heart goes out to them..
So if I am a little absent from your blogs lately and don’t post as often as usual… now you know why… 
It does make you more aware of your own lifestyle and the things that can be improved in that area. There has been little to no cooking the last week, a week that was emotionally hard, especially for Tom and maybe we consumed a bit more wine than we normally do. So yesterday, I felt that we should snap out of it and at least take care of ourselves through times like these especially. If we don’t take care of our bodies then how can our minds cope with the challenges ahead, right?
So today I figured would be a perfect day for a lovely healthy lunch. The weather – believe it or not – is back to snow again and while doing the grocery shopping I got into some sort of snowblizzard! It’s not staying at the temperature is slightly above zero, but still… weird weather for sure! I browsed a little on the Donna Hay website, always a great source of inspiration and I found this lovely salad. I had to work in the morning so I was a bit late with the shopping, so by the time the salad was finished we were both quite anxious to tug into the plate! See that magazine being turned in the photo on the left? That is Tom patiently going through a magazine while I take a photo. Arguably not the best foodstyling for this styling, but I couldn’t be bothered to make it look prettier as I was a bit hungry too!
The salad is lovely and very quick to put together. If it wasn’t for the bacon that needs to be grilled it would literally be tossed together in a heartbeat!The original recipe is from Donna Hay magazine, issue 37.
crispy honey mustard bacon salad
- 4 rashers (220g) bacon, rind removed
- 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 400 g cans white (cannellini) beans, drained
- ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 80g baby rocket (arugula) leaves
honey mustard dressing
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon water
To make the honey mustard dressing, place the mustard, honey and water in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
Place bacon on a baking tray and cook under a pre-heated hot grill for 5–8 minutes or until golden and crispy. Drain on absorbent paper and break into pieces. Place bacon, tomatoes, beans, parsley, rocket and half the honey mustard dressing in a bowl and toss to combine. Divide between plates and serve with the remaining dressing on the side. Serves 2.
I loved the little crumbly bits of bacon that go through the salad, which gives it that nice crunch and that little bit of saltiness that it needs. Try it out, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I can see this go really well with some feta tossed it to make it vegetarian or smoked chicken, to make it more meaty… It’s lovely!
Patiently waiting untill the photos are taken
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, Simone, what a horrible week you’ve had! I’m so sorry.
This salad looks like what I should be eating right now. I have most of the ingredients, and it would probably be better for me than samourai sauce. (heh, heh). I think you’ve given me an idea for dinner. Thanks!
I am so sorry you’ve had such an emotional and difficult week. For some reason, it sometimes seems like things come in waves. Glad you are taking care of yourself–you are right that you must take care of your body in order to be as steady/calm mentally as you want to be. The salad looks delicious, and I think your foodstyling is just grand.
Sorry to hear about your difficult week Simone. You’re right in saying that you need to look after yourselves. Te salad looks satisfying, simple and I def love those crunchy bacon pieces scattered throughout. Take care….
Wow. I’m sorry you’ve had such a rough week. Lately I’ve been reflecting on how I can have a healthier lifestyle, too.
Sorry to hear about your difficult times… I hear you.. I have been absent literally, with a tragic loss of our friend’s husband in an accident. she is left with 2 little kids. Sigh.. life is so darn difficult.
What a week, Simone.
Don’t forget to take good care of yourself and your husband so you will be strong for those who need you.
That was some week huh? I can almost imagine how difficult that was for you. You’re right we should take care of ourselves not just for us but for the ones we love as well.
The salad looks great,BTW.
Lots of good thoughts headed your way for your friends and family, Simone!
On a lighter note, though, you amaze me that you can make a salad look so beautiful!
Oh Simone, I’m so sorry to hear about your difficult week. We’ve just learnt that P’s mum’s dog died. He was 80kg leonberger and had seriously broken his leg and interrupted a nerve. The injury would have made his life unbearable so they had to let him die.
Life can be pretty tough.
Your salad looks delicious. I should eat more fresh vegetable as I’ve realised recently that we don’t eat enough of it. Have a nice weekend.
Hey Simone.. sending you a huge hug to get you through this difficult time.. and you will.. hang in there and keep your health…
Dear Simone, I feel sorry to have heard about your tough weeks of all the tragic news. Please stay strong, don’t forget to eat … At least, you’ve gotten us all feel a lil’ better with your healthy green salad!! Take care!
Dear Simone, how horrible to hear about your horrible week. But you know what they say na regen komt zonneschijn!
I love your salad it looks so good and I dont even like beans. And I love the way your hubby is waiting for his diner!
I’m so sorry for all your losses. And for the three year old – that’s so sad.
Your salad looks so bright and fresh and delicious – what a patient hubby!
*HUGS*
I’m so sorry about all the troubles you and those close to you are going through. Sometimes it seems like all the painful events happen at once, and it’s that much more difficult to cope with: it can make us feel like there is no joy anywhere anymore. But you are right: we still need to take care of ourselves in the meantime, so that we can stay strong enough to eventually smile again. And taking care of ourselves can be as simple as making a lovely salad…
Tough week- I’m really sorry to hear about all of your losses. You salad looks wonderful, and I really wish you the best in the weeks to come.
I hope the coming week more than makes up for this awful one … I know all of them cannot be the same, some not so good, but some better than all. I love your bean salad, I adore whites beans in my salad with lovely ripened tomatoes – this looks just perfect !
Simone, wow, that is so gorgeous! Why don’t I eat salad more often!!! (Maybe because mine aren’t this beautiful …) So glad you joined me for MM!
This may sound a bit silly, but I think you should open a restaurant full of your simple lunch ideas. They are so easy, but wonderfully delicious and beautiful.
Eek, last comment posted before I finished. Sorry about your terrible week. Hope things start to look up soon!
beans and bacon are staples in my diet and i’m thrilled to see a somewhat lighter way to ingest them. gorgeous photos (and kudos to your companion for his patience).
Lovely salad. I love all the ingredients.
Nisrine
Can’t tell you how much I love your photos, no matter what the object is you always manage to make it so FRESH and VIVID. You have a great talent, you know?
Sawadee from bangkok,
Kris
Simone, I just wanted to tell you that I made this salad for dinner the other night. I didn’t have any rocket, so I used mesclun. I didn’t have any white beans so I used borlotti. I put a little blue cheese in it. See? Exactly your recipe! LOL, this recipe inspired our dinner. Dan thanks you too.
{ 2 trackbacks }