Vacations have many purposes.
It’s not all about doing, going, seeing.
Vacations can also be about reading and relaxing.
Because of this, I don’t feel guilty in the least bit for the way I spent today.
I did absolutely nothing.
Luckily, in doing my nothingness, I ate, so at least I have that to share with you.
Here goes!
Breakfast
Plain yogurt
Raw oatmeal, ground flax and hemp seeds.
Blueberries, strawberries, peaches and red currents.
Drizzled with agave nectar and sprinkled with cinnamon and coconut flakes.
Lunch
Whole wheat pita bread with horseradish hummus
Red cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts and sweet potato falafel.
Junk food cheeze balls (at least they are baked!) and the rest of my peach
Most of my day has been spent reading a book my brother recommended.
In my relaxing, I decided to read while taking a bath.
All was well until I got out and realized while drying off that my left arm felt like it was on fire.
When I looked in the mirror, my entire left shoulder was bright red and there was a bright red line running down to my elbow. The skin was raised and swollen. It looked like I had a huge scar running down the back of my arm.
Upon further investigation, I realized that the medicated muscle pain bath serum had leaked.
Now this stuff is strong. On the bottle, it has a huge warning with very specific requirements for how much of the medication (one small cap) is to go into how much water. It also says the exact temperature the water should be and how long to stay in the bath.
Now, when you use this stuff as recommended, your skin does turn sun-burn red for about 10 minutes after the bath and it feels all prickly and itchy.
The concentrated medication must have gotten wet when I filled the bath and then leaked back into the tub, via my body. About an hour after my bath, the redness and swelling started to go away. Now, everything is back to normal, but it was kind of scary.
I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t take pictures and think about putting them on here. But, common sense wins! I really don’t want nearly naked photos of myself on the internet, so you’ll just have to use your imagination. Think scar. Big, red, puffy, scar then you’ll have it.
Back to the food!
Afternoon Snack
Date with peanut butter, times 2!
(Yes, I do realize there is a piece of fuzz/ cat hair on the date. No, I didn’t realize it until just now. Delectable!)
Dinner
I was going to make the couscous stuffed tomatoes like before, but then decided to change from Northern Africa influenced couscous to Italian influenced couscous. So basically, I didn’t use the same recipe at all. I guess I ought to share the new version as it was even better than the first!
Italian Couscous Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
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6 tomatoes (I only used 3 and had a ton of stuffing left over)
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1/3 cup instant couscous
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1 Tbsp. bruscetta seasoning mix (mine was from Aldi)
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2/3 cup boiling water
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2 cloves garlic, chopped
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2 spring onions, chopped
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1 tsp. capers
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heavy drizzle of olive oil
Method
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Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds and flesh inside the tomato, reserve for later. Turn the tomatoes upside down on a paper towel to drain any excess liquid.
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Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Add the garlic, spring onions, capers and tomato juices. Cook until the onions soften.
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Mix the bruscetta seasoning (probably just a mixture of Italian seasoning, salt, and dried tomatoes) with the dry couscous. Pour the boiling water over and mix well before covering tightly for 5 minutes.
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Mix the cooked ingredients with the cooked couscous and stuff into the prepared tomatoes.
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Microwave on medium power for 3-6 minutes, depending on the size of your tomatoes or bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
I ate one stuffed tomato, along with the remaining stuffing. The other two will be my lunch tomorrow!
I also ate this:
Mixed green salad with another hunk of pan-cooked cheese and balsamic glaze.
Then it was back to my book with a glass of red wine.
Oh, and chocolate blueberry cake. I can’t forget the cake.
Because, eating, reading and relaxing are what vacations are for!
Oh, I just remembered! I did do something today… I cleaned the toilet.
I did have plans to do the whole bathroom, but I only got as far as the porcelain thrown.
Eating Abroad
