Eggs, Soldiers, and Banana Smoothies

It's always the weekends, and never the weekdays, that I find myself wide awake at seven in the morning, and no matter how much I try (counting sheep, reading medical texts, self hypnosis...) I can never get back to sleep. Why doesn't this ever happen to me during the week when I actually need to get up?!

So after rolling around for about an hour, I decided to get up and make breakfast.

Breakfast used to be a luxury for me last year, when I had to leave the house at 7am to get to hospital on time. I maximised sleep, which meant I sacrificed everything else... This year, lectures start a lot later, and it's a lot less travelling time for me, so I've gotten back into the routine of grabbing a bite (brioche roll and gulp of water) before leaving the house. 

I thought I'd something have a bit more substantial though today.

Banana smoothie is a brilliant Saturday morning drink - to replace all the potassium you've lost due to excessive alcohol intake the previous night, hehe! - and effortless as well.

Just put milk, bananas and some (optional) honey into a blender and whizz it up - Banana smoothie in seconds!

Eggs are my favourite breakfast food. I think I could have eggs for breakfast every single day for the rest of my life and never get sick of them. (Not actually gonna try that though, 'cause if I do get sick of them, I wouldn't know what to do...) There's just so many ways to cook them!

I like my eggs super-runny so eggs and soldiers are great. Fun-sized pieces of toast that you can pick up with your fingers and then dip into runny gooey liquid gold! 

My favourite way to make soft-boiled eggs is to boil for a minute, and then to leave it in the pan for a further 5 minutes. Then I run them under a cold water tap so they're easier to handle, and to stop the cooking process so the eggs stay nice and runny.

Egg cups are what I need. Small ramekins like these will hold the egg, but you've gotta keep a hold on it while you dip in the soldiers, otherwise it'll just roll and roll and roll...

Sometimes I just crack the egg into the ramekin as you would do if it was raw! If it's runny enough, it will just slide out as a raw egg would. It doesn't quite look as appetising, but it tastes just as good, and works perfectly as well.

I'm surprised how quick this breakfast took to make, it might just be worth it to get up that 15 minutes earlier each day to enjoy some eggs, soldiers and a banana smoothie!

Smoked Salmon and Courgette / Zucchini Pasta

Now that September is here, it's back to university for me!

That means... lots of lectures to go to, lots of reading to do, lots of work, work and work! So therefore, less time (and money!) to spend on meals. Those summer days of eating out all day everyday are over =( But cooking doesn't have to be a chore. If the meals are easy and quick, yet cheap and delicious, it is more than enjoyable! 

Courgettes or zucchinis are a great summer vegetable and before it goes out of season soon, I want to share a super simple recipe with you!

Only four ingredients needed: dried pasta, smoked salmon trimmings, a courgette, and a lemon.

We'll start off by slicing the courgette. Give it a good wash, because we'll be leaving the skin on, and grab a peeler.

Then, 'peel' off slices of courgette. This is so much quicker and easier than using a knife (especially, if you're prone to cutting yourself instead of your target object, like me)!

You'll then get beautifully uniform and thin slices of courgette, which will cook in seconds!

At this point, start cooking your pasta. (You could even start cooking your pasta at the beginning of the recipe, if you're speedy with the peeler)

Back to the courgettes, drizzle a bit of olive oil over the slices.

Adding the oil to the courgettes, instead of to the pan, means that you use less oil, and you're able to coat each slice much more evenly.

Heat up a frying pan on medium-high heat, and when it's hot, lay down the slices of courgette one by one. The bigger the pan you have, the more you can lay down at once!

After 15-20 seconds, when they start to become transparent and brown a little, flip them over to fry the other side as well. The easiest way to do this is with chopsticks! But I'm sure tongs would work fine too.

Another 15 seconds on the other side will be enough, then take the slices off and set them aside. Repeat with all the remaining slices. Although it seems like a lot of effort, once you get the hang of it, it's really quite quick.

 When the pasta is done, drain it, and add it back to the frying pan with the slices of courgette.

Give it a quick stir, take it off the heat, and add in the smoked salmon. Smoked salmon trimmings are perfect for those on a student budget. It's cheap (£1.50 a pack of 120g at Tesco!), but the smokiness of the salmon makes it feel so much more luxurious, and it doesn't matter that its in little bits either!

Mix it all together, the heat from the pasta and courgettes will be enough to heat up the salmon, without cooking it completely.

Cut your lemon in half and squeeze out the juice. Add it to your pasta, give it all a good toss and your meal is ready!

Dish it all up, serve it with some extra lemon wedges, some black pepper and even some cherry tomatoes if you want!

Singapore: Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands

Many cities are now campaigning to be more green, but Singapore's Gardens by the Bay is built on a concept that really takes everything to the next level. 

It's not about building more parks in the city, its about creating a City in a Garden.

The Supertree Grove is an iconic element of Gardens by the Bay, towering above the rest of the park.These manmade structures have solar panels to collect energy, and are covered with ferns, vines and other climbing plants.

 OCBC is the biggest sponsor of the park, and they don't let you forget it! You can make your way up to the OCBC Skyway (for a small fee) and at night, these trees light up for the OCBC Garden Rhapsody.

At the top of the tallest one is SuperTree by IndoChine. At 50 metres high, it seems like a unique dining experience, so I'm definitely adding to my list for next time!

The outdoor parts of Gardens by the Bay are free, and the paths guide you through the different themed areas of the park. 

There is the World of Plants...

...and there are the Heritage Gardens: Indian, Chinese, Malay and Colonial....

and then there is....

... a floating baby?

You can just see the skyscrapers of Singapore's central business district peeping out in the background.

There are two cooled conservatories at Gardens by the Bay, you can't miss them as they are two massive glass domes. To get inside, the park charges an admission fee. Unfortunately, the Flower Dome was closed on the day we visited, so we were only able to visit the Cloud Forest.

As soon as you enter, you are greeted by a wave of refreshingly cool misty air. It comes the splash at the bottom of the Falls, the world's tallest indoor waterfall.

The mountain is planted with bright and colourful flowers, and you can walk all the way around it, and go up to the top too!

A pond at the top of mountain.

Ah! So that's why, despite all the nature here, there's no insects to be found!

With the water coming down from such a height, it's inevitable that you'll get splashed.

Stalactites or stalagmites? I still remember a neat little trick from primary school to always get it right: Stalactites hang on tite (tight, geddit? =D) to the ceiling!

Over the dragonfly and kingfisher lake is a bridge which allows you to walk to the side of the park which is linked to Marina Bay Sands.

This striking new hotel is the only tall building in the area, and the views from the top are said to be phenomenal. However, access is only for hotel guests or restaurant/bar patrons, otherwise, you'll have to pay for an admission ticket. Here's some gorgeous photos to prove it!

In front of the hotel is The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, selling only the biggest designer brands.

Including a flagship LV store that inhabits its own island!

But fear not! Even if you are broke don't plan on spending, you don't have to stand and watch the more fortunate buy all the items you wish you had, instead, check out this mesmerising whirlpool display.

All the water empties through a hole in this bowl into a pool inside the shopping mall!

Across from the Marina Bay Sands complex is the CBD of Singapore.

Perfect spot for a touristy photo...

...before saying goodbye to the fantastic view of Singapore's skyline, and heading through Marina Bay Sands back to Gardens by the Bay.

What a breathtaking sight to see!