Fried rice. I am going to talk to you about fried rice because it is a recipe we probably all have, or know a good restaurant to order some from. A nutritious, easy and delicious meal that brings comfort and delight. Fried rice can be as complex or as simple as you like. The recipe I will share is not complex, but easy, and has so many things you can addd or subtract based on your feelings, the content of your fridge and the items in your freezer. 

School has just begun here in Bahrain, and at the beginning of the school year is the curriculum evening. This means the kids need feeding, I need to get dressed to go out, and everything needs to be done in the space of half an hour. In my freezer is cooked rice and a bag of mixed chopped (organic) veggies. I had eggs in the fridge and soy sauce. Add some fresh broccoli and garlic and the meal is almost ready! Of course you could add many things to your fried rice, such as;

• Chicken
• Prawns
• Coriander
• Ginger
• Chilli
• Fresh, instead of frozen vegetables
• Corn
• Kale
• Fresh herbs

The list really is endless. That is what is so wonderful about fried rice. If you’re feeeling under the weather add more aromatics, if you haven’t got many veggies then stick to peas, you can make it vegetarian or vegan, you could even make cauliflower rice to make it paleo! It can be whatever you need it to be. Sometimes we look to such complex meals to provide nutrition and sustenance, when all we need is something simple with all the good stuff in it

The amount of frozen cooked rice made enough for dinner for my 3 children and my girls had the leftovers for lunch the next day (they enjoyed it cold) and were happy to have a break from the regular sandwich. It’s also a good meal to keep in the fridge over the weekend for busy times and hungry mouths 

I enjoy cooking for my family, giving them food I know is good for them and having them happily eat it

I hope you are loving easy food

FAST FRIED RICE

2 cups cooked rice (I used white basmati)

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, rinsed and partially defrosted

1 cup chopped broccoli

2 eggs, beaten

1tsp garlic powder

1tsp ginger powder

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1tsp fish sauce

1Tbsp sesame oil

Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the ginger, garlic, soy sauce and fish sauce. Put to the side

In a large fry pan, wok or pot place the sesame oil and heat until hot

Add the rice and coat in the oil

Then add the vegetables and mix together, heating everything through

Make a hole in the middle of the rice and vegetables and pour in the beaten egg

Let the egg cook slightly, then mix it into the rice

Let it all cook together until everything is hot

Serve when ready

This post won’t have recipes. Sorry. This post is about throwing a party together for two little boys who just turned two within a week of one another, boys who love dinosaurs, trains and blocks. And two little expat boys who have a lot of people who love them

A friend posted about children’s birthday parties and how, as expat kids, they don’t have their extended families or kids they grew up with around to celebrate their birthdays. How on a weekend, a short period of time anywhere you go, it can seem a bother to make time to attend a birthday party of a child you hardly know. But also, how precious it is to make the time to celebrate this child when they are away from their point of origin, take your kids and have a good time. And maybe this is true for expat adults too, away from home and your origins, in a new place, no anchors

So my wonderful friend and I hosted a birthday party together for our little boys. For friends we have known, the most part, less than a year. But who are so part of our lives and in our hearts. Because that seems to be expat life. An understanding that you are out of your comfort zone, making the new place your comfort zone, enjoying the people and the moments as they are happening, and knowing that you are likely to do it all again in a couple of years time with different people

We had a dinosaur theme and used Pinterest and our imaginations. An amazing cake made by Ms E, a carved dinosaur head from a watermelon, fairy bread and biscuits. Then friends catered with tacos for the adults and we cooked sausages for the kids. The drinks flowed and fun was had. The kids played and enjoyed themselves, as did the parents

It was a wonderful time. It was an event produced from love, for two little boys we love. Was it easy? It was as easy as we made it

Take the time to celebrate with your friends, and invite people who may become your friends. The expat journey is a fun, wild ride that is best enjoyed with others

I hope you enjoyed this instalment of loving easy food