Wholesome - But Quick & Easy - Breakfast

First, thank you for humoring me and my very infrequently updated blog. Momming ain't easy and blogging while momming is near impossible; I appreciate your patience and long attention span. Don't give up on me!

We have almost hit the three-month mark of parenthood and despite still being exhausted (that never gets better, eh?) I feel like we have found our groove. Little Guy is sleeping for longer stretches at night, his naps are more regular, I'm getting out of the house and into the sunshine more, and we are actually cooking (almost) all of our meals at home.

However, I'm going back to work in a week or so and that just throws a wrench into everything. So our already annoying, arduous and evil detailed meal planning must become more thoughtful, we'll likely be putting in more time meal prepping on the weekends and in general, food needs to be fast while still being healthy. 

This spring, J took on the gargantuan challenge of completing a round of the Whole 30. This "lifestyle change" (not a "diet") is designed to reset your gut and help you figure out which foods don't agree with you - they might upset your stomach, make you sluggish or gain unnecessary weight (but it isn't all about the scale). Benefits include pinpointing food sensitivities, maintaining a better mood, feeling more energetic (sans sugar-dependence), improving sleeping and digestion, and also losing some weight. J was passionate about getting in the best shape for the Spartan Race of raising a child and this plan helped him get in control of his body and how food made him feel... oh yeah, he also lost close to 50 pounds as he continued it into the summer. I was as supportive as I could be at nine months pregnant and ate on-plan the majority of the time; but when a pregnant woman wants chips or cookies you don't get in her way - plan or no plan. 

I'll go into more specifics in another post (gimme a week, you know..) about the rules, perks and pitfalls of the plan. But for now, I want to focus on how it made us be more mindful and while it translates to more work - everything is cooked at home from fresh ingredients - we're actually saving time (and money) now. Through the plan I have found one of the easiest, cheapest and most delicious breakfasts. The Whole 30 recipe for frittata changed our mornings.  

Even if you don't fully follow "the plan" this is a great cookbook for yummy, healthy meals.

I just made one and without including the time I spent dicing half an onion and one sausage, I only spent NINE MINUTES actively cooking. You're essentially sauteing a few things and cooking the eggs - literally no time. Which means you can do it right before you go to bed with a baby on your hip and reheat in the morning or make fresh in the a.m. I already had the oven on to cook dinner, so I just took a few more minutes to throw it together. 

And this isn't just a "kitchen sink" recipe with a little of this, a little of that, it's a meal you can make while cleaning out your fridge. No leftovers will go to waste when you're making frittata. Your combinations will save you money and suit any palate. The original recipe is for a spinach and sliced tomatoes (yuck!), but the flavors are only limited by your imagination. I always include sauteed onions - the foundation to almost anything delicious, and spinach - 'cause we all need more greens in our life.

You can easily keep it vegetarian with a combination of vegetables or add your favorite protein. I just used a leftover Boar's Head sausage (if you're looking for meats with REAL ingredients and no corn syrup, Boar's Head is worth the extra expense) and some garlic to go Italian. We've used leftover ground beef seasoned with chilis and cumin (from tacos) with mushrooms. I've tossed grilled asparagus and eggplant in, too!  You can even spice it up after it leaves the oven - we love to top our slices with salsa, avocado and Cholula hot sauce.

I encourage you to experiment with this recipe not just for the flavor, but because it will buy you time without feeding yourself or your kids something full of corn syrup and chemicals that will leave them hungry in an hour.


Whole 30 Fritatta

Ingredients:

3 T cooking fat (we use coconut oil)
1/2 onion, diced
8 oz. bag baby spinach*
up to 1/2 a cup of pre-cooked protein (diced sausage, ground beef, crumbled bacon..)
up to 1/2 a cup of diced veggies
6 eggs, beaten

*That's A LOT of spinach, I usually only use a third of the bag since I add in other fillings. 

Method: 

Preheat oven to 500 degrees (or broil setting)*.

Heat cooking fat in medium-sized, oven-safe pan over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent - about 2 minutes - with any other diced vegetables or pre-cooked proteins. Add spinach and stir; cooking until wilted - about 30-60 seconds. Pour eggs in and swirl to cover bottom of the pan evenly; make sure fillings are evenly distributed. Allow to cook until set , but with a little bit of runniness at the very top - about 2-3 minutes. Place in oven until fully set, and lightly browned - about 5 minutes at 500 degrees. Allow to cool a few minutes, then flip out and slice into four pieces. 

* If you are broiling, not cooking at 500, watch closely - it will cook OR BURN more quickly.