{almost Spring} break + link to GREEN foods

Spring is coming to the East Coast… gone are my YakTrax, big boots, and mittens,

but it's still very much winter when you look around. We'll give it a few more weeks!

So, we're still embracing the snow. A last hurrah, after what seemed like a very long winter.

My stash of homemade freezer meals is still very much appreciated-- especially recipes like Red Coconut Curry {pictured here after a full day of skiing}, Roasted Carrot-Cashew Pesto, Loaded Veggie Calzones, Enchiladas and Greek Stuffed Peppers.

Nothing beats being able to put a homemade dinner on the table in mere minutes, with minimal effort. I've got dinner 100% under control.

But, as the seasons change, I'm starting to peel off the layers and starting to think about how I can clean up my care routine a bit. The first thing I've done is get back on a regular vitamin routine. While I eat healthfully, it's still hard to get enough of important vitamins. But, honestly, I wasn't sure what to take on a regular basis. I've found a company-- ALOHA-- that makes it easy for me with their "Daily Foundation" packets.

And while you're checking out their products-- if you feel like you also want a treat-- I recommend their "Superfood Chocolate" too. Yum. Big fans of it over at our house. 

As an affiliate for Aloha, I have a 15% off link off of purchases over $50. Just click here and use code  15ALOHA50. Perfect for busy moms, like me, who want to perk up, but need someone to tell them what to take!

We're on school break for the next two weeks, so it's going to be quiet here on the blog but by the time I'm back, hopefully the snow will have melted, and we can celebrate Spring with some new, quick and easy recipes. In the meantime, a few of you have asked me for some good "green" ideas for St. Patrick's Day, and I've got you covered. Here's a Pinterest Board full of ideas! And here's a round-up  of green food ideas I assembled a while back, plus if you're looking for a clean idea, this is a fav. 

Please note, this post contains affiliate links. Same price of goods to you, but I earn a small commission for recommending products I use and honestly recommend to my friends. The small earnings keep the blog from hobby status… win-win for both of us. 

maintaining swell: a detox-friendly recipe for an Herb-Walnut Frittata + this one happens to be St. Patrick's Day friendly as well!

While there's a sense of accomplishment {in addition to looser jeans} when you finish Mark Hyman MD's 10-day detox, for me, I knew I was going to have to expand my repertoire of delicious recipes that stuck to similar parameters {sugar, dairy and gluten-free} in order to continue to feel good {and lose a few more of the lbs that had crept on in my 40s}. I still start most every day with one of the protein-packed smoothies from his book. That's been an easy habit to adopt, that keeps me feeling energetic all morning long.  

{BTW, if you're just joining me, and have no idea what this detox is that I am talking about, you might like to read the back story here. And if you're on Facebook, you can join my adventure in getting back to "swell" here.} 

Alright, so I am a few weeks out now, and I've realized I am a better mom...and wife...and friend if I continue to integrate a few of the other detox principles into my every day life. The pic above was snapped by one of my kids. Despite looking like I am death-gripping the wheel, I'm not stressed. This is my norm. I spend most of my afternoons/evenings driving to and fro, right up until dinnertime.

Which is why this pic my little one snapped of me a few weekends ago is also key. I need to make time to get outside. Daily.

That was one of the tenets of the 10 Day Detox, but when your normal walking route looks like this {pretty, but that's a 4" tick slab of ice, people}, sometimes it's hard to rally.

So, what's a girl to do when winter just will not melt away?

Yak Tracks. Don't laugh. They work.

I also need to just take some time to relax. Each and every day. If I can take one of the detox baths, great. But if there's no tub, or my family needs me, then I need to unplug and recharge my own batteries.

And then there are the meals. I loved that each of the meals in the 10-day detox was chosen for me, and that each one was delicious… that made it easy to follow. There's some comfort in knowing exactly what to eat and when. But after I was done with the detox, and had cycled through the rest of the recipes in subsequent weeks, my mind started to wander. I'm not really one to follow recipes per se, but I read cooking magazines like some read romance novels.

Since wrapping up the detox, I've started looking at recipes differently. Some I zero in on right away and am thrilled I can add them to my repertoire. Others I know I'll have to tinker with until I get a new version perfect for the way I want to eat. Recently, I flipped through a cookbook on a friend's counter and saw a recipe for an Herb-Walnut Frittata that looked delicious and pretty post-detox-friendly. But I knew I could tinker with it a bit and make it even better. So, I did so and recently shared the new iteration with a family-owned market in our town.

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know I am a fan of anything that can be made ahead. And if a recipe can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner, even better! For this recipe, I made a thick "pesto" of various herbs, greens and nuts, and I warmed the pesto to gently toast the nuts.

Then, using the same food processor, I whisked the eggs, poured them over the pesto...

gave it a whisk...

and popped it in the oven to bake.

Voila!

The first evening I made it, we enjoyed it warm for dinner.

The next morning, I served it warm for breakfast, with some Applegate Farms chicken sausages on the side.

And a few days later, I was thrilled to find some leftover, which I had room temp for lunch. If you'd like to see a few of the original recipes that inspired me here's one, here's another and here's another. My version bumps up the good fat, omits dairy, and makes enough so a family of four has plenty of leftovers!

Herb-Walnut Frittata
{makes 8 servings}

1 cup raw walnuts
4 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh cilantro
2 cups fresh parsley
2 cups chard, spinach or kale
1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons grapeseed, olive or walnut oil
8 eggs, whisked

Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, combine the walnuts, garlic, cilantro, parsley, leafy greens, scallions. Pulse until a thick pesto is formed. Add salt & pepper {to taste}. Add the oil to a 10" oven-proof skillet. Saute the pesto until the nuts become fragrant. Turn the burner off and whisk in the eggs. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the center of the frittata is set. {It will spring back when touched.} Frittata may be served warm, room temp, or cold. Any leftover frittata will keep, in the fridge, for 3-4 days. 

I know this recipe might have caught some of your eyes because it's so perfect for St. Patrick's Day. Looking for other green food ideas? I've got you covered! Click here to go to my Pinterest board where I've gathered a few of my favorites for my family. Enjoy!

Note: The above links will take you to Amazon. When you click, it takes you to their website, and anything you purchase there will help support swellmom and the full plate blog. Thanks in advance for the support.  

green foods for St. Patrick's Day (or any day!)

Want to whip up something green for St. Patrick's Day? I've got you covered! Click here for a whole Pinterest board of (healthy) green foods!

don't get pinched! 2012 green food round-up

For my friends with little ones "who don't like green veggies": here's your chance to make some pint-sized converts! Take advantage of St. Patrick's Day by serving up a whole day of delicious green foods! Lucky you, I've added to last year's lucky green food round-up, and have also included some recipe ideas from other blogs that inspire me. Scroll down this list and you'll be able to come up with a whole day of delicious green recipes:

Green Breakfasts and Smoothies

• Green Eggs and Ham (from 100 Days of Real Food)
• Spinach Frittata
• Avocado Scrambled Eggs with Salsa (from Food and Whine)
• Chard Scrambled Eggs on Toast
• Creamed Kale and Eggs (from Deliciously Organic)
• Egg Sandwiches with Pesto
• Green Tea Smoothies (from Jeanette's Healthy Living)
• Green Smoothie (from NourishMD)
• Avocado Smoothie (from Whole Family Fare)

Green Snacks and Treats

• Greenie Pineapple Popsicles (from The HopeFULL company)
• Kiwi Fro-Yo Shake (from Simplicious Magazine)
• Cucumber Cups (fill with your favorite dip, spread, hummus, etc)
• Edamame Hummus Two Ways (with and without nuts)
• Kale Guacamole (from NourishMD)
• Healthier Guac (from Simple Bites)
• Bright Green Pea Dip
• Spinach Dip (aka "What To Make When They Won't Eat Sauteed Spinach")
• Pea Shoots from Trader Joe's
• Kale Chips (from The Lunch Tray)
• Baked Zucchini Chips
• Crispy Sesame Green Bean "Fries" (from The Joy of Clean Eating)

Green Sides

• Sauteed Mizuna 
• Vibrant Green Beans (from 101 Cookbooks)
• Roasted Broccoli
• Roasted Brussel Sprouts
• Grilled Asparagus
• "Starter Salads" (from Real Mom Nutrition)
• Super Easy, Zesty Cucumber-Dill Salad
• Kale Salad (from Dinners in the 415)
• Snappy Pea-Quinoa Salad (from My New Roots)
• Emerald Salad (from Sprouted Kitchen)

Green Dinners

• Kale Pesto Pizza (from Sweet Potato Chronicles)
• My Go-To (Make-Ahead) Spinach Lasagna
• Spinach Risotto (semi-homemade with a little help from Trader Joe's...)
• Homemade Ricotta Spinach Gnocchi (from Food and Whine)
• (Make-Ahead) Greens & Cheese Pie
• Individual Asparagus Gratins
• Caramelized Onion and Green Tartine (from Sprouted Kitchen)
• Homemade Basil Pesto
• Sunflower-Basil Pesto (from Whole Family Fare)
• Cilantro-Walnut Pesto
• Minted Pea Soup (from My New Roots)
• Hearty Spinach Turkey Lentil Quinoa Soup
• Bok Choy Noodle Bowl (from happyolks)
• Simple Beans and Greens Soup
• Chicken with Giada's (Amazing) Basil Sauce
• Chicken with Asparagus Ketchup (from Dinner: A Love Story)

lucky green foods

If you're Irish, or really like to drink green beer, then tomorrow's a big day. I briefly considered taking my boys into the city for the St. Patrick's Day parade... until I was told by numerous sources that was a ridiculously bad idea. So much for being festive, hmm? And so, we'll be giving a nod to the holiday by eating three green meals. (I guarantee this is more exciting for me than for them.) At some point this afternoon, the plan was to bake Irish Soda bread. But it's almost 6pm and I was letting the Legos entertain so I could write this post. Now I think we have missed our baking window. Good thing my kids get up at 6am so we've got plenty of time to bake in the morning. (Someone's trying really hard to see the bright side of things.) Anyway, I wanted to share our favorite green-themed recipes to hopefully provide some delicious inspiration:

We'll be having a spinach and zucchini frittata for breakfast. For lunch, I think I'll make open-faced pesto & goat cheese sandwiches with a side of edamame and grapes, if I can find organic ones. (If you are so inspired, here's my favorite pesto recipe...though I plan to just buy a tub of it.) And for dinner, I've got spinach thawing on the counters now so I can whip up a big batch of my absolute favorite greens & cheese pie.

I love this dish, and find it can stand alone as dinner with the hearty filling.

But, I have a little one that exclaimed that he "hates spinach!!!" while we were marketing today, so I'll be serving chicken with Giada's Basil Sauce for dinner too, if I'm inspired to keep on cooking tomorrow. If not, then I'll just toss some chicken on the grill and drizzle it with the pesto from lunch. Realistically, that's the way I'll go. (But yes, to those who wonder...he will still get a nice child-size serving of the greens & cheese pie because I am fairly certain that proclamation was just to get a rise out of me. It seems to be a theme this week.)

For those looking for something equally comforting, but pasta-based, you could always whip up a batch of baked spinach-macaroni & cheese. I never wrote a recipe up for the batch above, but here's a good one I found online.

My spinach lasagna freezes beautifully, so you can make a meal for tomorrow and tuck another dish or two away in the freezer for busy school nights.

Making the meal festive could be as simple as swapping out your regular pasta for spinach noodles (found at just about every market these days). Top with an Alfredo, a homemade basil pesto, my cilantro-walnut pesto, a store bought pesto, or your favorite sauce.

Way back when I gave Trader Joe's risotto a spin, and it wasn't half bad for risotto in a hurry. You may remember, we called it "Monster Mush" to get it down the hatches around here. For tomorrow you can call it "Lucky Green Risotto" or "Leprechaun's Favorite"...whatever you've got to do...

For pizza fans, how about picking some of these crusts up and putting out a selection of green toppings: pesto or cream sauce, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, green pepper slices, arugula, green olives, artichoke hearts, capers, peas, snow peas, fresh oregano...you get the gist...

If it's cold and rainy by you tomorrow (like it was here today) then maybe my Simple Beans & Greens Soup would be your thing with a hunk of Irish Dubliner or Coolea cheese and some crusty bread on the side for dipping.

Roasted brussel sprouts are super simple, and green.

If you can get asparagus by you already, then you'll like this vegetarian idea: Asparagus Gratins. We served it as a side last Easter, but it could also be the highlight of a meatless meal, served alongside a nice salad.

Now, I know that many of you are hitting the town, so maybe a quick dip idea is more your speed. If so, I'd recommend one of my edamame hummus recipes like this one or this one.

And last but not least, there's that reminder it's spring in the bright green color of my super simple pea dip. It's not often that you get a holiday that encourages green foods, so here's to both a healthful and delicious day of meals!