Green Smoothie

Though I try hard not to be swayed by trends, in fashion, in food, or in general, occasionally I hop on a bandwagon and am really really glad I did.  I have been seeing green smoothies everywhere recently, especially on health and fitness boards and on PInterest, and I thought, "okay, another smoothie fad for the health nuts, no big deal."  And really, that's true.  Green smoothies are a trend in keeping with the occasional resurgence of smoothies and shakes as the fitness gold standard; they are a delivery system for the kinds of things that most people don't get enough of, like greens and fruits.  I tend to avoid shortcuts like that, when possible, because I think eating a nutritionally complete meal like roast chicken, kale and sweet potatoes for dinner is better than drinking a green smoothie for breakfast, feeling nutritionally superior and then having a nutritionally dismal dinner.

But, The Husband is on one of his periodic smoothie kicks and I've been looking for a way to get more bang for my buck nutritionally, so I thought of smoothies.  I need all the help I can get, health-support-wise, because I'm in training for a really demanding run and my body will need lots and lots of support over the next few months to meet the demands I plan to put on it.  I want to stay healthy and run lots and lots and lots of miles.  A smoothie can be a fantastic way to support your body and get some of the things your body most needs to maintain itself.  To be clear, this is a recipe for a breakfast smoothie, not a run recovery shake.  This is for daily nutrition and not for the more specific needs for right before or after a long-distance run. It's just breakfast.

I chose this combo of stuff because it is really high in vitamin C, potassium, vitamin K, calcium and other antioxidants.  It's also very high in fiber.  Yum, fiber.

Alice's Green Smoothie
Nouns-
1-2 handfuls kale
1/2 cup mango chunks, fresh or frozen
1 banana
1/2 cup to 1 cup orange or tangerine juice

Verbs-
Put the stuff in the blender, starting with only 1/2 cup OJ.  Blend, adding OJ to reach desired consistency.  Drink.  Don't be afraid of the kale.  The smoothie tastes good.  Really!

Brunch!

Italian Eggs


Nouns:
8 eggs
1 package cream cheese (the brick, not the tub)
1 bag shredded Italian Cheese blend
2 tbsp milk
2/3 cup tomato sauce

Verbs:
Preheat oven to 350.  Mix the eggs, milk and cream cheese together in a mixer until thoroughly blended.  Stir in the cheese.  Spread the tomato sauce on the bottom of a greased 9X9 baking dish.  Carefully pour egg mixture over the sauce, trying not to mix the sauce into the eggs.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

YUM!


Greek Frittata
Nouns:
1 half onion, diced
1 half red pepper, diced
1/4 cup jarred artichoke hearts, drained
6 oz breakfast sausage
2/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Thyme and Oregano to taste.

Verbs:
Brown the sausage in a frying pan, then add the onion, peppers and artichoke hearts, cooking until onions are translucent.  Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and then pour over the sausage and veggies in the frying pan, keeping the heat on medium high for a few minutes.  Add the herbs if using.  Sprinkle the feta over the top, turn the pan to low and cover.  Cook until eggs are set.

YUM!

Broccoli and Ham Quiche with Potato Crust

I had turkey ham leftover from last week's ham and noodles, so this week's meal plan included a quiche!  Delish.  It is hard to find commercial pie crusts without lard in them sometimes, and I'm not a baker, so I don't make my own.  Thus, I use a potato crust.  It goes thusly:

Quiche


Nouns:
2 potatoes, thinly sliced
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups cheddar, grated
1 cup steamed broccoli florets
3/4 cup cubed ham
1 small onion, diced
pinch of nutmeg

Verbs:
Preheat an oven to 350.  Grease a pie tin, and spread the thin slices of potato along the bottom and sides, overlapping edges so the entire area is covered.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, then remove and let cool.  Fill the tin with broccoli, ham, onion and cheese.  Whip the eggs together, add the milk and nutmeg.  Pour the egg mixture over the filling in the pie tin.  Bake for 45-60 minutes.  Yummm!