280/365 Sinful Spinach and Ham Quiche

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

This is the last recipe I made from my cooking weekend and oh is it sinful. The part that makes it to so bad is that each serving has 14g of fat (you can see full nutrition details here); it's also low in fiber but has 12g protein. Sadly, all the nutrition from the spinach in this doesn't really cancel out the bad stuff. Despite all of this, everything in moderation. I can eat a 243 calorie slice of this mostly guilt free so long as I keep track of my other fat intake for the day. Eating it slowly is difficult but it helps me savor it more and lets my hormones tell my brain that yes, this is a good amount of calories and you're full. I made this recipe up based on a lot of ones that I saw online, I am very pleased.

Ingredients:
1 frozen deep dish pie crust, stab the bottom and sides with a fork
2 tbsp EVOO
1/2 cup onions
1 10 oz. frozen spinach package
2 eggs
4 oz. crumbled Feta
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. skim milk
1/4 lbs honey baked ham deli meat, sliced into matchsticks

Recipe:
1. Preheat oven at 350F
2. Saute onions and garlic in EVOO
3. Combine spinach, onion, and herbs. Pour into pie crust.
4. Beat eggs in bowl. Add milk and cheese. Pour mixture over veggies.
5. Bake 55 min

Too good, seriously. I can't wait to eat this right now; this picture doesn't do it justice.

In health,

Lauren

247/365 Mushroom-Spinach Pasta

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Since I had leftover raw mushrooms and thyme, I decided to try to make a cream sauce for pasta. This recipe was inspired foremost from my mother since she makes this wonderfully herbed mushroom sauce and a recipe from a book called 400 Sauces: Dips, Dressings, Salsas, Jams, Jellies & Pickles; How to Add Something Special to Every Dish for Every Occasion, from Classic Cooking Sauces to Fun Party Dips by: Catherine Atkinson, Christine France, Maggie Mayhew (longest book title ever, sorry!). Is this dish healthy? Not particularly but, it is delicious. The heavy cream and butter aren't so bad as long as you don't drink the sauce after you've eaten the pasta, mushrooms, and spinach.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 box of mushrooms (any kind), chopped to bite size pieces (the little, blue plastic bins at the grocery store)
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
a couple sprigs of parsley chopped or 1/2 tsp parsley flakes
2 cloves garlic
salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 cups of fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
favorite pasta (I chose Cavatappi)

Recipe:
1. Heat oil in a pan on medium-low. Add the butter and hear it sizzle.
2. Add the mushrooms, herbs, garlic, and salt; stir it every so often. About 7 min in, while the mushrooms are still cooking, add the fresh spinach on top so that it will wilt; put a cover on the pan; turn the spinach over so that it will cook evenly.
3. Meanwhile, cook your pasta to al dente.
4. When the mushroom is cooked and tender, take off the lid, and turn the heat up so that any excess water will cook off. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Once excess water is cooked off, add the cream and bring it to a boil. After it's boiled, put the lid back on and turn off the heat.
5. After your pasta is ready, drain it, pour it into a bowl, then immediately pour the mushroom-spinach sauce over the pasta. Top with cheese if desired.

I was rather impressed with the simplicity and flavor of this dish. I hope you enjoy!

In health,

Lauren

222/365 Sweet Potato Gnocchi and Spinach

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

This recipe is from a cook book called Bowl Food: Comfort Food for People on the Move. Admittedly, this book isn't really concerned about your health. It's delicious food, just not the most health conscious. Still, it's a great cook book that I was turned on to by Kelby's mother.

Due to copyright issues, I probably shouldn't post the recipe on here since it's from them. It's essentially gnocchi made with sweet potatoes served with this fantastic spinach sauce. The sauce is a mix of bacon, onion, cooking sherry, and butter. It's a simple, time intensive recipe but, well worth the effort. In order to make this somewhat healthy, I cut out most of the fat from the bacon (but what's the point of bacon in a dish without the fat) and doubled up on the spinach. Perhaps this shouldn't even be an entry in here but it tastes so good and there's about 2 lbs of spinach in it which should be enough to make it worthy for this healthy blog...so there!

Anyway, it's fantastic and I'm happy to eat for the next two weeks, as I do with all of my major food productions, since I'm up here alone.

In health,

Lauren

218/365 Super Spinach

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Popeye loved it and so do I...it's SPINACH!

I did not always find spinach to be so good except in spinach dip and my mom's dish called "soupy rice." Eventually I realized how delicious spinach was with its delicate texture whether it's cooked or fresh and its beautiful color. You can eat it in salads or wilt it in practically any dish to make it healthier.

Spinach is an anti-oxidant high in vitamin K (important for bone health), vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, and iron. It comes from the same famiy as "broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard and turnip greens, collards, and kale. (WHF)" All of these show anti-cancer properties; spinach is especially effective against prostate cancer.

It is recommended that you eat 1 cup of dark, leafy greens (fresh) once a day. You'll notice that if you cook them, they wilt and are equivalent to about 1/2 cup. It's easy to do and great for you.

In health,

Lauren

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=43