Asparagus, Tomato and Spinach Frittata
I didn’t realize how addicted I had become to curling up in bed with my laptop until my laptop decided to not connect to the internet anymore. It has now become an expensive personal TV on which W can watch Peep and the Big Wide World, which we practically have on permanent loan from the library. (Peep and the egg, that is. Neverevenmind the others.)
Have you ever reached the end of a day and not been able to summon up even a fleeting memory of the past several hours? I might not have noticed had I gone to bed instead of sitting down at the computer to document those hours… they did involve an asparagus frittata, something I hurriedly (and frustratingly, when asparagus is woody and close to the price of platinum) had to test for a spring issue of something or other, so dinner was taken care of early. (W thought it was the Most Revolting Thing Ever, so I made him a pita pizza – first boiling up some cauliflower I had in the freezer which I whizzed with my hand-held immersion blender with some tomato paste and a pinch of Italian seasoning into something I could spread thickly between the whole wheat pita and mozzarella cheese.)
Asparagus, Tomato and Spinach Frittata
AuthorJulie
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet set over medium heat. Sauté the asparagus for 2-3 minutes, then add the tomatoes and garlic to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes, until the tomatoes release their juices. Add the spinach and cook until it wilts.
Meanwhile, stir together the eggs, cheese, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Spread the vegetables into an even layer in the pan and pour the beaten eggs overtop; reduce heat to medium-low and cook the frittata for 5-8 minutes, until the bottom is set. To help it along, gently pull back the sides with a heatproof spatula to allow any uncooked egg to run underneath.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until the top is set and golden. Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet set over medium heat. Sauté the asparagus for 2-3 minutes, then add the tomatoes and garlic to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes, until the tomatoes release their juices. Add the spinach and cook until it wilts.
Meanwhile, stir together the eggs, cheese, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Spread the vegetables into an even layer in the pan and pour the beaten eggs overtop; reduce heat to medium-low and cook the frittata for 5-8 minutes, until the bottom is set. To help it along, gently pull back the sides with a heatproof spatula to allow any uncooked egg to run underneath.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until the top is set and golden. Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold.
I am loving all of your comments, by the way. I read them all. If I’m slow to reply it’s because I am minutes away from hauling this computer out the window, which may very well be my upper body workout for tomorrow. Beside me is a brand spanking new iMac, waiting for me to get up the nerve to take it out of its box and start learning new programs and transferring files. I’m sure rage burns calories? I remember reading about how fidgeting burns an extra several hundred calories a day – I have actually tried to be a fidgety person. It doesn’t work.
You make great points and have great ideas. I’m not against pulling together a little group so that we can all meet in 3D, if enough of you think it would be fun or helpful or just an excuse to get out of the house. We could call it Book Club. Everyone gets a free pass to go out for book club, right? If you’re into it say so, and I’ll see if I can’t nab the community hall or something.
My sister is going forward with this weight loss thing too. She’s a single mom of three kids and a (more than) full time teacher, and has the most stressful life and busiest schedule of anyone I know. She plans and budgets and schedules everything. We sat down a couple weeks ago and had a little pep rally – she had made up her mind to do this thing, to make it a priority, and we chatted for hours about how we felt and what worked and what hindered our progress. Her kids rolled their eyes at us. We came up with meal ideas and she filled her freezer in a preemptive strike against end-of-the-day hunger and crankiness. I’m happy to report, although I have not been authorized to reveal numbers, that the new scale she bought at the Linens and Things closing-out sale is moving in the right direction.
Tonight as we briefly compared notes we agreed that evenings are the worst; mornings are easy but either of us could easily graze from pre-dinner to bedtime. So I decided that considering a) this is the most important thing for me to accomplish right now, b) if I sit on the couch and watch TV all night (which never happens for either of us except on Thursdays when I watch The Office and she watches the Amazing Race), I am officially being productive. Both of us, as I’m sure a great many of you can relate to, possess this inner need to be accomplishing something at all times – I hereby consider reading and TV watching and napping to be productive if you’re doing it without unnecessary snacking.
(That whole not eating after 7pm thing, by the way? It has nothing to do with timing – although it seems to make sense to not eat before bed, it doesn’t really make a huge difference when you take in those calories, so long as you eat regularly and include breakfast. Think of how late they eat dinner in Europe! It’s effective because the vast majority of us eat the vast majority of our calories in the evenings, and if we cut out any snacking we might otherwise do between dinner and bed, we’d take a big chunk out of our daily consumption.)
I’ve had a lot of you ask about my eating plan. I’m trying to give you an idea in as real-life terms as possible – plan enough that you aren’t left scrambling when you’re tired and hungry, but not so rigidly as to not allow for moods and occasions and curveballs the day may throw you. I don’t believe in weighing and measuring and calculating everything that goes into my mouth. It makes food too clinical, and scary. It isn’t something I want to do every day for the rest of my life. I understand what’s good for me and what isn’t, and we all know – don’t we? – what to do in order to lose weight. Every time someone asks me “how I did it” I tell them by eating properly and exercising. And virtually every time they look disappointed and say “well I know that!” Although it isn’t easy, it isn’t that complicated. In fact, most of us could free up a lot of grey matter if we would just stop thinking about it and start doing it already. Yes, it’s hard. No, it’s not fair that some people can eat whatever they like and yet don’t have an extra ounce on them. (But I’ll bet they are not without their own struggles.) And it’s important, I think, to remember that although life isn’t fair, it’s generally unfair in our favour.
Local group support in Calgary? I’m in.
A big glass of water is something I reach for to resist
temptation. Does not usually work against fudge or fresh homemade bread.
-Donna
usually a handful of nuts of some kind, they fill you up pretty good as long as I remember to stop before I get full. If I keep going, I start feeling gross. I made some spicy maple toasted pecans over Christmas, they’re my choice right now. Almost done though…
I’m with Carol on the nuts: almonds by preference, no fridge required and they do tide you over. I also like to chew a few fennel seeds (esp. the last three weeks, when i’ve been on my first-ever trip to India… returning to YYC tonight feeling worldly, lucky, and homesick!)
I almost always have a baggie of dried apricots and almonds: to slow myself down, I open the apricots and stuff the almonds in before I eat them.
You won’t have any problems with the Mac. Macs are awesome and so much easier to use than Windows based computers. Email me if you have any questions.
I’m in for the group idea. Yup, water is my secret too. Most times when I think I’m hungry, I’m just thirsty. And nothing beats getting out for a walk, even if it is only around the block.
snacks are a slippery slope for me. as soon as i eat something salty, i want ice cream. so i ask myself “do you want ice cream because that’s where you’ll end up, babe”. the end result is almost always: salty snacks and ice cream and self loathing. that could be a title to a book.
you know, i’d rather just have the ice cream.
every friday night i have either a glass of red wine or a small amount of ice cream. last night, i had a DQ ice cream sandwich which is 200 calories.
Great recipes and weight-loss thoughts. When I lost 25 pounds several years ago, I had to tell myself that I simply was “allergic” to some foods to help myself overcome the pity party. It’s not fair that some of us have to pay more attention to what we eat than others do, but telling myself that some foods just made me “sick” — read “fat” — and it was just something I had to deal with seemed to help.
yes to the calg support group!
preferance: weekend vs weeknite
fav safe snack? not sure i have any safe ones! i think this is why i am in the shape i am 🙂
my favourite safe snack would have to be snap peas. I love them!
support group sounds great too bad i live in Sparwood. love those baked kettle chips (about 1/2 better than regular chips). Safe if you portion out the Costco size bag first. Thank you for continuing the blog, when the kids are asleep and I get to have a cup of tea and read, life is pretty sweet. My nephew just got a Mac and loves it, i’m think about it too. Thanks again for sharing a slice of your life.
Almonds…. I have to remind myself that trail mix – although it sounds like you are going on a hike – isn’t that healthy if it consists of just raisins, peanuts and m&ms!
I am trying to pretend that hot vanilla soy milk is a creamy white chocolate drink.
My safe snack is definitely an orange. They’re filling, sweet and thirst quenching all at once!
It’s funny you say that life is generally not fair in our favour. I feel like it’s IS fair in my favour most of the time. I think of how bad life could really be, and I feel lucky that the fairness is usually on my side.
That’s what I mean! Life’s not fair – but in OUR favour. Unfair (disproportionate, unequal) in our favour means we’re generally the lucky ones!
favourite safe snack? edamame is Ithink safe calorie wise, though soy (unfermented) maybe not the best, but It think a cup here and there not bad, plus it has protein and fibre and is fun to eat!
also love the orange chocolate lindt bars, 170 calories each not a bad chocolate indulgence
I would SO be up for a “book club”!! Man this losing weight thing is a stuggle! I too am an evening eater, I do great all day and then evening hits and I’m screwed. Anyway, my safe snack is popcorn (I get the smart pop stuff). It’s crunchy which I like and it takes a while to eat and I can eat half the bag! To avoid not eating the WHOLE bag I pop it earlier in the day and let my kids eat half the bag and then save the other half for me in the evening.
I actually like to snack on nori… yup, the seaweed sheets they roll sushi in. Sometimes I’ll toast them a little, sometimes I’ll sprinkle a little sesame oil on it (ok, not the most low-fat oil, but I don’t use that much). Yes, I’m weird.
I’m jealous that you like that stuff! Actually there aren’t higher fat and lower fat oils – they are all just fat. But the good kind – the kind we want to include more of in our diets! (They do differ in their ratios of fats – mono- and polyunstaterated and some saturated.) Unfortunately oil is high calorie because it is a fat, but at least it’s good for you. I like using toasted sesame oil – the flavour is more intense so you don’t need as much!
Bite-sized fruit (cherries, grapes, clementine wedges) are great when I’m feeling virtuous. I like to cut a banana into chunks, dip it in a mixture of 2 tbsp melted dark chocolate, 1 tsp honey and 1 tsp butter or margarine (yes, it’s from the Jan. issue of Fitness magazine) and freeze it for an our or so. Like an ice cream bar, but you get a whole serving of fruit! Low fat microwave popcorn, carrots and hummus, roasted chickpeas, and nuts in the shell. A half cup of pistachios in the shell is a great snack with a controlled amount of fat and calories. As you can see, I am an avid snacker!
Last week I was shocked to find myself happily snacking on raw broccoli and hummus (once again inspired by your talk to broccoli as awesome dip vehicle). This from the person who usually “snacks” on a soup bowl of ice cream!
My favourite “safe” snack food would have to be apples. I love, love, love apples and they are easily portable. Plus, they satisfy the craving for something crunchy and sweet that usually hits me when I have a snack attack. Sometimes, I like to slice an apple and dip the slices into warmed Nutella or homemade almond butter.
Julie, I thought you might also be interested in the article on soaking bean, grains, seeds and nuts that a local organic grocer from here in Regina wrote for last week’s Savour Life e-zine (dedicated to all things food-related here in Saskatchewan). Here is the link: http://www.savourlife.ca/access/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=0&tabid=841 (see the section called “Green Foodprints” following Events.)
I don’t know if they are particularly safe snacks but I like to grab a handful of 4 cheese goldfish ( I probably eat more of them then my kids) or a small chunk of cheese or a couple squares of Good Chocolate.
Mmmm snacks… Given I’m still pregnant (only 6 weeks left) I laugh at the variety of snacks I’ve consumed and how they have changed over the past 7 months… My sister continues to laugh at my status on facebook because it all revolves around what ‘snack’ I am loving at that particular moment! But – they aren’t all bad snacks… some are good!
The snacks of the week right now include the fact that I could eat a 5 gallon pail of red grapes fresh from the fridge plus I love a few salty ripple chips here and there AND the odd chocolate chip…
Oh – and yes, I’d totally be up for a ‘book’ club!!!
Although I avoid ‘drinking’ my calories, sometimes a cup of heated V8 with hot sauce before suppper is a quick ‘soup’ filler, and a nofat chai tea with vanilla is a great evening relaxer. And I agree with the apple as a daytime crunch-and-sweet fix.
A book club/support group? Don’t suppose you’d hold that in Lethbridge, eh?
another giveaway – awesome!
A few of my favorite safe snack foods have already been mentioned, apples, almonds, I like the dry roasted in the shell ones as they take time to open and it seems I eat fewer, but I have recently discovered baby carrots since I did a demo using them last month. I always have a bag in the fridge and grab a handful before I reach for anything else when I want a snack. Most often I don’t want anything else after I’ve had a few. They come in handy to take the edge of my hunger when I get home from work ravished before I get a chance to prepare dinner.
I love snacking on dried fruit and nuts, like apricots, raisins or cranberries with whatever nut I have around – even better when they’re roasted. Also even better when I can add a chunk of cheese to the plate! But cheese is so expensive here that I hardly ever buy it unless I need it specifically in a recipe. I guess that might be a good thing for my health since I’m a bit of a cheese addict. I also like making whole-grain muffins with fruit and snacking on those.
I’d love a ‘book club’!
hmmm safe snacks… Right now it’s berries, grapes, and nuts. I’m not a salt fan, so salty foods are safe for me.
Right now I’ve got the weirdest sweet safe snack. I have some candies I got in Sweden. They’re a childhood favourite that you can’t buy in Canada. The knowledge that if I just eat them all they’re gone, really helps me savor them and not go overboard.
I’d likely drive once a month to Calgary for the group!! 🙂
Favourite safe snack? Ryvitta Sunflower seed crackers with a wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese smushed on top. Yum.
I changed up my screen name b/c there is another Lisa that likes to comment.
A good snack for me is an apple and a Mini Babybel. I need a bit of protein/fat and the controlled portion of cheese is perfect (you can buy them in big bags at Costco). I also like eating almonds with dried cranberries, but I find it easy to eat way too much of that!
I would love, love, LOVE a “book” club. Weekend would be best for me, too, given the munchkins and bedtime madness during the week.
@Canuck Abroad: I’m a Regina gal too, though I’ve been here (Calgary) for 9 1/2 years.
@Melanie: The home stretch is tough! My DS (kiddo #2) is 2 1/2 months old and I remember well the end of my pregnancy (that lasted an extra 10 days).
This isn’t really a safe snack but it saves me from having something worse…I make hot chocolate (powdered version) with boiling hot water and then add a bit of milk to make it slightly creamy. If it is super-hot, I end up enjoying it for awhile and it gets me over a craving for something sweet (and more fatty or caloric). I will have it after dinner if I feel like I need dessert. Probably wouldn’t work for everyone but it was one of the things that I did when I was trying to loose some baby weight.
Safe snacks…
cucumber coins or bell pepper strips with some roasted red pepper hummus or apple wedges with peanut butter to dip them in. I like these because the dipping part makes it seem more fun than the “eating veggies and fruit for a snack” part.
My fav snack is eating a pomegranite. It takes a long time to eat, and it seems like such a treat to me. It’s also good for you!
Wish I didn’t live so far away. I’d love to be in the “Book Club”.
Hey Julie — you showed in the National Post today. No one’s mentioned it yet so I thought I would just in case you haven’t seen it. Page WP9. I bet this is the article that was expected earlier in the month. It’s great!
Darn! I wish I were closer to Calgary. No Book club for me 🙁
Some of my favourite snacks…apple wedges with peanutbutter are excellent providing the peanutbutter is heated until soft and gooey (my kids adore this, too), I like to freeze some grapes and snack on them – they are slow to eat and very sweet, edamame (yum). So many others as well.
Snacks that are “safe” (which for me means safe even if I eat the whole bag): Mann’s sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes and mini carrots – all of which I find just wonderful even without dip and fill the “I want something crunchy while unwinding after the kids go to bed”
Semi-safe: Lesser Evil Kettle Corn and Simple Pleasures Chocolate or Ginger thins. (safe if I stick to one serving)
Dangerous if it’s even in the house: WS Peppermint Bark (I was tempted at the end of my 9-5 today but I left it there ‘cuz I just knew I’d inhale it)
🙂
Count me in for a Calgary Group! FYI… most Superstores and City rec centres also have a community/meeting room available.
Hands down that is my new favourite liqueur! If you come up with any recipes that involve Voyant be sure to post. I love a shot in steamed milk frothed up with a bit of cinnamon on top.
Safe snacks…I like Pita Break brand lavash in place of chips spread with red pepper hummus or a small amount of honey goat cheese (taste is strong so a little goes a long way) satisfies both my fat craving and need for something crisp.
Hi Julie,
As I sit here crunching through peanut M&Ms the posts remind me of how important simple ‘tricks’ are. The drinking of water regularly is vital to feeling full and not over-indulging for me. It is often thirst and not hunger that causes the over-eating. Also, not having the treats around (I’d forgotten I had this huge bag of M&Ms which were meant to be a gift!) is huge. Having the healthy choices on hand also helps. Snacks I love and which are filling include apples and a big bowl of air-popped popcorn. Will have that with a diet pop and it’s a treat. Wish I could be part of a group meeting but am in Vancouver.
Rose
Safe snacks…I always try to keep an apple in my bag – it decreases the probability of a sidetrip to Tim’s on the way home. In the evening, I’ll reach for cheese first – the protein usually suffices.
I’ll be watching for the ‘Book Club’ – I think this could be one I could stay with!
Wow now i have some great ideas for “Safe Snacks” cause right now i dont really have any….i like the almonds and sometimes i eat some pistachios but they seem to be a bit high in the fat dept. 🙂
anyhow, thanks for the great ideas for healthier eating,
way to go julie!
😉
My safe snack is red bell peppers and jicama.
The peppers are super sweet and the jicama has the crunch of potato chips.
Thanks for the inspiration/idea of the frittata! I grabbed what was in the fridge and made an egg-white frittata with artichoke hearts, tomatoes, olives, roasted garlic, cilantro, and fat-free ricotta. Tasted yummy and reminded me of the summer.
The snacks that work best for me need to have some protein in them for some staying power. A handful of nuts with some fresh fruit or a quartered apple spread with pea butter (a great Alberta product for those of us with peanut allergies!) are my favorites. I keep a dark chocolate bar stashed (in the drawer with my workout clothes) and let a square melt in my mouth when the chocolate urge hits – it works really well. Hot chocolate or chai made with skim milk is my evening option.
Thanks for sharing and keep with it!!
Oh Man I love the idea of a get together – but I might not make it all the way from London, ON! DARN!
One of my favourite safe snacks is also nuts. The other day I threw together some almonds, raisins & dried cranberries. Delicious. But truthfully, the safe snack I pack almost everyday for an afternoon snack at work is 3 or 4 small “Butterscotch Crunch Cookies” – page 84 from One Smart Cookie! I make a triple batch, throw them in the freezer and enjoy them almost every afternoon. Thanks Julie!
Favourite snack – a handful of almonds or a banana.
Feels you up somewhat along with a glass of skim milk.
Snacks… I am horrible – but in my defence I have just had a baby – pregnacy cravings are hard to resist. But fruit is what works for me – I usually crave sugar so the fruit gives me my fix and stops me from reaching for processed sugars.
Woo hoo! Book Club sounds great! (We had an “Un-Book Club–also called The Illiterut Klub– out here in Bragg Creek, as we knew we’d never actually talk about the book anyway) We could share healthy recipes, post our own recipes on our blogs, share the links with those out of town. A week ago I cut out sugar and most grains (meaning grains like whole wheat bread are a once a day “treat”, not a mainstay) ramped up the veg and apples and lean protein, and I have just lost the craving for those simple carbs (and I could LIVE on French bread and brie). I think the more you eat sugar and stuff like rice and chips, the more you crave it. A friend who was visiting who’s a holistic nutritionist said your dinner plate should be 75% veg, and the remaining 25% would be lean protein and a bit of simple carb if you need it…of course I mean what’s ON your plate, not the plate itself…
Book Club…..count me in!
Safe snacks – popcorn is my all time fave. Unfortunately, I fall off the wagon ever once and again and have butter on it. I know, bad fat and all that, but if I am going to go with clogged arteries I want to go with the good stuff.
My safe snack is definitely yogourt…it’s low in fat but still creamy and filling (to somewhat satisfy my ice cream cravings)!
I’m glad you decided to continue posting recipes…I would have missed these postings.
Sounds like a yummy liqueur for valentines day. It would be great in a brulee.
Fav snack: a scoop of peanut butter, no apple. Its a protein then.
Peanut butter contains protein (3-4 g per tablespoon) regardless of whether you eat an apple with it! Or are you on some sort of Atkins (low-carb) regimen?
Treat? Unfortunately, most of my food is a treat these days. I’m trying to just not bring things into the house. But my need for creamy things is satisfied with Liberte Mediteranne yoghurt. I thought I was being so good, then I compared the nutritional analysis with my MacKay’s ice cream. Not a heck of a lot of difference… right now I am trying to satisfy myself with a couple, and only a couple of my new treats – chocolate covered raspberries courtesy of dufflet.com.
LOVE Liberte yogurt – especially the mocha variety. So fantastic I can’t buy it or I’ll down the whole thing in one go. (And often have.) On the upside, at 8% milk fat it’s less than ice cream, which is minimum 10% and up to 18%- that’s gotta count for something!
Like LisaMer, I’ve changed my ‘name’ so as not to confuse with Sarah from Bragg Creek. A ‘book club’ would be great and a wonderful support to those of us who struggle with our weight.
My favourite evening snack is a cup of Bengal Spice tea (no caffeine for me before trying to fall asleep) and 3 dried apricots. The tea seems to increase the volume of the apricots so I don’t eat as many and the spice in the tea is quite satisfying. It even works well to make a chai or misto type drink with warm skim milk or soy.
I love the idea of a “book club” and am envious of anyone who will be able to attend. I am also a Lethbridge person so I’ll have to do my “reading’ online. I’ll be satisfied with that as long as all of you are “reading” with me. The words “safe snacks” are kind of like an oximoran (sp?) for me. At certain times they cannot go together in the same sentence.
I’ve found switching up my spare-time reading with spare-time knitting has helped cut down the snacking, plus I have produced several gifts in the last few months. I just can’t sit down to read without eating something, it seems. That said, a pomegranate is my favourite “picky” snack – lasts forever and is good for you!
My favourite safe snack is air-popped popcorn (a whole grain, so healthy!). Instead of butter I use Becel (the olive oil one), and I’m trying to cut back the amount gradually. I also cut back on the salt, and add large-flake nutritional yeast, which is sodium-free but still manages to taste salty and a little cheesy. Yum!
I honestly have nothing to add in the safe snack department b/c we have a transit strike in Ottawa right now. I am getting home at 6:15 instead of 5:40, so eat dinner later. By the time I hug and chat with my children (who have already been fed), I am eating around 6:45. I am exercising at noon so take the time right after I get the kids to bed to read a great book (which I used to do on my lunch hours). In order to avoid the kitchen and snack zone, and the noise of the TV, I get ready for bed by 8:30-9 and read until 10 or so and fall asleep. No evening eating! This works, at least, from Mon-Thursday…
I’m terrible at healthy snacking, but my standards are yogurt (full fat) and tortilla chips and homemade guacamole (just mashed up avocado with garlic) or salsa.
my newest healthy snack is a slightly modified Moosewood cookbook recipe…the cornbread recipe, with 2 cups of pumpkin added to it. filling, healthy and i can’t eat lots.
at work, my trick is a horrible!! tasting lip balm..when i put it on I don’t want to put ANYTHING else in my mouth cause it tastes awful.
The 5ft long cod tipped the scales at more than fishing network 90 pounds.
But, during the ensuinng action, they also caughted a redfish of 22-inches and a flounder that would tip the scales
at over 50 pounds have come out about a year a go. However you mke it, angling is considered a critical problem when that 85 percent ethanol fuel is used in marine engines.