A whole lotta frittata

First, I must apologize for my extremely long hiatus from blogging.  The last couple months of pregnancy were pretty crazy, and then life got infinitely crazier once the baby arrived.  But our baby girl is here, and she's healthy, beautiful, amazing, and also a lot of work!

Our sweet girl

The first few weeks of motherhood were particularly challenging, and I found myself with absolutely no time to cook for myself.  Thankfully, we had frozen some meals weeks before, and we had some help from the grandparents (who flew in to meet their new granddaughter) as well as a postpartum doula, so our diet was pretty balanced as a result.  Once things settled down a bit and I found myself able to prepare food myself, however, I realized how much I truly missed cooking!  It's still not easy, though, and I've realized that some recipes are better suited than others for our new life.  I found, for instance, that meals that need to be prepared and eaten in the moment are not ideal, as the baby's temperament is not always predictable, meaning the food could be sitting in a skillet spoiling while we struggle to get her to sleep or be calm so that we have a moment to sit and eat.  Instead, I now tend to make dinners that can be eaten cold or at room temperature, or meals that I can prepare little by little as I find myself with a few spare moments to do so during the day.

One recipe I've made several times comes from a cookbook a vegetarian friend recommended to me and that I found online for literally a few dollars.  The cover is pretty hilarious-- straight out of the 80s!-- but there are some great recipes in there, including one I've grown to love and depend upon over the last few weeks: the Zucchini Frittata.

Doesn't look like much from the cover, but this little book has some great recipes!

Besides the fact that the finished product is extremely yummy (and it really is!), I also love that the Zucchini Frittata is quick and simple to make, it can be eaten at room temperature (meaning I can make it whenever I find myself with some time, like when she's napping), AND it's extremely versatile, as virtually any seasonal veggies can be used in place of the ones recommended in the recipe.

So here's the recipe:

Zucchini Frittata
reprinted from the Sunset Vegetarian Cooking cookbook

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large Swiss chard leaves (including stems), coarsely chopped - I use pre-chopped bagged Swiss chard from Trader Joe's and just eyeball how much I want to add in
1 medium-size zucchini, coarsely chopped
6 eggs
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dry basil
1/4 tsp oregano leaves
1 cup (3 oz) grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Heat oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, chard, and zucchini; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Beat eggs lightly with pepper, basil, and oregano.  Pour into a greased 9-inch pie pan (I used my GreenPan, which doesn't need to be greased at all...it literally slides right out onto a plate.  Love it!).  Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until puffed and browned.  Serve hot or at room temperature.  Makes 6 servings (for us it was more like 4 servings, since we were eating it for dinner).

This frittata paired with a simple salad is a fantastic weeknight dinner that is both delicious and nutritious, and super quick and easy to make to boot!

So, yes, being a mother to a newborn can make eating balanced, tasty meals more of a challenge, but it's definitely not impossible.  With a little planning and special consideration for the types of meals that are easier to fit into our new life, I can still enjoy cooking for myself, and making foods that are truly satisfying, both to the palate and to my body.