the incredible, edible egg

this week i am going to focus on summertime lunch ideas for kiddos. everyday around noon hendrix wakes up from his nap and i start thinking. . .oh crap, what am i going to feed this kid. if there are leftovers from dinner the night before it's usually that, but sometimes i eat all the leftovers for breakfast. then i think berries, cheese, and cheerios. then i think, no! mama, variety is the spice of life. a lot (too much) thinking happens at lunch. so, lately, it has been eggs and quinoa. both are great because they pack a lot of protein and are superfast. and cheap. really, really cheap. plus, one of my favorite blogs, http://www.girlsgonechild.net/, has been featuring a lot great egg & quinoa recipes lately. so here are some of my favorite egg dishes to chow down on for lunch:

scrambled eggs with spinach, tomatoes, garlic and whatever hard italian cheese i got in the house. takes like ten minutes and is super filling.
just scramble however many eggs you need to feed the brood, add a generous handful spinach, one chopped tomato, 1 - 2 minced garlic cloves, and a small handful cheese. cook eggs through and serve.

quinoa with a fried egg and spinach (or beet greens) from www.dinneralovestory.com again takes about 10 minutes
saute 2T. chopped onion in a pan with olive oil, a splash of soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil. add a handful of greens and saute until it wilts. remove veggies. add eggs (again, however many you need) and fry them up, adding a bit more soy sauce if you like. serve eggs and greens on top of a scoop of prepared quinoa*. this a very easy, asian insprired dish that makes a great and quick dinner, too.

curried pea frittata with tomato chutney from bon appetit. this takes about 20 minutes, but makes leftovers for breakfast the next day if there are only a couple of people or feeds 1 adult and about three kids.
urried pea frittata with fresh tomato chutney adapted from bon appétit
1 12-ounce container grape tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon (or more, to taste)ground cumin
1 small garlic clove, peeled1 1/8-inch-thick round peeled fresh ginger, chopped
8 large eggs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons curry powder (or more, to tastes)
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Preheat broiler or oven. Place tomatoes, brown sugar, cumin, garlic, and ginger in processor. Switching on/off, blend just until tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Transfer chutney to small bowl and add salt and pepper to taste.
Place eggs in same processor bowl. Add cheese, curry powder, and salt and blend well. Heat oil in large broiler-proof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onions and peas. Saute until onions wilt, about 1 minute. Add egg mixture. Cook until top is almost set and bottom is golden, lifting edges to let uncooked egg flow underneath, about 7 minutes. Place frittata in broiler until top is set, about 1 minute. Run heatproof rubber spatula around frittata to loosen and slide out onto plate. Serve warm or at room temperature with tomato chutney.
*if your frittata won't form don't be afraid to make these scrambled eggs with curry. it happens to best of us.

huevos rancheros scramble - this my version of the classic all scrambled up.
melt butter in pan, saute onion and add strips of tortilla cooking until tortillas begin to puff up (add more butter if necessary). pour scrambled egg mixture on top, add cheese and cook through. serve with salsa and sour cream. i, also, will serve with beans and rice from the night before (if we had tacos or the like).

hopefully, you try one of these this week and the kids like it. they all make great dinners, as well. there are still vegetables available for purchase so just send me an email or leave a comment. we can deliver or they can be picked up at the farm. there are eggplants, beets, tomatoes, herbs, pickling cucumbers, carrots, and peppers available. have a great monday!
*i got the idea to premake a batch of quiona weekly to use in salads, for breakfast with berries and honey, as dinner sides, etc. from both www.dinneralovestory.com and www.girlsgonechild.net. typically, 1 c. uncooked yeilds 4 c. cooked quinoa. it can be found at super target and whole foods.