68 Days of Gourmet: Day 40
Part two of Sunday’s impromptu brunch. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand for this frittata and it was delicious and easy. A great change from our normal eggs over medium. Also, this really stayed with me all day. I wasn’t hungry for hours after eating this.
It’s been a busy week so far. I braved the icy roads on Monday morning to teach BodyPump at 6 a.m. Although it was a small crowd we still got a great class in. After work Monday I headed to the Y again to hit the treadmill for day one of my new half marathon training schedule. I really wanted to run outside but there was still a lot of ice on the sidewalks and Brandon told me that my clumsiness + the ice = recipe for disaster. I ran a half mile warm up, 3 miles at tempo speed (about 8:30 pace) and a half mile cool down for a total of 4 miles. After a lot of deliberation I decided to use the Furman FIRST program. I’ll run three times a week – tempo, speed and long. This plan just seemed to work the best for my schedule with teaching BodyPump and maintaining my yoga practice. I don’t think I’d ever want to follow a three day a week program for marathon training (just not enough miles and time on the road) but I do think that it’s great for me to maintain a balance for half marathon training. I’ll keep you guys posted on how it works for me.
Tonight I headed to Y2 Yoga for a hot vinyasa class and it was HARD. The class wasn’t any harder than usual but I think my legs were done after my Sunday yoga practice and two workouts yesterday. My balance was off and I was just sore. But sometimes it’s good to have to dig down deep to make it through. It challenges you in a whole new way – both mentally and physically.
Back to the frittata. I will definitely be making this again. It was a Sunday brunch treat! I think this would be a great dinner too when you’re looking for something simple and flavorful. I think it would be nice with a side salad and a light vinaigrette.
Herbed Ham and Cheddar Frittata
(Recipe source Gourmet, January 1995)
Ingredients:
2 scallions, minced (I used about 2 tablespoons of minced shallot instead – delicious!)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced, or 1/4 teaspoon dried, crumbled
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced, or 1/4 teaspoon dried, crumbled
1/4 pound ham steak or thick ham slices from deli, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1/3 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Heat an 8-inch heavy, ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, scallions or shallots and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 2 or 3 minutes.
In a bowl whisk together eggs, thyme, rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. Add egg mixture to scallion mixture and cook, without stirring, 2 minutes. Add ham and cook, without stirring, 8 minutes, or until edges are set but center is still soft.
While frittata is cooking, preheat broiler.
Sprinkle cheddar over top of frittata and broil about 4 inches from heat until cheese is bubbling, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with parsley and cut into wedges.
Yield: 2 servings
i’m curious to see how your training goes on the 3 days a week plan. i actually HAVE considered marathon training on that plan, mostly because I am very susceptible to overuse injuries. Right now I run 3 days a week and basically maintain that schedule and I really like it…then I do a boot camp 2 days, 1 day cross train, and 1 day off. I do agree that you need a lot of time out running for marathons, so maybe I could sneak a 4th (easy) run day in when I start training. Anyways, long comment of which I’m trying to say keep us updated on that status 🙂
and great frittata, btw!
Natalie – thanks for the feedback. I will definitely keep everyone updated on the 3-a-day training. I totally face the same struggles with overuse injuries. In the past I have used long, slow building marathon plans that peak around 40 mpw. Anything more than that and I’m facing injury. Honestly, I still haven’t found the perfect training plan – I still struggle with aches and pains when I get up in high mileage weeks. I’m interested to possibly try the Hansons Distance Project plan in the future. Also, I really just need to admit to myself that the half-marathon is more my distance. I love long endurance events but my body breaks down. 😦 Looking for that magical training plan!
[…] don’t have many updates on the fitness front since we last talked. My lower calf/upper ankle was extremely sore after yoga Tuesday and all day Wednesday (something I […]
I love frittatas. Yours has my favorite ingredient combination – ham and cheese! Looks fantastic.
We made this fritatta for Valentine’s brunch this morning along with your banana nut muffins and they got great reviews! I used a ham steak and those usually have a little extra moisture so I crisped it up a little in a skillet before adding it to the fritatta. I would probably cook the fritatta a minute or two less in the ham stage. Ours was a touch overdone.