Bell Pepper and Potato Frittata

Egg frittatas are my answer to an easy, inexpensive meal solution whether I'm having it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. For breakfast, I'll serve this with a side of berries or fruit. For dinner, I make a salad on the side and call it a meal!

You can literally throw anything into a frittata and call it a meal, but I thought it would be fun to make this one a St Patricks Day theme which of coarse MUST have yukon gold potatoes, and to create a shamrock design, I sliced my bell peppers into flower shapes – completely optional! This one's vegetarian, perfect if you need a meatless Monday dish idea, and it's naturally gluten-free.

I'm not sure if there's anything quite as beautiful as farm fresh eggs. A friend of mine is raising chickens in her yard and gave me some of her eggs and the colors were so beautiful I almost didn't want to crack them. The yolks are so orange, it's hard to believe I made this frittata with half egg whites.

If you want to see more Skinny St Patrick's Day recipe ideas, Target's blog: A Bullseye View did a roundup of some of their favorite Green Skinnytaste recipe, click here to see more!

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Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread Muffins

These whole wheat Irish soda bread muffins are delicious, the perfect start a lazy cold March Sunday morning. Speckled with raisins, they are sweet and perfect enjoyed with a hot cup of tea.

Plus, making them in muffin tins is perfect for better portion control. I first posted these back in 2010, and almost forgot just how good these were! I used a combination of King Arthur unbleached white whole wheat flour with unbleached all purpose flour, and the flavor and texture was perfect – they don't taste whole wheat at all. If you like caraway seeds in your bread, you can add about an eighth of a teaspoon.

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Sweet Potato Irish Nachos

Baked sweet potato wedges topped with my favorite nacho toppings – these are dangerously good!!

Irish nachos are basically loaded nachos made with french fries in place of the tortilla chips. I was really in the mood for them after my husband kept talking about this pub he used to go to that made the best Irish nachos. My wheels started turning and I knew I had to make them healthier. 

Sweet potatoes to the rescue! Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A, and the sweet flesh is perfect paired with savory-spicy seasonings. I find cutting them into wedges helps keep them sturdier than cutting them into thin fries and it's quicker to cut. I used a full fat sharp Cheddar from Cabot with a combination of light Pepper Jack cheese to give it a little spice. I think these make a great lunch or could be fun football food this weekend. Top them with anything you like, pico de gallo could also be fun.

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St Patricks Day Cake Pops

Everyone knows they're gold at the end of a rainbow, so why not celebrate St Patrick's Day with these easy cake pops, made skinny buy using a cake pop pan, a box cake mix, fat free yogurt, egg whites and water!

I was in charge of the cupcakes for my daughter's St Patrick's Day class party and found this rainbow idea here. I love making cake pops for school, because it's a bit less messy to eat since there's no frosting and they also taste so good! These were easy to decorate, using mini m&m's and marshmallows.

I packed them in plastic containers with some green grass and gold chocolate coins and I thought they looked adorable. To save time, I made half the batch green with sprinkles, and the other half rainbow.

I've mentioned in my first Skinny Cake Pop post, that using a cake pop pan like this Nordic Ware one I bought from Target makes these easy to make, just as easy as making cupcakes, and I love that I don't have to mix them with frosting to turn them into balls. Since making cake balls a few times, I got smart and bought an extra pan so I can bake two at the same time. Here's the recipe!

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Guacamole Deviled Eggs

If you're looking for a healthy snack of appetizer for St Patrick's Day, these green deviled eggs are the perfect solution.

My mom adds hard boiled eggs to her guacamole, so I thought why not add guacamole to hard boiled eggs? The results were lovely, and since I was testing them out for the blog, I actually enjoyed them for lunch.

These are a fun, "clean" snack or appetizer, not just as a green food for St Patrick's day, but for anytime of the year. Loaded with a good dose of healthy fats and perfect for any dietary restriction – vegetarian, gluten-free, weight watchers, low-carb, paleo, and more!

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Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup

It's a cold snowy March day, perfect for this soup! Cabbage, potatoes, bell pepper and aromatics simmered on the stove with corned beef create this wonderful one pot meal. A fun twist on a Classic Irish dish!

I thought this was a great way to enjoy corned beef and incorporating lots of vegetables. A few notes: I purchased a 2 1/2 lb piece or corned beef brisket. After I trimmed all the fat off it was 2 lbs. I boiled all the beef in the soup which shrunk to 18 oz, but only used half (9 oz cooked) of the corned beef in the soup and used the other half in another recipe.

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Skinny(er) Shamrock Shake

Confession, I've never had a shamrock shake from McDonald's. But I love the idea of a green minty milkshake for St Patrick's Day, so I set out to make my own, with a bit less fat and calories.

Yesterday I drove to three McDonald's just to test them out, but no one seemed to carry them in my area, which surprised me since the commercials seem to be running frequently on my TV.

No worries, I figured I know what mint ice cream should taste like, I'm sure it's not much different.

I put a lot of thought on how I would make this sweet and creamy like a real ice cream shake, without having to add green food coloring. I knew I was going to start with Stonyfield's 0% fat vanilla frozen yogurt, because I love it and am always amazed at how much it tastes like full fat vanilla ice cream. I also knew I would add a little spearmint extract to give it that minty flavor. But for the coloring, I was stumped,  and then it hit me... avocado's are green, creamy and taste great in smoothies, so it was the perfect solution.

In fact, I may drizzle a little chocolate syrup on top next time I make this to get that mint chocolate chip experience. This is a fun dessert your kids I bet will enjoy!


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Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

St Patrick's day is a few days away, and I'm sure many of you will be enjoying this classic Irish-American dish! I used frozen pearl onions and I used parsnips instead of potatoes to make this easy pea-sy and the results were great!

Making it in the crock pot is the perfect solution for a busy schedule. Trim all the fat off to keep it lean. I purchased a 2 1/2 lb piece or corned beef brisket, after I trimmed all the fat off it was 2 lbs. Once cooked it shrunk to 18 oz. 

This was my second attempt at this dish in the slow cooker, my first version I put everything in the pot and turned it on. This resulted in overcooked cabbage that turned to mush. Second time around I added the cabbage at the end and it was perfect! I like to serve this with a side if Cauliflower Mash or Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes and a little mustard or horseradish cream on the side. How do you enjoy your corned beef?

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Rainbow Fruit Skewers with Yogurt Fruit Dip

A healthy snack or dessert for kids and adults alike!

Who doesn't like rainbows, they have a way of bringing out my inner child and making me smile. The pot at the end of this rainbow is quite a treasure, a simple dip made from Greek yogurt and honey, yum!

Serve them at parties, picnics, breakfast or as an after dinner treat. Use whatever fruit is in season anytime of the year!

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Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream Cheese Frosting

Yes, you read that right, there is ale in the cupcakes and Bailey's in the frosting! I guess it's safe to call these grown-up cupcakes, and boy are they good!!

St. Patrick's Day inspired me to create this skinny adult treat. Pinterest can be such a time suck, but it also sparks creativity. After seeing this chocolate stout cake on Ambrosia Baking, a light bulb lit up in my head. I could mess around with my last chocolate cake recipes and use beer in the mix. I found the Double Chocolate Stout in Trader Joe's, but Guinness would work too.

As for the frosting, I knew I wanted to use Bailey's, but I couldn't imagine just how good they would be when combined.

Folks, this was a big success, so if you have a St Patrick's Day party to go to I highly recommend bringing these. You can double the recipe for more.

 

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Irish Oatmeal Leek Soup

A classic Irish soup also known as Brotchán Roy, traditionally served during Lent.

When I first discovered Brotchán Roy, otherwise known as the King's Soup, I knew I would love it. It was said to have been the favorite dish of Ireland's celebrated sixth-century spiritual and literary icon, St. Columkille. 

I'm no stranger to oatmeal soup; growing up some of my favorite soups Mom prepared were made with oats. Even as an adult, I love the creamy texture of a hearty bowl of oatmeal soup – total comfort food!

Steel cut oats are loaded with fiber, they are great for your heart and give the soup a wonderful texture. If you don't have steel cut oats, you can use Quaker oats, reducing the cooking time to about 25 minutes. If you're on a gluten free diet, make sure your oats are labeled gluten-free. This is my modified take on the classic, hope you like it!




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Corned Beef and Cabbage with Horseradish Cream

What's St. Patrick's Day without Corned Beef and Cabbage!

A simple way to prepare this classic Irish dish. Top it with horseradish cream or mustard and serve it with a side of creamy cauliflower puree as a low carb alternative to potatoes. Keep in mind the meat shrinks down to almost 1 lb when cooked.

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Low Fat Irish Soda Bread

I love to have Irish Soda Bread for breakfast hot out of the oven with some low fat spread and a cup of tea. This is very easy to make, even if you have no experience baking. If you prefer to make a bread to serve with dinner, omit the raisins and sugar and you can add caraway seeds.

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Sheperd's Pie, Lightened Up

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with this lightened Sheperd's Pie, filled with lean beef, skinny mashed potatoes and lots of vegetables. You can make this a day ahead and bake it when you are ready to eat. This would also be great with chopped turkey.

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