Home ยป Artichoke and Spinach Strata + Weekly Menu

Artichoke and Spinach Strata + Weekly Menu

We made the most of our weekend. It’s the last weekend in the foreseeable future that is not accounted for and it was cold and rainy ALL weekend. Yep, starting next weekend, the summer “rush” begins and all of our friends and family will actually want to come to Michigan.

On Friday night, I hung a collage of photos and wall décor on a huge grey wall in our family room. As we’ve started to purge our baby items (swings, bouncers, play mats, etc), our living quarters look like a slightly smaller daycare. Or should I say bigger? Less baby/kid crap making it seem bigger, anyway. And I’m pretty darn pleased with my wall collage! I used a level and everything. 🙂

Saturday was productive. Perhaps too productive. Today my back is in bad shape and I’m unsure what caused it. I started with a 90 minute tennis league, followed by a 3 mile run, and came home to push mow ½ acre. And of course the usual kid stuff, including lifting a 33 pound toddler in and out of high chairs, cars, cribs, you name it.

So on this dreary Sunday, I’m sitting out my hockey game and I’m going to take it easy. And grill steaks. And read my book. And cuddle with my hubby. Because Monday morning is right around the corner and while that can seem somewhat daunting, Monday mornings usually offer a reprieve from the demands of little people over the weekends. Oh the irony!

As Mother’s Day and other weekend-long entertaining opportunities arise, I like to keep on hand recipes that can be prepared ahead of time and offer up a wow-factor for brunch. Both moms and weekend guests seem like the perfect excuses to enjoy a leisurely morning of way too much coffee followed by something savory and something sweet. Isn’t that what brunch is all about?

This strata perfectly satisfies the savory piece of brunch. It’s both egg and bread, but loaded with vegetables and cheese. It is great hot or closer to room temperature and it reheats great, too. Make it the day before (or even 2 days before!) and bake it off in the morning (or evening, even). After we enjoyed this for brunch, it doubled as dinner. Win-win.


Artichoke and Spinach Strata
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8 servings
 
Ingredients
  • 1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach
  • 1 (14 oz) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
  • 8 oz whole wheat sourdough bread, cubed (about 5 cups)
  • 4 oz (1 cup) reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • Non-stick cooking spray
  • 1 oz (1/4 cup) Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1¾ cups 1% milk
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Dash of ground nutmeg
  • 4 large eggs
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Defrost spinach in fridge overnight or run under hot water in a fine mesh colander. Squeeze dry to remove all excess water.
  3. Combine spinach, quartered artichokes, bread cubes, and Monterey Jack cheese in a large bowl; mix well. Transfer to a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish that has been misted with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top.
  4. In the bowl, combine milk, Dijon, pepper, salt, nutmeg, and eggs and whisk well. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread mixture.
  5. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until set. Turn broiler to high (550 degrees F). Broil 3-4 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light (link no longer available)
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ⅛ recipe Calories: 266 Fat: 11.4 Carbohydrates: 16.8 Sugar: 3.3 Sodium: 658 Fiber: 1.8 Protein: 19.3 Cholesterol: 46

Weekly Menu: April 30th – May 4th

  • Sunday: grilled filet, asparagus, and baked potatoes
  • Monday: turkey, bacon, and avocado sandwiches with roasted potatoes
  • Tuesday: work dinners x2
  • Wednesday: leftovers; work dinner for Mr. P
  • Thursday: Chicken Tikka Masala from the freezer (I’ll be home late from a conference in Grand Rapids)

Be well,

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