Today we shift our focus from the wonderful tonic herb, Nettle, and set our sights to another "weed" in our yard: Dandelion.

It's hard to believe that this pesky lawn nuisance would have anything beneficial to offer the medicinal herbal world, let alone our kitchen tables. But the smiling faces of my kiddos at the breakfast table this morning and their multiple chortles of "more, please?!" suggested there is good use out there for even this weed. And so I ask you this: What is a weed, really?

At our house morning menus are fairly routine. We're big fans of eggs and lovers of oatmeal; quick and simple. Once or twice a week we shake things up and have a more carb-heavy breakfast of pancakes, waffles, muffins or coffee cake. Mmm.

A couple of months ago, when the weather was still cold, I experimented with a hearty breakfast cake recipe in an attempt to find a way to use up a few bags of $0.99 organic cranberries I had snagged at the grocery. Feeling a bit daring, I tossed some dried nettle into the batter, too. As I slid the pan into the oven I thought, "Nettle? Really? What have I done?!"

The night before Easter, I had grand ambitions of rising early and baking off a batch of these Hot Cross Buns for my family (since I obviously failed to do it on Good Friday).

But as is often the case, my grand ambitions fell flat on their face when the reality of a sleepless infant left me feeling a bit groggy Easter morning. Ok, a LOT groggy.

I may or may not have overheard my normally optimistic husband say upon waking, "Jesus already arose... so why do I have to?" It was bad.

There I was standing in my kitchen, bun-less and sleep-deprived with three little hopeful faces begging for a holiday breakfast magic show. I was hoping to pull off scrambled eggs.

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention, and since we had to eat something I decided to compromise and use inspiration from a traditional Hot Cross Buns recipe, plus a few random leftovers in my fridge, to crank out a whole new  Easter favorite. And that's what we did.

My family is just in love with this soup. We're not talkin' your mother's high-in-carbs chicken noodle soup here, we're talkin' nutrient-dense, hearty, spoon-lickin' yummy Chicken Nettle Soup.

This was my first attempt at using a tonic herb in an everyday recipe and it's since morphed into a family favorite that we have nearly every week during the winter months. The best part is, it's easy-peasy.

Now that spring has come, it's still important to fill our stomachs with wholesome immune-boosting foods like bone broth, nourishing vegetables and herbs like Nettle, carrots, onions and garlic. Because, let's face it, the only thing worse than a winter cold is a spring one.

April is Nettle month here at the Nourishing Herbalist. April means spring -- the best time of year to wildcraft (harvest) nourishing herbs from your own backyard or in fields, woods or ditches nearby*. Hey, you can't beat free nutrient-packed food!

Should you be unable to find fresh Nettle you can always reconstitute dried nettle in hot water for a minute or two and then drain before use in any recipe calling for fresh nettle. Or, if you happen to be made of money you can order fresh Nettle leaves online.

With Nettles in hand (hopefully it's a gloved hand!) prepare to wow your family with this scrumptious quiche recipe we fondly call, the Green Goddess of all quiche recipes!

When you hear the term "superfood", it's doubtful a steaming bowl of brownish broth pops into mind. Acai berries, perhaps? Spinach anyone?

Here at the Nourishing Herbalist, we consider bone broth to be among the top 10 superfoods. Surprised? No other prepared food can boast of easily-assimilated vital minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and ideal substances for structural (bone) health like gelatin and collagen.