Sneaky Spinach

I love spinach. 

It’s super healthy, easy to grow, easy to prepare, affordable, and best of all – you can sneak it into just about anything!

Want to boost your family’s nutrition?  Add spinach to your menu several times a week.

You can serve it alone as a side dish, add it to a salad (if you have salad lovers this is a great way to sneak it in), or plop a few handfuls into ANY pasta or soup (just drop a handful in the last few minutes of cooking) or even throw a handful in a fruit smoothie – you won’t even taste it.

Spinach is full of antioxidants and carotenoids.  It also contains much of your daily requirements of Vitamins A, C, E, and K.  It has lutein and zeaxanthin – both important for healthy eyes, and best of all as I mentioned above it’s versatile and mild tasting.

There are a few things you need to watch out for when consuming spinach – it does contain a high level of oxalic acid which can interfere with the absorption of calcium and iron.  So enjoy it with a healthy fat like eggs, seeds, or cheese to help counteract – spinach dip anyone?  You also want to make organic spinach a priority – if you can afford it – as spinach is typically a highly sprayed crop and therefore tends to have higher levels of pesticide residue.

My favorite way to enjoy spinach is to simply saute it in a bit of garlic and olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes – or until wilted.  It’s the perfect last-minute side dish to any meal.

Shared on WFMW, Real Food Wednesday and The Mommy Clu