who has recipes for spinach i've been eating it as a salad need other ways to prepare it

[kevinb]

Okay i'm not new to working out, but i'm new to the fitbit community.The way i was introduce to fitbit was through a sleep study program that i did. this program gave me a jump start on a new way to live my life,I started out with my weight to be 300lbs that over 8months ago now i'm at 278lbs.that was from walking and exercising it has'nt been an easy road for me,like i've said in the beginning i'm not new to working out but i'm new to this life style.Itry to eat healthy but don't know how or what to eat that will keep me eating the right things. So i need some help...PLEASE thank you

[Jami]

Hi Kevin - there are lots of great foods out there and many different ways to eat healthy. Almost all healthy diets ask you to prepare most of your meals from wholesome ingredients and avoid sugar and processed foods. So now you can take up cooking! Since your title requested spinach recipes ... here are all the ways I eat spinach. I throw spinach into almost anything.

1. Fresh in a salad, topped with a rich dressing (make sure dressing is LOW SUGAR... fat is okay)

2. Blended into a green breakfast drink with 1 T wheat germ, 1 T ground flaxseed

3. Sauteed in olive oil or butter with one or two eggs

4. Steamed and served with a little heavy cream or feta cheese, salt, pepper, dash of vinegar

5. Add a cupful to soup or any stir fry

6. As a layer in a noodle-less lasagna recipe (substitute strips of sauteed eggplant for noodles)

7. Chopped up fine with onions, celery and tomatoes and mixed into whole fat cottage cheese

8. Added to any spaghetti or pizza sauce mix

[Jami]

I forgot my favorite - taco salad without the taco!!

Make a big bowl of lettuce and spinach. Heat up a bowl of seasoned chili (pinto beans) with a 3 oz serving of ground beef. Pour one or two cups of hot chili and beef onto the greens. Top with an ounce of grated cheese. This is my favorite winter meal because the warmed chili heats up the cold greens and it is a very satisfying, filling dish. Not all diet programs allow beans, but most concede that beans are one of the best sources of fiber, protein, and "healthy" carbs. Although I eat mostly low carb and no sugar, pinto beans are a carb I always fit into my week.  

[Natalie]

Starting out eating healthy can be a scarey thing because your mind starts thinking about what you can't eat rather than what you can. Start off slowly replacing some of the not so healthy things in your diet or reducing the quantity.

Don't be afraid to try new things, remember your taste buds change over time, so something you didn't like you may now like.  Talk to your butcher, you greengrocer, even your friends to get ideas.

I'm a firm believer that you eat with your eyes, if you food looks appetising you are more likely to enjoy eating it.  Try to include foods with lots of different colours.  As it is summer here (I'm in Australia), I am eating a lot of salads, so try to include lots of colourful vegetables - mixed lettuce leaves, beetroot, capsicum, carrots etc.

Also think of the texture of the food, like the crunch of an apple, the juicyness of an orange, the silkyness of yogurt (I love greek yogurt - less sugar)

Most of all, allow yourself a treat every now and again. This should be about lifestyle change NOT dieting

Nat

[Jayboy]

I like to add spinich to my Wok veggies with a little olive oil and pastured butter for flavor.

It is real good with cut up cabbage and sweet onion.

The Wok creats some swell veggie dishes that are down right awesome,... and healthy too!

Jay

[bmine30]

i am a big spinach fan - -one way I used to use it is when I was craving a comfort food meal but didn't want to load up on calories, i would steam the spinach, then add marinara, and vegetarian meatballs or vegetarian italian sausage - lots of goodness but not a lot of calories!

[Janepier]

I like to sautee spinach with grape tomatoes cut in half with just a little salt and pepper. There has been an increased hype on coconut oil for your health, especially good for your thyroid. I have found using cocnut oil fresh baby spinach about 20 grape tomates cut in half sauteed with about 5 to 6 large shrip is wonderful, dust it with ranch powder and I serve it to guest. Fast simple and oh so good.

[KJScarp]

Spinach is one of my very favorite vegetables, and this is my favorite way to prepare it.

BLUE CHEESE CREAMED SPINACH

1 1/2 T olive oil
1 c finely chopped yellow onion
1 lb fresh baby spinach
3/4 c heavy cream
3 oz. blue cheese
1/4 t sea salt
pinch ground black pepper

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and cook, stirring often until translucent (abt. 3 mins).  Increase heat to medium high and add spinach, a handful at a time, and sauté 2-3 mins. until wilted.  Transfer spinach to a sieve and press firmly to remove as much liquid as possible.

Add cream to saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat.  Simmer until slightly thickened, abt. 2 mins.  Stir in spinach.  Coarsely crumble 1/2 blue cheese over spinach and toss to coat.  Stir in salt & pepper.  Keep warm over very low heat.

[SunsetRunner]

I've been having baby spinach instead of spaghetti with my bolognase. Also good to add to omlettes and I add a handful each day to my carrott and celery juice

[LavedaC]

What about substitueing half & half for the heavy cream? Do you think that would work?

[KJScarp]

Sure you could.  It will probably be a little more watery than if you used the heavy cream, but it shouldn't alter the taste. 

[LavedaC]

Thanks!

[Vicki-Z]

I like to take a whole bag of baby spinach and put it in a frying pan with a little water, garlic, salt and pepper and wilt it down. Then I squeeze out any extra water, add 4-6 eggs and mix it up and then put it in a pie dish. Sprinkle with fresh parmasan (not the powdered kind) and then bake it like  a quiche. It's so filling and satisfying and it packs well for work lunches. I like it for any meal of the day.

The second thing I like to do with spinach is to cut a big handful into ribbons and put it on homemade pizza. The trick here is to put it on top of the sauce and under the cheese. Makes your pizza seem meaty and more filling.

[JaySD]

Tsp of olive oil in a pan. Add a tablespoon of {fresh minced} garlic and ginger, let it cook a little bit to get the taste out. Add your spinach and let it cook. After the spinach has cooked for a while, add a little bit of seasme oil and saesme seeds. Tastes really good.

[Bart_NL]

As a salad, add some red fruits (raspberries, strawberries) and some drips of balsamico vinager and fresh grinded black pepper.

[tonyflo04]

I use raw and baby spinach in my salads and my sandwiches and burgers i make during my "cut". Here is my Favorite Salad:

3c Raw or Baby Spinach

1c THin Sliced fresh white mushrooms

1c sliced & quartered cucumber

8 grape tomatoes

2oz. Hot Banana Pepper Rings

2-3 Tbls Of Dressing (I use fat free sweet italian from a local restaurant) 

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper to taste

I usually have this salad with any meat dish I make

[KJScarp]

Just a word of warning about fat free dressings.  Vegetables and salads require fats to absorb Vitamins A, E, D and K (spinach is abundant in all of these vitamins, except Vit. D).  This link (and cronomoter.com) are awesome links for obtaining nutrient breakdowns for your foods, so that you can tweak your dietary needs based on the foods that you are eating:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=43

Also, when they remove fat from a food item, they replace the taste and mouthfeel of fat with sugar and other additivies.  It is much healthier to use less of the full-fat version of something than to use a lower-fat or non-fat product.  In this particular case, by using a low fat dressing, you are unable to obtain the health benefits of the veggies in the salad, defeating the purpose of eating a salad at all.

I always use a cream or oil based dressing (I usually make my own, but in a pinch I will find a dressing in the refrigerated section - the shelf-stable dressings are nothing but pure crap).  I also make sure I put butter on top of my veggies, or I cook them in coconut or olive oil, so that I'm getting the full nutritional bang for my buck.

[badminton]

Put some raw spinach (washed!) in a pot with a small amount (1-3 tablespoons) water. Start wilting it, then add some turmeric and cumin; after 5 m inutes it shold be cooked. If you dont like those spices, try ones you do.

You can also steam it and then add it to spaghetti noodles, with a little butter, some good quality pecorino cheese, and a lot of garlic. 

[RobinNJ]

I mix chopped spinach with ground turkey breast for turkey burgers. I make a bunch of the burgers then seal and freeze them, then thaw in the fridge all day and have for dinner. I am "kitchen challeged" and have never cooked, but this is one thing that I discovered that is easy and tasty too. Hope this helps!

[LCHFmom]

I just made a great breakfast casserole...

Chorizo, eggs, cheddar, onions,green peppers, spinach!