Eat Your Veggies: Spinach

Here is another of my favorite veggies.  Spinach!  It is a super veggie, swap it out for iceberg everywhere you can.  I put it on my sandwiches, in my smoothies, in my eggs, and sometimes I can sneak it into other recipes. 

Why Spinach?  Well is a renowned muscle builder!  (we want muscles, they burn more calories and are sooo pretty)There is a hormone in spinach that increases protein synthesis by 20%.  This hormone allows muscle tissue to repair itself faster according to reasearch.  Spinach is high in vitamin K (one cup of spinach has more than your daily requirement of this vitamin), manganese, magnesium, calcium, folate, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and selenium.  This combination of vitamins and minerals can help to protect the liver and ward off Alzheimer's.  

Spinach is also a beauty power food.  It is rich in beta-carotene, and this converts to a powerful anti-aging Vitamin A. This promotes proper moisture retention in the skin, helping to prevent wrinkles, and removing dead skin from your body.  Spinach also contains lipoic acid, this helps vitamins C and E regenerate(both of these are a must for youthful skin).  It is rich in amino acids and has twice the fiber of most greens, this will keep you full and help you curb cravings.

 So here is the link to my green smoothie where I use my spinach most often.   One of my favorite little books of food info is Beauty Detox Foods  There are tons of great veggie recipes in this book.  She eats much more strictly than I prefer to eat, but there are amazing recipes and a ton of information on different foods and why to eat them.

Here is a recipe I just love!!!  It is a Spinach strawberry salad and it is sooo yummy, I could eat it for many meals.

I found this one on this site, but I have made it many different ways but I really thought this one sounded good.

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/avocado-strawberry-spinach-salad-with-poppyseed-dressing/

(she has a lot of great recipes, go check out her site)

She even has the dressing recipe, which I love because then I know exactly what I am eating!!!

Eat your Veggies: Avocado (I know it's a fruit)

Ok this week has by far been my hardest, I have had more mistakes than I would like to admit, but I am learning, and it is getting easier.  A few suggestions I had from comments on facebook, were to get a steamer so of course I got on Amazon and got one ordered right away.  I have had one before so I know this will help, steamed veggies are great!  I ended up buying the rice cooker with steamer because my hubby loves rice so 2 for one :)

One thing I have noticed is that it is easier for me to eat veggies when they taste good... That is my biggest problem I have a love for yummy food, and somehow veggies and yummy have never gone together for me.   But I am going to fix that problem.  Another thing that I really enjoy is knowing what different foods do to help my body (maybe it's just me but I think it is fascinating)  So here are a few of my favorite veggies and what they do for us when we eat them.

Avocado (technically a fruit, but we prepare them and eat them more like a veggie so they are staying in my veggie category)  They are full of one of the world's most healthy fats, monounsaturates.  These fats, according to several studies, improve your cholesterol, and decrease the amount of triglycerides in your blood.  They have 10 grams of fiber in one cup so they are great at helping curb cravings!  Avocados are great for your skin, if you eat them often you will notice your skin will become more supple and soft and youthful.  They have been noted among cultures such as the Maya Indians, for being powerful anti-aging foods.  They are great for skin and joints.   The oil in avocados is similar to our skin's own natural oil so its a great oil for skin rejuvenation.  Avocados are full of vitamins A, C, E and K, and contain minerals , potassium, copper, and iron.  Avocados also have one of the highest amino acid contents of all fruits, this helps you to build lean muscle.

How do you prepare your avocados?  Here are a few things I like to do.
Guacamole to add to anything (sandwiches, eggs, wraps, fajitas, chicken)
2 avocado
1 tomato
1/2 tsp garlic salt
Juice from 1/2 lime
1/4 bunch cilantro (or more)
3-6 green onions
1 jalapeno (seeded if you don't want as much of a kick)
cumin, salt and pepper to taste.
Cut your avocados in half pull out the pit, scoop out of the skin and mash with a fork.  Chop tomato, cilantro, onion and jalapeno. Mix all ingredients together and use.  Avocados will brown quickly so I usually only make a small batch at a time.


I also enjoy slicing them and just adding them in a wrap or fajita.  I have added them to my green smoothies for an extra creamy consistency.  I would love to hear how you prepare or use avocados, leave me a comment!