Spinach Cubes
My life is so boring right now I’m going to blog about making spinach cubes. I know. I hate to blow the air of mystery I have around here but seriously, I’ve got nothin’ going on. It’s just parks and grocery shopping day in and day out. If I’m not counting to one thousand while I push Bug on the swing then I’m probably writing up a grocery list and plotting how I’m going to zig-zag across town getting the best deal on groceries.
The highlight of my week this week was going to the local Persian market and buying a giant pillowcase-sized bag of raw spinach. I’m not kidding! The bag was so huge I should have taken a picture. I didn’t want a bag that big. I wanted one one-fifth the size but they didn’t have any and the GIGANTIC one was only $3.49. I must have wheeled my rusty metal grocery cart up and down the crowded narrow aisles of that market eight times trying to weigh whether or not I could actually use as much spinach as a small restaurant.
In the end I decided I could. I figured I’d call up my neighbor and give her some. I’d eat probably a quarter of the bag raw and then cook the rest. Cooking spinach is like some kind of circus show where the clowns pile into an impossibly small car. You can add handful after handful of raw spinach to a boiling pot of water and it just magically disappears. My mom says there is a great debate over whether raw spinach is more healthy than cooked and now I know why. You are probably getting 10 times the amount of vitamins when you eat it cooked simply because it condenses down to such a small size. Five bowls raw probably equals one bite cooked. It’s pretty amazing.
Of course, enjoying cooked spinach is probably key. Which I do. I don’t love it but it’s not bad. I especially like it drenched in lemon juice. Lately, what I’ve been doing with my raw spinach (and the reason I was buying it in the first place) is making smoothies. Cheeky Lotus Shakes to be specific. I don’t know if this diet works. I can’t stay on it long enough to tell you but I can say that I like drinking super-healthy smoothies after I’ve binged on Pop-Tarts for a week. Nothing soothes a bloated tummy and a guilty conscience better than a delicious fruit smoothie packed with ground flax seeds and raw spinach.
I know a lot of people will think this breakfast is disgusting and it is if you think about it too hard. But you don’t taste the spinach at all. Everything is sweet. Blended bananas cover a multitude of healthy fibery things. The texture is funny but I’m not one of those people who is bothered overly much by textures. I’m weird that way.
So that is my breakfast. A smoothie (or shake) and my big cup of coffee. And now you know why I made spinach ice cubes. Because I want to use them in my shakes. I can’t tell you how they tasted yet because today is Pop-Tart day but I’m sure I’ll be able to let you know by the end of next week when my third-of-a-pillowcase-sized bag of raw spinach runs out or gets slimy.
13 Comments
bonnie
I use spinach in my breakfast shakes, too. Also baby carrots, cranberries, walnuts, banana, molasses and cocoa powder. And all you can taste is the chocolate. I’ve been drinking this shake for years now, but only added in the spinach a year or so ago b/c I was always really hesitant to try it. I think the thing is that raw spinach is really fairly flavorless, but when you cook it, it becomes very strong.
And now I want some creamed spinach.
nicole
you just lifted my spirits!
Madge
You crack me up! I’m picturing you snoozing on your big ol’ pillow of spinach. The day to day to day to day to day to day… You know what it does to me. I wish we were neighbors, it would be a lot easier to get together for margaritas without driving. I think I might need to blend a batch next BBQ Wednesday :P
Your smoothies have me very intrigued, I can’t tell whether or not I would like them.
Kate
Good for you! See, I AM a texture person and just looking at that picture made me gag a little, imagining it in my mouth. Blergh. But good for you! :)
Calee
We have one of those giant bags right now too. I have a strong no-green smoothie policy but we had magic shrinking spinach with dinner tonight. Next plan- quiche!
Kassi
breakfast shake…brilliant idea! of course, I would hate to grab the wrong ice cube for my Coca Cola. :o)
a chris
That shake looks pretty good. The only think I would hesitate at is the flax! Spinach, no problem. It’s nice. As long as there isn’t too much grit in it! Maybe I’m one of those texture people.
gingermog
The idea of Spinach in a smoothie made me think about running for the hills but then I took a deep breath and saw the photo of the blueberries, strawberries and bananas and thought
“hmm not so bad”. I love spinach, prefer it raw really in salads but I do use loads of it inside Thai soups and tonight my chickpea curry. I have issues with some textures though oddly with cucumbers and watermelons although I love the look and smell of both. Food aversions are odd :P
Sam
I’ve totally been wanting to do a ‘green smoothie’ and definitely need to add some flaxseed to my life. Thanks for the link and the great idea! Now where can I get my own bushel of spinach?
Tiffany
Your blog always makes me smile! I love “pop-tart day!
BeachMama
I could use a pop-tart day, but I am going forward with no carbs. I promised my doctor I would do it again, just one last time. I don’t know if I could get that shake down, but it does look kinda yummy.
brooke
I use raw spinach a lot in smoothies and love it. My kids and husband can’t even taste or see it. I’d never thought of freezing it, though. Great idea. I can never get through the Costco package before it gets a bit slimy. Another thing I like to add to smoothies is carrot juice. It’s really sweet, so the kids love it. Trader Joe’s sells it in small enough quantities that it’s manageable too.
Kuky
That is amazingly creepy looking.