Six Sneaky Ways to Add Spinach to Your Food
I realize I’m probably a party of one when I say this…but I love spinach. Maybe it’s the years of watching Popeye cartoons as a kid, but there’s just something about eating a huge spinach salad that just makes me feel stronger.
As a health coach, I often hear people say “I WISH I loved vegetables…but I just can’t stomach them” or “of course I know I should be eating more vegetables…but they’re so borrrrring!” When I ask how they are eating them, they say something along the lines of “I forced myself to eat a whole bowl of carrots last night…and it sucked”.
If anyone is “forcing” themselves to a mass quantity of something they don’t normally like (not to mention plain and unseasoned) obviously they’re going to dislike it.
I didn’t always have a love affair with spinach. If I’m being honest, it was a slow courtship. I learned a lot about the benefits of spinach (including its high fiber content, ability to improve eyesight, lower blood pressure, and build healthy, strong muscles) and decided that I would start sneaking it into some of the foods I love whenever I could. Then, eventually, I tried a spinach salad and, like magic, I loved it!
If you’re looking for ways to sneak more spinach into your diet, below are a few ways that I found success loading on up the leafy green without altering the taste much.
Smoothies
This one is pretty obvious, but it’s one of the easiest ways to pack spinach into your breakfast, the meal that’s notoriously veggie-less. The best part is you can add one or two full handfuls of spinach to any smoothie and it won’t alter the taste a bit! Run any search on Pinterest to find a smoothie that sounds good, add a handful of spinach and you’re good to go!
Veggie Loaded Grilled Cheese
This grilled cheese created by The Dreaming Foodie really is a dream come true, and adding a layer of spinach to the sandwich doesn’t change the taste or texture one bit. This recipe actually inspired me to try adding lots of different veggies to my own grilled cheese sandwiches and I bet it will do the same for you.
Spinach Avocado Chicken Burgers
I stumbled upon this recipe by Unbound Wellness in January when I was trying out Whole 30. I was on a serious avocado kick and it was just an added bonus that I could also fit in some spinach to my burger… a real win win if you ask me.
Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta
Pasta. Plus greens. Cheap. Delicious. Yup.
Spinach Chips
Catherine from Rabbit Food for My Bunny Teeth nailed it when she says “spinach chips are the new kale chips.” Couldn’t agree more! If you like a good crunch and want to try to swap in some greens for your normal chip addiction, this is the recipe for you. (Just be careful not to overbake – they burn easily!)
Vegan Spinach Brownies
I really did save the best for last here. I couldn’t resist sharing a really unexpected but heavenly dessert recipes that packs two full cups of spinach! Even my husband – who is normally a spinach-hater – couldn’t tell there was anything different about these brownies.
Fitting spinach into your diet doesn’t mean downing a bowl of plain, boring spinach. You can get creative and fit it into some of your favorite staples and barely even notice the difference. You can feel good knowing that you’re getting all of the incredible health benefits of spinach, even if it’s smooshed into a grilled cheese sandwich (or brownie for dessert!)
