You know, after lots of trying and many different recipes, I’m finally coming to terms with the fact that I just don’t like spinach that much.
I know, I know, I’m a fitness professional so I’m supposed to like all the super healthy vegetables and talk about how delicious they are all the time.
I WILL be doing that for you on as many occasions as possible, but in this case I am going acknowledge the many incredible health-boosting benefits of spinach, and then teach you how to HIDE IT in your food.
I know you've seen my beloved cauliflower rice with spinach before...
I’m like a child when it comes to this one - unless it’s covered in butter, cream and/or cheese, I am probably not going to be that into it unless it is seamlessly incorporated into something else and I can pretend it’s not there :)
I just don’t like it, man. Raw or blanched spinach salad makes my teeth feel like they’re covered in sand, and I don’t care for the acidic bite it typically has… I wish it was my jam, but it’s just not. Can’t like ‘em all, I guess!
So ok, creamed spinach is pretty tasty because, as I mentioned above, it’s drowned in cream and butter (and sometimes cheese) and cooked within an inch of its life… Any nutritional benefits spinach in its untouched state may have had go right out the window with this one, so although I’m pretty willing to eat it I wouldn’t by any means consider it a health food. I don’t know if I’d even really consider it to be spinach anymore, to be honest!
Before I move on to a game of hide and seek with your greens, let’s talk about what spinach has to offer you in the health benefits department…
To keep it short and sweet, spinach is SUPER nutritious. It contains a truckload of vitamins and minerals (like vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, zinc, potassium, calcium, and iron) all of which help your body in numerous important ways from reducing inflammation to strengthening your bones and muscles. It also manages to do all of this for you with very little caloric cost, so it’s a real winner in my book!
There are so many reasons why spinach should have a place in all of our diets that I felt like including it was imperative - I wasn’t going to let my taste buds stop me, and I hope you won’t either!
Here are my favorite ways to get your spinach without having to force it down! Chances are, besides the obvious color pop, you won’t even know it’s there :)
Blend it into your protein shake. Throwing a few handfuls of spinach (or a couple cups of the frozen kind) into your icy, blended protein shake can give you all of the benefits while effectively masking the taste. Adding a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder or peanut butter can help even more, and the sweetness of your protein powder should do the rest!
Add it to your marinara sauce. Chop it finely and stir it into your favorite marinara (or low-calorie alfredo) sauce before pouring it over your veggies, meat, or pasta (spaghetti squash, anyone?) if your macros allow. If your sauce is thick to begin with, adding the spinach should actually thin it out a little due to its water content - an effect that I actually like! Shakshuka is one of my all-time favorite ways to use a tomato sauce (with hidden spinach and TONS of flavor), check it out:
Mix it in with your rice. I like to use cauliflower rice most of the time, and I find that if I chop up my spinach and stir it together with the cauliflower (plus lots of seasonings) that I don’t really notice it, and it reminds me of rice pilaf. Plus, it adds volume to my meal, which I’m always looking to do!
Stir it into your meatballs. I love making homemade meatballs, and I always add finely chopped spinach, onion, and sometimes zucchini to the meat mixture before I shape them for an extra veggie boost. I like the texture and moisture they all add!
Make a pesto. Adding spinach to your basil as you make pesto can keep with the green theme while adding tons of nutrients to your sauce. All the other ingredients are so flavorful that you won't even remember the spinach! Just go easy on the oil, nuts, and cheese in your recipe to keep the calories reasonable :)
Roll it up with your meats. Pounding out a chicken breast until it's thin and rolling it up with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and a little cheese and pesto is a favorite at our house. The spinach shrinks when it cooks, so don’t be scared to add a good handful!
These are just a couple of ways I manage to get the benefits of spinach without being sad about it :) nobody likes eating foods that aren’t palatable to them, but I think it’s just about finding ways to creatively incorporate them into your diet so that you don’t really realize they’re there. Make them delicious (or cover up the taste) and you win!
How do you manage to eat your least favorite veggies? What are your favorite ways to “hide” them in plain sight?
Please feel free to comment, upvote, or resteem if you’d like! :)
