Oh my stars, who doesn't love a bandy-legged sailor who rescues the fair maiden EVERY SINGLE TIME??? I'm a romance writer, of course I love me some Popeye!
It was the whole spinach thing that I didn't understand... Oh, I understood why Shirley Temple didn't want to eat the spinach pushed on her in Poor Little Rich Girl...
The stuff is horrible beyond belief. And despite all the influence of working in a Greek restaurant for eleven years, I managed to keep spinach at bay...
Until this:
Maybe it's because they're young.
Maybe it's because they're organic. But I'll tell you, this spinach doesn't have any of the bitter green taste of its predecessors... Nor does it have sand that grits in my teeth, such a NON-YUMMY FEELING when one is trying to eat...
I use it in salads....
I steam it and drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper and garlic.....
I eat it by the hands-full. (Okay, you might have figured out that I've gone low-carb because I was toting around a little more Ruthy than necessary, so it's time to behave for a bit... And don't even ask why I don't just eat like this ALL THE TIME because there's no rhyme or reason to it. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada.
Well, except the fact that carbs taste good!!! But so does this spinach.
And it's that delicious that I'm going out of my way to go to Wegmans and buy it.
I layer it in my essential-for-good-living broccoli-slaw salad. I've cut it up and added it to cheese dishes... And while I usually am not a fan of the spinach in spanakopita (one of my favorite Greek Dishes) this spinach is melt-in-your-mouth wonderful.
So I'm on the bandwagon. I almost can't believe it, because there are a few things I thought I'd never really like....
EVER.
This was one of them and I'm happy to say....
(sigh...)
I was WRONG!
I love baby spinach salad with dried cranberries, walnuts, and a low fat vinaigrette!
ReplyDeleteAnd I can eat all of that except the dried cranberries and walnuts. :) Did you know that walnuts have 27 grams of carbs per serving? And almonds have way less than that. I wonder why? I remember when Pam Hillman was here with her Kashi cereal and I checked the carbs on it... that would have been like five days worth for a bowl of cereal....
DeleteSo my veggies are waiting for me in the fridge... all I have to do is nuke them. 8 carbs for a monster bowl. And my jeans are zipping easier. It was either bite the low-carb (or some diet) bullet or buy new clothes.
It's WAY FUN to buy smaller clothing. It's a kick in the head to buy them bigger. So I'm a "veggie-saurus" for a little while although I treat myself to one tiny fun thing at the end of the day if I've behaved... and it didn't stop me from eating lemon cake and strawberry rhubarb pie on Mother's Day!!! :)
Ruthy, I had no idea there were so many carbs in walnuts! I'll have to remember that when I make my oatmeal.
DeleteI was surprised. I can't believe I never checked them, but it was high. Crazy high.
DeleteNot to brag or anything but I just dropped another two pounds moving rocks.
ReplyDeleteHow am I going to keep it off once the rock walls are built? Broccoli slaw and spinach leaves.
I am posting Saturday about pasta substitutes (low carb, GF and all that). I stir-fry broccoli slaw as a rice substitute. Anything I serve over rice, I now serve over broccoli slaw.
Thanks Ruthy for introducing the stuff and reminding me baby spinach leaves have no grit. I hate that feel on my teeth!
Peace, Julie
I look forward to Saturday's post, Julie! I recently had the spaghetti squash marinara at Ruby Tuesday. And it was really good!
DeleteOh, Missy... Spaghetti squash marinara... now that's a recipe we need. Must find a good one. I'd love that and the carbs in it are good carbs. Happy carbs.
DeleteMust stick with Mediterranean-style happy carbs!
(If I start to get an Italian complexion, we'll know it's not just the sun on the water that causes it!)
Julie, that broccoli slaw is one of the most versatile helps to health and a figure I've ever found. Really amazing stuff. I love it too!
So Ruthy, have you tried baby kale?
ReplyDeleteMy supermarket sells a package of organic triple washed baby kale hat I use the same way you use the baby spinach. Yum.
Mary, I do this too! My favorite is actually what they call "Power Greens." It's baby kales, spinach and chard. I actually use it more often than the spinach alone.
DeleteI can't eat kale or chard. They say folks' tastebuds are in different percentages on their tongues. Mine say Kale is way to bitter. ;-(
DeleteI haven't tried the kale... will have to check it out. And the bitter spinach aftertaste was part of what pushed me away. And the sand...
DeleteBut I'm willing to try it! I don't do swiss chard but I cook it for Dave... Again, too bitter and dirty. I'm obviously not willing to wash this stuff enough, right????
:)
My bad!
I love pre-washed baby spinach! I buy it weekly. My favorite way to eat it is sautéed with garlic over pasta. Which, I guess, defeats your low-card diet! LOL
ReplyDeleteHahahaha! yes, no pasta... but sauteed in a bowl and just EATEN is good, too!
Deletea coworker got me to eating spinach - I like it raw - cooked it has to be snuck in sparingly - can't stand the stuff in cans - blech!
ReplyDeletehad to go back and drool over that cinnamon roll pic from yesterday - could sure use a couple of those right now!
Susanna
Pretend spinach is as good as cinnamon rolls. It helps to keep us on the straight and narrow.
DeleteAnd I'm not opposed to giving myself a Sunday treat, either. As long as you do it sparingly, it works and doesn't mess up the carb ratio vs. calorie ratio.
Oh, I'm with you on spinach in cans! The person who thought that was a good idea must have been desperate for greens in the winter!
ReplyDeleteBut raw? Or lightly steamed? Oh, it's good stuff!
I use it in smoothies - a handful of spinach leaves with some yogurt and frozen berries is delicious. I throw in a few ice cubes to give it that milkshake quality. Mmm.
I like these baby spinach leaves in my omelette, too. Sauteed with a bit of onion, and then pour the eggs over the whole mess, add a bit of cheese...
If the guy wasn't coming to install our wood stove this morning, I'd be heading out to the store to pick up a package of this stuff!
By the way, if you think about it, pray it doesn't rain until the installation is done!
I've done the Kale 'chips' - good stuff! I remember a long time ago trying this soup that called for kale - I added the amt called for and it was up over the top of the pot - walked away and came back and it was 'gone' - looked at my german shepherd and thought she'd swiped it but couldnt' believe she'd eat it - then realized it cooked down. oh well she DID swipe 2 bbq chicken legs and a pork loin before so it's natural I'd suspect her of being guilty.
ReplyDeleteSusanna
JAN!!!! THE WOOD STOVE!!! YOU'RE HOME, BABY!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI started putting the spinach in eggs last week. So good!!! And with some cheese. No carbs, and delicious. Such a treat.
Susanna, I can just imagine you suspecting the dog, LOL! Oh, how funny!!! It's amazing how an hour away can reduce a soup!