Strawberry Sweets

• Strawberry Pie (gluten free)
• Strawberry Muffins (sugar/grain free)

Strawberry Cocktails

• Strawberry Martini
• Frozè
• Strawberry Sangria
• Srawberry Simple Syrup

If you want to really brighten up your party, make strawberry drinks. No one is going to turn down strawberry sangria, full of fresh fruit and bright colors. Get fancy with a strawberry martini and serve it in a pretty glass! When the weather is really hot, try the frozé.

Salads

You often find strawberries in salads in restaurants, but too often served with overly sweet nuts and dressings. This arugula salad with pecorino combines the sweet and salty for a refreshing salad that better accompanies a savory protein. If you like sweeter check out the salad with a confetti of white chocolate.

• Arugula Manchego Strawberry Salad
• Arugula Salad with Fruit and White Chocolate

When purchasing strawberries, remember to get homegrown or organic strawberries. Regular strawberries are loaded with pesticides. Don’t wash in advance, and when storing, make sure they are have room. Strawberries on top of each other in fridge end up too often going bad.

Strawberry Sauce

Lastly, this strawberry sauce made sugar free or traditionally has many uses. You can add to ice cream for a sundae, yogurt, smoothies, etc.

• Sugar Free Strawberry Sauce

The post Spring Recipes with Strawberries appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Here are a few of my favorite things to cook, bake, eat while hunkered down in a storm. If you have to be stuck inside, at least enjoy the food. Or perhaps take time to try some new recipes.

Smoothies

You might be stuck at home too many days, but still want to feel good and stay healthy. Try any of these smoothies which are tried are true for my family. The twins were sick last week and asked for the red beet smoothie. By chance, I had red beets and all the ingredients.

• Vitamin C Smoothie and Tips for a Fever
• Two Green Smoothie Recipes Kids Love
• Blueberry Banana Protein Smoothie
• Red Beet Smoothie (kids love, so do teens)
• Blueberry Protein Smoothie Bowl
• Chocolate Fix: Chocolate Avocado Smoothie

Snacks

Try some healthy snacks if you start getting bored.

• Olive Feta Salad
• Italian Sausage Balls
• Loaded Deviled Eggs
• Cowboy Caviar (Bean Dip)

Soups

I know EVERYONE is making soup this week. Here’s a few of my favorites.

• Chicken Vegetable Soup
• French Onion Soup
• Italian Meatball Soup
• Sausage Lentil Soup

Bread

Perhaps have always wanted to know about how to make your own sourdough starter. I just made a new one and it was ready in five days, just using all purpose flour. The bread was great.

• Sourdough Bread (Easy)
• Sourdough Starter (will be ready in five days)
• Best Traditional Southern Fluffy Biscuits

Stews

• Beef Bourguignon (low carb option)
• Old Fashioned Beef Stew
• Four Chicken Biscuit Pot Pie Recipes (Low carb options)
• Chicken Chicken Pot Pie with Best Crust
• Irish Stew with Soda Bread

Pasta

You can make most of these with any kind of macaroni.

• Tuscan White Bean Pasta
• Creamy Sausage Ragu
• Stuffed Shells
• Three Cheese Pasta Chicken Bake

Easy Delicious Ground Beef Recipes

• Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls
• Italian Ground Beef and Peas (my STILL number one post)
• Picadillo (Cuban ground beef with olives) serve with rice
• Our Favorite Taco Meat (made with bacon)

Eggs, Eggs, Eggs

I know you all have a huge amounts of eggs and here are some great ideas.

• Eggs in Purgatory (Italian Shakshuka)
• Arugula Hash with Oven Baked Eggs
• Spinach Frittata with Manchego
• Homemade Egg Pasta (even if you don’t have a pasta machine, you can do this using a rolling pin).

For Fun

• Snow Cream

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The post Snow Storm Food appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Blueberries can find themselves in anything from cocktails to desserts to savory recipes like this gluten free blueberry crisp.

Blueberry Drinks

Blueberry Smoothies

Blueberry Banana Protein Smoothie – Made with blueberries, banana and yogurt this is more than a drink; it’s breakfast.

Blueberry Cold Fighting Smoothie – Made with blueberries, kale, orange, red beet and apple, it’s delicious and full of immune boosting powers.

Blueberry Old Fashioned

Blueberry Old Fashioned made with blueberry simple syrup is a true summer cocktail. You can switch out the sugar in the simple syrup for swerve, making this a sugar free drink.

Low Carb Blueberry Tart

These low carb blueberry tarts are one of my favorites, made with an almond flour crust and a blueberry compote.

Low Carb Blueberry Cheesecake Bites

These low-carb blueberry cheesecake bites will be a hit at your next party. Creamy cheesecake with blueberry compote spells summer glory.

Keto Blueberry Muffins/Cakes

Everyone loves blueberry muffins. I make mine with a combination of almond and coconut flour. The biggest selling muffin in my keto bakery is the lemon blueberry muffin. We love the lemon blueberry bundt cake with a drizzle of lemon glaze. The blueberry crumb coffee cake makes an amazing breakfast.

Creamy Blueberry Dessert

Keto Wild Berry Lavender Ice Cream

Made with tips from Jenni’s Ice Cream, my keto wild berry lavender ice cream is their fan favorite and mine.

Whipped Ricotta with Blueberries

This dessert can be whipped up in literally five minutes.

Traditional Prize Winning Pies

Last year I won third place at the fair with my blueberry pie. Here are a few traditional (wheat based) blueberry pies made over the years.

• Best Blueberry Pie with Strawberries
• Blueberry Buttermilk Pie
• Blueberry Thyme Galette

Savory Blueberry Dishes

Believe it or not blueberries work really well in savory dishes, adding just the right amount of sweetness.

• Grilled Ribeye Porkchops with Savory Peach Compote
• Salmon with Savory Blueberry Compote

So tell me, do you use blueberries to their fullest? What’s YOUR favorite blueberry recipe?

Helpful Equipment (found on Amazon)

• Vitamix (what I can’t live without).
• Small Tart Pans
• Square Pan for Cheesecake Bars
• Ice Cream Maker
• My Favorite Cake Pans
• Small Food Processor
• My Favorite Baking Sheet

The post Blueberry Recipes for Summer appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I can make a fantastic chocolate cupcake and I knew if I took my chocolate ingredient base and played around, I could get that brownie texture and taste that is similar but very distinct from chocolate cake. It’s much more dense, moist and more fudge like.

These dairy free chocolate brownies are made with nuts, but you can skip the nuts if you don’t want them. I used walnuts as I think they are the best with chocolate, but you could use pecans too.

Use the Right Chocolate

I use a very good unsweetened cocoa powder and Choc Zero dark chocolate baking chips. This combination gives provides that just right chocolate taste. My favorite cocoa powders are Anthony’s Cocoa Powder or Better Body Foods Cacao.

You Can Make These in a Sheet Pan or Individual.

I make almost all my keto baked goods in these paper tart liners. They work well for the bakery and they make freezing easy, aside from portion control.

Ingredients for Dairy Free Keto Chocolate Brownies

• Almond Flour
• Coconut Flour
• Erythritol, Monk Fruit
• Eggs
• Avocado Oil
• Baking Powder
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• Unsweetened Coconut Milk
• Choc Zero Chocolate Chips
• Walnuts
• Salt
• Xanthan Gum

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More Keto Chocolate Desserts

• Keto Chocolate Tart
• Keto Chocolate Ganache Cupcake
• Keto Bacon Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Keto Chocolate Cupcake, Buttercream
• Keto Chocolate Smoothie with Avocado
• Keto Chocolate Pots de Creme

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Keto Brownies

Keto Brownies made with almond and coconut flour. Super Moist.

Course Dessert Keto

Cuisine American

Keyword keto brownies

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 16 servings

Calories 252kcal

Ingredients

Brownie Cake

• 230 grams almond flour
• 4 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa Better Body Foods
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 1 cup swerve granulated sweetner
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup sugar free chocolate chips I use Choc Zero
• 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Chocolate Ganache

• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup sugar free chocolate chips I use Choc Zero

Instructions

Brownie Cake

• Prepare sheet pan with parchment paper and spray.
• Mix sweetener and oil together.
• Add eggs, one at a time.
• In separate bowl, mix together remaining dry ingredients. Set Aside.
• Add coconut milk.
• Add remaining dry ingredients.
• Add chocolate chips and walnuts.
• Pour batter into quarter sheet pan.
• Warm up chocolate ganache if necessary and swirl into the batter.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (180 C) for 16 minutes. Middle should not jiggle. Don't overbake.

Chocolate Ganache

• Heat coconut milk and chocolate chips in bain marie (stainless steel bowl over simmering water) until melted.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 16 | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Fiber: 4g

The post Dairy Free Chocolate Keto Walnut Brownies appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

A few weeks ago we went to New Orleans, and one of the restaurants inspired this dish of orange beets.

Compere Lapin served us a beautiful beet salad made with pistachios and kale pesto. When I purchased the beets to attempt to make this, the beet greens were so fresh I couldn’t discard them. Thus, beet greens pesto. If you can’t find beets with healthy beet greens attached go ahead and use kale or serve with this homemade basil pest0 or this seven herb garden pesto.

Beets are no stranger to Spinach Tiger. I have over 25 beet recipes and the most popular one has always been my red beet smoothie.

There are months that beets go off my radar, but that shouldn’t happen because the health benefits are just too powerful. 

Beets contain betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used in other forms to treat depression. It also contains tryptophan which is also found in chocolate and contributes to a sense of well being, promotes the health of internal organs and a growing body of evidence shows that betaine is an important nutrient for the prevention of chronic disease. Beet Greens are also extremely healthy, high in iron, Vitamin K, magnesium and much more.

I’ve sauteéd beet greens in this recipe but this is the first time I’ve used them raw.

Ingredients

• Red Beets (feel free to use beets of other colors)
• Olive Oil
• Basil
• Garlic
• Orange
• Lemon
• Pistachio Nuts

Roasted Orange Beets with Beets Greens Pesto is the Foodie Salad for Health Nuts

I roasted the beets after dousing with a little olive oil and a lot of freshly squeezed orange. The beets greens were mixed with some olive oil, a little basil, garlic, orange and pistachio nuts. I had my doubts that this would work, but when you take a bite of the beet with the beet greens pesto, lemon it comes together well.

This is a simple dish, but it has complex flavors and layered textures. You could add in some goat cheese and make this a meal all by itself or serve it with a more subdued fish dish.

More Beet Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Ginger Roasted Salmon with Orange Roasted Beets
• Golden Beets Carpacio
• Red Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese
• Red Beet & Bacon Goat Cheese Flatbread
• Raw Red Beet Pesto
• Red Beet Smoothie
• Beet Greens and Candy Striped Beet Salad
• Red and Golden Beet Crostini with Goat Cheese
• Roasted Golden Beets

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Roasted Orange Beets with Beet Greens

Orange Beets salad with a pesto of beet greens, pistachios and lemon for a wonderful side dish.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound red beets with beet greens attached
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• juice and zest of one orange
• squeeze of half lemon
• 1/4 cup pistachio nuts roasted salted
• 1 clove garlic
• few leaves of basil optional
• sea salt
• black pepper

Instructions

• Trim off beet greens. Wash well.
• Using a pairing knife or potato peeler, peel skin from beets and cut into quarters or large bite sized pieces.
• Douse with a tablespoon of olive oil and juice of half of the orange with zest.
• Wrap in foil and roast in oven at 350 degrees for 35-50 minutes or until tender. Check at 15 minutes and turn.
• Remove and douse with remaining orange and zest of that orange while still warm.

Beet Pesto

• Mix in small food processor or blender, beet greens remains olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and two tablespoons pistachio nuts. Blend until smooth. Taste to season with salt and pepper. Add more olive oil if needed.
• Bring beets to room temperature. Drizzle with more olive oil if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Top with beets pesto and remaining pistachios.

The post Roasted Orange Beets with Beet Greens Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

A visit to Puerto Vallarta before I knew Mr. Spinach Tiger with someone else I refer to as the surfer heel, if I can use a very old fashioned word, led me to a near death experience and an authentic lunch in the middle of nowhere in Mexico.

The Near Death Experience.

Our hotel had a secluded beach and a riptide someone forgot to tell me about. The surfer heel insisted we venture further out into the water from the shore and as usual he went ahead not looking back. He never noticed that I got caught in an undertow only a few feet from shore. The good looking outdoor bartender came to my rescue, got me out of the water and somehow my top, that came off in the rough waters, got back on. I was too frightened to care about that at the time and am grateful there were no cell phone cameras back then to embarrass me.

The guests were stunned. Not because of my wardrobe malfunction nor my near drowning, but that surfer heel didn’t even look back or take notice. Finally, he realized I wasn’t there and he came back to find himself at odds with all the guests. They shook their heads with disgust and wondered what a nice girl like me was doing with someone like him. This was the vacation that led to the demise of this relationship and that wasn’t the worst of it.

The Unsettling Beach in the Middle of Nowhere, Mexico

The next day, he insisted we rent a car and drive from the semi-safe tourist part of town to a smaller town where odd looking stray dogs run wild and tourists are no where to be found. While he was surfing, I had the pleasure of sitting on a very unsettling beach, scared to death that something worse than an undertow was going to come along. It was time to end this relationship and wait for a real man who put me first.

Mexican Lunch in the Middle of the Nowhere, Mexico
The food was surprisingly good and that’s when I tasted my first real guacamole, assembled from chunks of avocado with simple ingredients

Budro’s Tableside Guacamole

The next time I tasted anything as good was at Boudro’s Texas Bistro in San Antonio. I had dinner there with Mr. ST one Valentine’s week many years ago, comforted in the realization that I had waited for the right man.  They took a picture of us on the patio wrapped in blankets which Boudro’s provides its guests.  Romantic that he is, he framed the picture and has it on his desk.

He became just as smitten with the their famous tableside guacamole and recreated the recipe as soon as we got back home, adapting it to his own taste. The serrano pepper can be left out, but we love it. 

His guacamole is legendary, and there is none better anywhere here in Nashville. He’s very particular about it, and I enjoy watching him do his table side magic especially because it always takes us back to that night in San Antonio, serving as a reminder to me how different my life could have been with the wrong person. (Although I’m not sure about those sunglasses. I think they are long gone, but he thought he looked like Bono. I laughed too).

Table-side Presentation for Authentic Guacamole

Table-side guacamole is something you can do when your guests arrive, but give them a drink first. The entire assembly takes about five minutes.How to  Make Sure the Avocado is Ripe Enough, but not too Ripe

There is a little brown stem (button) on the tip of an avocado. If you flick it off, you will see either a brown spot (too ripe) or a green spot (ripe enough)

Peel Your Avocados. Did you know you can peel avocados. Let me show you here.

Chop your cilantro with this Tuo Cleaver, my new favorite kitchen tool.



Tableside Guacamole and a Beautiful Presentation

The key to a beautiful presentation is to have everything ready to chop freshly on the spot peel the avocados. This is much easier than you may think and I did a post on it.  Peeling the avocado makes it easier to cut into attractive slices for some dishes or nice chunks for this one. It might be a good idea to have your onion pre-cut, but dice the tomato fresh.

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So tell me, did you wait for Mr. or Mrs. Right? Did it take you as many dogs as it took me?

More Avocado Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• How to Peel an Avocado
• How to Ripen an Avocado
• Avocado Margarita
• Avocado Shrimp Salad
• Avocado Chicken Pasta
• Chocolate Avocado Smoothie (low carb)
• Baked Avocado Egg with Lime Hollandaise

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Authentic Guacamole and Tableside Presentation

Authentic Guacamole and how to do a nice tableside presentation.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• Note: To make enough guacamole: use 1 avocado per person and adjust ingredients accordingly.
• 4 avocados
• juice squeezed from 1/2 large orange
• juice squeezed from one lime
• sea salt black pepper
• 1/2 purple onion diced
• 1 small tomato diced
• handful of cilantro chopped
• 1 serrano pepper diced very finely (optional)

Instructions

• Assemble the following into a bowl:
• Peel avocados or carefully spoon out the flesh, keeping the avocado and intact as possible. Cut into large chunks.
• Squeeze the juices of orange and lime over avocado.
• Season with salt and pepper
• Add in chopped onion, tomato, cilantro
• Carefully mix together. You don’t want the avocado turned into mush.
• Season again with salt as needed, perhaps another squeeze of lime.
• Serve immediately.

Video

The post Authentic Tableside Guacamole appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I thought I knew the secret to avocados. But, I didn’t.

I used to think I was pretty smart just spooning and scooping out an avocado, after slicing in half. It works; but, it’s not the secret.

Peel an Avocado When It’s Ripe

When an avocado is ready, it peels right off. Simply slice gently lengthwise without slicing into avocado to get it started, and off the the skin comes. You can slice through and scoop out with a spoon, but if you want to make a salad and have gorgeous green slices, try peeling it to get those beautiful slices.

There is such a satisfaction to looking at this beautiful green football, it’s worth the wait. I was so excited about how beautiful this looked, I peeled another one, and another one.

How Does an Avocado Ripen

The avocado (like the banana) is a climacteric fruit. They do not ripen until after they are picked. And you have to have to purchase them at least 3-4 days in advance.

I discovered this technique when a friend brought some avocados for shrimp tacos for Memorial Day. They were so hard that we couldn’t use them.

I placed them inside a grocery cloth bag, ( I couldn’t find a paper bag) stuck them in the pantry and forgot about them for a week. I was so sure they would be terrible and mushy, but, when they were finally peeled and sliced, they were everything an avocado ought to be.

IF YOU USE A BANANA, you hasten the ripening process to perhaps 48 hours. See my post here.

I love avocados so much I might not even wait to get a cracker or a tortilla. I just eat them naked with salt and squeeze of lime or lemon.

Benefits of Avocado

Avocados are considered a healthy fat and also a super food. These are just a few of the many benefits.

• Increase blood food to the brain, helping information move faster.
• Good for Gut Health
• Anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds
• Versatile for Many Delicious Recipes. See some of ours below, including smoothies, cocktails, salads and main dishes.

Recipes with Avocado from Spinach Tiger

• How to Ripen an Avocado
• Authentic Guacamole
• Corn Salad with Avocado
• Shrimp Avocado Salad
• Summer Chicken Soup with Avocado
• Mexican Chicken Rice Soup
• Grapefruit Avocado Salad
• Baked Avocado Egg with Lime Hollandaise Sauce
• Taco Salad
• Keto Chicken Enchiladas
• Low Carb Chocolate Smoothie with Avocado

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Now go out and buy some avocados and then exercise the proper patience so you can enjoy peeling and looking at this beautiful fruit.

The post How to Peel an Avocado appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

My Vitamix is truly a workhorse and a natural doctor in the kitchen. Just look at the color of this cold fighting smoothie which has blueberries, oranges, kale, apples, carrots, and even a little bit of red beet (for color). This was developed to boost the immune system of a sick child who had no appetite. The response upon the first sip, was “this is the best drink you ever made.” And, he drank the whole thing.

When kids are sick, they tend to refuse food, even homemade chicken soup. When I originally posted this, the boys were only 7 years old, bringing home colds. Today, the concern of a parent is even bigger, and it’s good to get pro-active and feed healthy super nutrition dense foods. 

That’s when my Vitamix performs its magic by taking whole foods and crushing them to a delicious, icy cold refreshing drink, delivering not just nutrition, but some needed quick energy.

Blueberries contained the most active antioxidants of any fresh fruit, thanks to their high levels of anthocyanins—one of the most potent antioxidants. Blueberries are also a brain food, so it’s a win all the way.

Kale helps clear congestion especially in the lungs.

Apple boosts the immune system, clears toxins through the liver,  aids in diarrhea and constipation (often a part of a cold virus.)

Carrots, rich is beta-carotene (Vitamin A). Aids immune system and lungs.

Beets – Aside from these healthy benefits, beets are high in carbohydrates. When children are sick, they don’t eat much, and beets can serve as energy fuel. I added a little bit of beets to this drink, more for color, as blueberries and kale together don’t look appetizing and kids see their food first. Make it look good. 

This cold fighting smoothie is dairy free. 

The benefits of a cold fighting smoothie with blueberries, orange and kale are enormous, but the main thing about smoothies is that they are not all created equal. This is completely free of any dairy products which may promote mucus, and are tasty enough for someone not feeling so well to enjoy.

So tell me what kind of winter has it been at your house? This cold fighting smoothie is not just for when kids get a cold. It’s a great preventative measure.

More Smoothies from Spinach Tiger

Vitamin C Smoothie and Tips for Treating a Fever

Two Green Smoothie Recipes

Low Carb Chocolate Smoothie with Avocado

Red Beet Smoothie

Carob Peanut Butter Carob Banana Smoothie

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Vitamix Cold Fighting Smoothie for Sick Kids with Blueberries, Orange and Kale

A smoothie made in the Vitamix with kale, blueberries and oranges, designed to boost the immune system and help with cold symptoms.

Course Smoothie

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 orange peeled
• 1 handful kale
• 1 handful spinach
• 1 carrot
• 1 apple cut in half, core and seeds removed
• 3 cups of blueberries
• 1 small raw red beet peeled
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup ice

Instructions

• Place ingredients in Vitamix, and hit the smoothie button, or mix until all the ingredients are pulverized into a smoothie. Add more water if necessary.

The post Cold Fighting Smoothie for Sick Kids appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This is a recipe I posted back in 2013. I’m bringing Joe’s Special back because it’s simple, paleo, keto friendly and a dish you may have never heard of.  We love Joe’s Special for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

What is Joe’s Special?

It’s a medley of ground beef, spinach and eggs, made famous in San Francisco at New Joe’s, an Italian restaurant in 20’s, and was later placed on the menu at a place called Original Joe’s. Eventually, it landed on many menus in California and even ventured out of state. Isn’t it interesting how recipes develop and migrate, and this was all before the internet?

I first learned about this heavy protein, paleo, keto friendly breakfast, brunch or dinner when I lived in Southern California. Lots of restaurants served it and everyone quite familiar with it, except me.

I decided to bring you this recipe when gigantic bag of spinach was placed on my doorstep.   I remembered Joe’s special, which, while many recipes use frozen spinach, I think is much better with fresh.

After I made a few green spinach and kale smoothies, and my Joe’s special in my cast iron pan, I still had this huge bag of spinach, and I didn’t want it going to waste.

I’ve never had to think about freezing spinach or kale because we eat it up fast enough, but was to go on and discover something amazing.

How to Freeze Spinach and Kale

You would think that I know just about everything concerning spinach, but I needed google (don’t I always) to help me discover that spinach can be frozen, but there is a specific way to do it, with varying opinions.

Some insist that spinach must be blanched and shocked before freezing, while others take the green super food directly to the freezer. I chose the latter, and was shocked at the results. I’m not sure what I expected, but this is what my spinach looked like when I took it out of the freezer. It looked exactly the same as the day I put it in, only it was frozen. By the way, you can also freeze kale the exact same way. Another great culinary discovery!

How to Freeze Spinach and Kale

1. If you are getting it fresh from the dirt, triple wash it.  Spin it dry with a salad spinner longer than you think you should. It has to be dry.
2. Leave it out on towels for a few hours to really ensure it is dry.
3. Wrap it in up gently in gallon size freezer bags. Don’t be concerned with quantities for future use. The spinach didn’t freeze into one cube and I was able to take only the amount out of the bag I wanted to for my recipe.

This is not spinach for spinach salad, but it most certainly can be sauteed, made into a smoothie, spinach manicotti or your favorite spinach recipe.  The kale is especially good put into soups.

Joe’s special, a long time classic of ground beef, spinach and eggs, is something I’m making a little more frequently, now that I have all that spinach.

So tell me, have you ever had Joe’s Special and do you freeze your greens?

More Ground Beef Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Crack Slaw

Cuban Picadillo

Italian Ground Beef & Peas

Beef and Bacon Taco Meat

Ground Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers

No Beans Chili 

Print

Joe's Special and How to Freeze Spinach

Joe's special, a medley of ground beef, spinach and eggs, first made famous in San Francisco

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• few sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
• 1 bunch fresh spinach can use frozen, but must thaw and drain first
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Saute onion until softened. Add in garlic and cook for one minute.
• Add in ground beef and stir fry with onion and garlic until cooked through.
• Add in salt, pepper, chili flakes and herbs.
• Add in big handfuls of spinach. If frozen using my method, just add in frozen at this point. Spinach will soften right way.
• Add in 4 beaten eggs.
• Continue to cook until eggs are done.
• Season again with salt and pepper.
• Top with parmesan cheese.

Freeze Spinach

• Wash, dry thoroughly. This is important. Once dry, place in plastic bags, freeze.

The post Joe’s Special and How to Freeze Spinach and Kale appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Vitamin C Smoothie in the Vitamix

Vitamin C in the Vitamix! It doesn’t get much sweeter or prettier than bright orange to lift the mood, bring energy and help fight off a bad cold.

I found myself nursing fevers and colds for five days in a row, and not only was I determined to bring wellness front and center, I went to war staging a front line of healthy food like smoothies and bone broth so I wouldn’t catch whatever it was that brought continuous high fever and coughing.

After green smoothies, red smoothies and purple smoothies, we went orange.

What a mood changer orange is. The color alone lifted spirits and the taste of oranges, and strawberries is kid friendly and fun, while not having a processed juice anywhere in sight.

We all know that oranges are famous for Vitamin C, but did you know strawberries have almost the same amount, One cup of strawberries has 89 mg of Vitamin C.

Kids Love this Orange Smoothie

The good news is that kids love them, and they freeze so well.

The carrot is full of Vitamin A, and apples are all around healthy and go into just about every smoothie I make. If you don’t have oranges or want even more Vitamin C, add in frozen pineapple, one of the biggest health boosters around.

Here’s a funny video getting kids to help.

These fruits and veggies are exceptionally healthy, but a few of them have gotten a bad reputation for being high in carbs in our low carb world. This makes me a little crazy, because while I avoid processed carbs, I embrace whole food carbs, and especially fresh fruits and vegetables while the body is fighting off infection and viruses.

I confess to a few years of my life being afraid of oranges and carrots. That’s so silly! Beyond silly, as the only orange food anyone should be afraid of comes in a box and in a bag and you know what they are.

So do indulge, especially when you’re sick, and make sure you read up on how to treat a fever, your own and those in your care. After doing some research on treating fevers, I thought I’d pass some helpful information on. (I’m not a doctor, just passing on some helpful tips; do consult your physician).

What the Experts Say about Treating a Fever (What Not to do)

I’ve listed a few good articles and videos regarding fever, but wanted to quickly share a few important tips.

• Do not go old school and use cold rags, ice packs or a cold bath, which may actually interfere with the body’s ability to regulate itself, unless directed by a physician.  Ice packs may cause chills and shivering which could increase the fever.
• Use a lukewarm bath or tepid water. There is still information out there that will advise on ice packs, etc. Please consult your physician regarding this.
• Do not give aspirin to anyone under 16 years old.
• Never delay in calling your doctor’s office for advice.

Treating a Fever

What the Mayo Clinic says about Fever

Why Do You Get a Fever

Treating Fever in Children from Web M.D.

How to Use a Digital Thermometer Video

What to do and Importantly, What NOT to do Video

While there may be different treatments for fevers, we can all agree that it’s important to hydrate and take vitamin C. Smoothies without dairy products are great for colds, flu, and viruses. It’s not easy to get kids to eat when they are sick, but they will usually drink a fruit smoothie. Bright colors are appetizing, which makes this Vitamin C smoothie so appealing.

More Smoothies from Spinach Tiger

Low Carb Chocolate Smoothie

Blueberry Banana Smoothie

Carob Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Two Green Smoothies

Red Beet Smoothie

Build Your Immune System with These Foods

Blackberries (Blackberry Salad)

Guava

Papaya

Broccoli (Broccoli Salad)

Cauliflower: Cauliflower Recipes 

Kale (Kale Salad)

Lemons (Lemon Budino)

Pink Grapefruit

Grapefruit

Wishing you and your family the very best in this difficult time.

Print

Vitamix Recipe: Vitamin C Smoothie with Orange, Apple, Carrot

Vitamix Recipe for Vitamin C Smoothie with oranges, strawberries, apple and carrot

Course Smoothie

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 12 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 naval oranges with skin removed
• 2 carrots
• 1 apple
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup coconut water or water
• 1 cup ice

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together in Vitamix until the consistency is that of a smoothie. All fruit will crushed, and there should be no pulp. Add more water or ice as needed.
• Serves 2

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