Alternative Title: How To Eat a 1/2 Pound of Spinach in One Day!
As always, be sure to head on over to Peas & Crayons and check out all the blog-worthy WIAW eats this week and while you’re at it, leave some comment luv for our gracious host, Jenn!
So this week’s edition of WIAW could be considered 1. A tutorial on the great uses of spinach or 2. A confession from a vegaholic…
As you guys now know, I’m leaving for California at the end of the week. Well, after waking up this morning, I realized, I have had myself in a bit of a predicament…
A one POUND package of spinach predicament!
Well, that was until I devised a plan: Spinach-ify every meal and see what’s left at the end of the day!
Behold the plan in action…
Breakfast (6:30-7:30am)
Lemon Water and Coffee while catching up on some blog reading
“Candy”
and…
The BIGGEST and BEST green brown smoothie I’ve ever tasted, for the road!
The picture doesn’t really do it justice…seriously, that is a 32oz Mason jar!
Chocolate Cherry Almond Smoothie:
- 2 big handfuls spinach
- 1 medium-sized frozen banana (the trick to not tasting the spinach)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh (still not frozen) cherries
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder (or 1 scoop chocolate protein powder…I’m all out!)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 Tablespoon almond butter
- 1 cup ice
- 1/4 teaspoon guar gum*
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum*
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor (yes, I use my food processor for smoothies…hey, it works!) and blend until smooth!
I seriously cannot even begin to tell you how fantastic this was! There was so much depth to the flavor…at first sip it was vanilla…then a hint of cocoa…and then there was the fusion flavor of the cherry and almond!
Yeah, pretty sure I just found my new favorite smoothie!
Lunch (12:30pm)
Spaghetti Salad: Spinach, carrots, zucchini, parmesan cheese, and fresh ground black pepper to be topped with leftover (reheated) spaghetti sauce from dinner Monday night
The best I can do for a recipe for this sauce:
1 pound grass-fed finished beef, 1/2 onion, 1/2 bell pepper, 1 clove garlic, 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, 1/2 cup tomato puree, 1/2 cup veggie broth, a squirt of sriracha and a crap-TON of spices!
Brown the beef, saute the veggies, dump everything together and let warm through while you add just about ever spice that you have in your kitchen!
Voila! Homemade spaghetti sauce!
😉
Annnnd, just when a normal person would get tired of “choking down” the green stuff…
Dinner (8:00pm)
Savory Spinachy Oat Bran topped with 1 fried egg, sharp cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and black peppa!
Pardon the less than stellar photo…who knew the sun would start going down now around 7:30pm (*sad face*)…who also knew that TWO out of the THREE lightbulbs I have for my lightbox would be dead!
Proof that I still have a LOT to learn about my camera and terms like
“white balance” and “aperture size”
Whomp whomp! 🙁
Anywho! There were a couple of green-challenged eats that found their way into my belly:
A Blueberry Bliss Luna (DEE-lish) bar pre-workout and a decaf iced Americano with a little moo juice post-workout
Final thought at the end of the day:
Whew! At least I have enough to make another smoothie in the morning! 😉
What is your favorite way to get your greens in?
Anyone else noticing nighttime sneaking up on us again? I can’t believe it, Daylight Savings is still TWO months away! I’m so not ready for winter 🙁
[
