Frozen Spinach?

The last couple of times I've been to the store for spinach they have either been very low or out completely. I asked what was going on and they informed me that many areas that grow spinach have experienced cold temperatures and that the spinach is freezing and therefore un-sellable.

Well, it occurred to me that my habit of freezing spinach may not be a common practice so I decided to share it.

I am a big fan of "green" smoothies. These come in all different forms with varying levels of health benefits. For now I do spinach smoothies. Don't worry, you can't taste the spinach! Well, as long as it's fresh - thus the freezing. As soon as I buy a huge bag of spinach I throw it directly into the freezer and just add a cup or two to each smoothie. This way my spinach doesn't get a gross taste to it after a couple of days.

So, my favorite green smoothie is 1/2 cup blueberries (thawed or microwaved is best), 1.5 cups spinach, 19 oz water, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder. Currently I use the 100% Whey Protein powder that they sell at Costco. I don't like their chocolate, but the vanilla is good.
Blackberries are also great in place of the blueberries, but be prepared for seeds.

This is also a great way to get vegetables into your kids. My kids love these smoothies and are always asking for them. I do not use these as meal replacements for them, but rather as a supplement to their meals. For example, if I made them PB&J sandwiches then I give them a green smoothie to fulfill their veggie quota for that meal.

There are a ton of great green smoothie recipes out there. Try them out.

I have lost 70 lbs in 6 months (no this isn't a commercial) by eating low carb / lean protein and these shakes have been a big part of that. In fact, I have a cruise coming up in a couple weeks and so I'm doing 2 shakes a day with 1 meal and one snack. It's also amazing the natural energy they give me.