I'm Strong To The Finich.....

Cause I eat me spinach....... Popeye knew nutrition! Spinach is one of the very top super foods and we should all take a lesson from the famous sailor of yesteryear. Spinach is full of Vitamin A, C, E, K, magnesium, folic acid, iron, calcium and several vital antioxidants. It is best to eat it fresh. As with any vegetable, cooking it will diminish many of the nutritional properties of the food. I use spinach in place of lettuce on most anything. It is always on our sandwiches, always in our smoothies, tossed in with eggs, cheese crisps , beans and salads. It has a very mild flavor and can easily be hidden in dishes. You can buy a big box of organic spinach at Costco for under $4.00. I cringe when I have to pay the same price for a little package at the grocery store. We go through it so fast.

Since many of you have been stock piling the strawberries that were on sale, I thought I would give you my favorite salad recipe; Strawberry and Spinach with raspberry vinaigrette. I love this salad and all of my children will down it. It tastes like a dessert as it should be, it definitely has a bit of sugar tossed in with it. But, as they say, a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down. Whatever gets the veggies down these little ones! I am sure most of you have a recipe like this one at home. If not, try it out. The dressing makes plenty to save for later. It will last several weeks in the fridge.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 Bunch spinach

1 head lettuce, romaine, butter, etc.

1 pt. strawberries

1 cup sugared nuts

1/3 cup raspberry vinegar

1 cup canola oil or grapeseed oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp minced onions

1 T poppy seeds

Tear up lettuce and spinach into bite size pieces. Slice strawberries. Toss in sugared nuts and add feta if desired. For dressing, mix vinegar, sugar, salt and onions in mixer. On very slow speed, drizzle oil in very slowly until all incorporated. If you do this very slowly, the dressing will not separate. When done, stir in poppy seeds. Do not blend. Toss some in salad just until lightly coated.