2 Ways with Frozen Spinach: Super-Green Kiwi Smoothie and Spinached Turkey Panini

Some college kids keep ramen in the cabinet as an emergency staple. I, on the other hand, keep a giant bag of frozen spinach in my freezer for times of food desperation. Even if you’re not a college kid, you probably know what I’m talking about. It’s the times when the only produce in your fridge is that bag of limp and dried up baby carrots from the Stone Age and you’re too lazy to leave your room, let alone walk to the grocery store. This is when frozen spinach comes to the rescue.

Pop it in the microwave and stir it with garlic infused olive oil and red pepper flakes for an easy side dish; fold it into softened cream cheese, spread it over a bagel, and top with lox; sauté in butter with diced onions and add to scrambled eggs---go crazy---the sky’s the limit. You could also try out two of my personal favorite ways to eat it---in smoothie and Panini form. Go ahead and make one for breakfast and one for lunch. Or have both together if you’re extra hungry. You might come out as buff as Popeye.

Green smoothies are totally hipster and with the help of frozen spinach, you can totally enjoy them any time, no rinsing and chopping required. Frozen spinach works just as well as fresh but is much more convenient. As the name might suggest, this beverage is SUPER green. You can almost taste the chlorophyll. No not really. It tastes amazing, like jacked-up kiwi. Blend it up and slurp it up! You’ll feel totally super.

Super-Green Kiwi Smoothie

Serves 1

Blend together ¼ cup frozen spinach, ½ frozen banana, 2 large kiwi, peeled and cut into large chunks, ½ cup coconut water, 2 tsps. chia seeds, 1 tsp. matcha green tea powder, and 3-4 ice cubes together in a blender until smooth. Drink immediately.

Your typical boring meat and cheese panini can be easily transformed into a mouth-watering creation with the addition of a little spinach, mayo, and mustard. This recipe is like spinach dip in sandwich form and since there’s spinach in it, you can feel healthy eating it and forget about all the cheese and mayo. (And be generous with the cheese and mayo! Also none of that non-fat stuff, thank you very much.) Drool over that melty cheese:

Spinached Turkey Panini

Serves 1

Microwave about ⅓ cup frozen chopped spinach on high for about 1 minute or until completely defrosted and heated through. Stir in 1 heaping tbsp. mayo and 1 tsp. Dijon mustard. Divide the mixture between 2 slices of sturdy honey-wheat bread and spread evenly with a butter knife. Layer 3-4 thin slices of smoked deli turkey and 1-2 slices of mild white cheese such as Swiss or Provolone over top of the spinach mixture on one slice of bread. Top with the other slice, spinach side down. Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat. Lightly grease the pan with butter. Place the sandwich in the skillet and turn the heat to low. Cook until the bread is toasted golden on the bottom, pressing down on the sandwich occasionally, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the sandwich, grease the pan with more butter and put it back in the pan toasted side up. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, pressing down occasionally, or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is completely melted. Remove to a plate, slice and serve hot.