If you follow along on my Facebook page (if you haven't, click and go "like" me!), you've noticed I've been doing a lot of updates on the 21 Day Tummy. The point of the diet is to soothe your digestive system and then shrink belly fat. It's actually been really great so far. C has noticed a big difference in his digestion. I didn't have bad digestion before, but I definitely notice I get bloated A LOT less than normal.
Part of the 21 Day Tummy is obviously cooking. The book comes with A TON of recipes that I have fallen in love with. Last night C and I made one that was a particular favorite of mine, for an odd reason really... spinach.
What?
Yeah, you read that correctly. The spinach is what makes this recipe the best (in my humble opinion).
This is actually my dinner. And I took this photo. Good right?
So what is it that made the spinach so tasty?? Sesame oil. The whole dinner was a Tuna Steak with Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce, Baked Potato with Garlic Infused Olive Oil and Wilted Spinach with Sesame Oil & Soy Sauce. Here is the recipe!Tuna Steak
1 4oz tuna steak - heat 2 tsp of oil over medium-high heat and grill the tuna steak for 2 minutes on each side. This will give you a medium-rare tuna steak (delish).
Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Sauce
1 roasted red bell pepper
1 can of crushed tomatoes (without garlic or onion)
2 tbsp of almonds
2 tbsp of EVOO
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp paprika
Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend.
Wilted Spinach
1 small container of organic baby spinach
1 tbsp of sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp EVOO
Heat EVOO in a pot, add spinach. Let cook (aka Wilt) for a couple minutes and add sesame oil and soy sauce. Cook until all equally wilted. I put some sea salt on top when it was done.
Baked Potatoes
Cut potatoes into slices, and place on baking sheet. Drizzle garlic infused oil over as well as sea salt and dried lemongrass. Bake until crisp (or however you like it).
NOM!!!
Omg guys even C loved the spinach! He said I could make it every single day of the week if I wanted to. When spinach whittles down though, it doesn't make a lot so make sure you either buy enough for everyone, or plan on not eating a ton (which is hard). The good news is spinach is SO FRIGGEN HEALTHY for you!!
- cooking spinach actually increases the health benefits of it! Half a cup of cooked spinach will give you three times the health benefits of 1 cup of raw spinach, because the body can't break down the nutrients in raw spinach completely. Cooking it helps your body access the nutrients!
- Blending spinach or juicing spinach is actually the healthiest way for the body to get a hold of the goodness that spinach can provide!
- There's a compound in spinach called oxalic acid and it basically blocks the absorption of calcium and iron in the body. The best way to avoid this is to eat spinach with something high in Vitamin C. You can reduce the oxalic acid by boiling the spinach leaves for at least 2 minutes as well.
- Freezing spinach diminishes the health benefits, the best thing to do with spinach is to buy it fresh and eat it that same day.
- Spinach is one of the "Dirty Dozen"... basically because it's a leaf, it's exposed to a ton of chemicals and we eat it just like that. Opt for organic spinach whenever possible.
- Spinach can ease constipation, and protects the mucous lining of the stomach so that you stay clear of ulcers. It also helps flush toxins from the colon!
- SKIN CARE! Spinach has a ton of vitamins and minerals that help bring you relief from dry, itchy skin and lavish you with a radiant complexion! It's been shown that regular consumption of spinach juice can increase skin health dramatically!
(source)
I'm clearly raving about spinach and some of you might just think I'm crazy, but I've always been a massive fan of spinach. I've also been eating a lot of raw kale lately too. I won't dive into the realm of amazing benefits of kale today, but it's another favorite leafy green of mine!
Did you know there are so many amazing benefits of spinach? Do you have a favorite way to eat spinach?
