Hack: Freeze Spinach & Crumble in

Throw spinach (and kindness) around like confetti! Freeze spinach (without blanching!) and crumble into smoothies, skillets, bakes and muffins. The easiest way to reduce waste and add in extra nutrition.

Frozen Spinach

If you’ve been following me for a while or caught on to any of my tips in recent recipes, you’ve noticed, I keep spinach on hand and am not afraid to use it 😉

Mainly because I’ve learned that keeping a bag in the freezer is an effortless way to sneak in those greens without gnawing on raw leaves.

And it crumbles!

Did you know this?!

I’ve literally eliminated any chopping.

Plus, it’s a way to get my kids and husband their greens.

And when those two things happen, I just have to share.

Keep a bag on hand, crumble those frozen leaves and sprinkle in that good stuff, mama!

Spinach

Spinach is such a versatile, inexpensive item I keep on hand at all times. I typically buy by the bag, or on occasion, will grab a plastic clamshell of it. Either way, it offers a fantastic source of:

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin K
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• essential minerals and antioxidants

Reducing Waste to Crumbles

I’ve always loved making fresh salads or using it for “greenery” on dishes.

Inevitably, some would turn mushy and smelly before I had time to use it.

Wasting food, especially essential nutrition, kills me!

Solution?

I started tossing it in the freezer!

The more I did this, the more I found I actually used the frozen spinach.

By crumbling it in!

So what started out as a way to reduce waste is now a habit and a favorite nutrition “hack.”

Can you freeze fresh/raw Spinach?

Yes! And you can freeze the spinach just as it is and without any prep!

Of course, you won’t be able to defrost it and make it into salads, but that’s kinda the best part.

This is an easy way to get greens in without eating it fresh!

A true winning solution for my family.

How do I store spinach in freezer?

1. Buy bag of fresh spinach leaves at favorite grocery store
2. Once home, open freezer
3. Place bag of spinach in freezer flat and allow to freeze
4. Crumble frozen leaves into recipe
5. Once bag is opened, place inside freezer bag for best results

How easy is that?!

I typically have a rotating door method here.

Just as I’m finishing up one bag from the freezer, I’m either adding leftover spinach from the refrigerator or just tossing in a brand-new bag.

How do I crumble frozen spinach into recipe?

There’s two ways to do this. You can:

• Reach in by the handful and crumble it between your hands into the recipe (have a towel nearby to wipe hand)

or

Once bag of spinach is frozen, lay flat on counter and “crush” it while inside the bag so the leaves turn into crumbles. Now you can:

• pour it
• scoop it
• grab by handful

Note: This is definitely less messy way! Plus, you can really get “sneaky” with those tiny pieces 😉

Tips/Tricks

• Look for bags that say ‘prewashed or washed thoroughly’
• If possible, when first freezing, lay bag flat with leaves even distributed to prevent clumping/uneven freezing.
• Use within 2-3 months
• If buying a clamshell of spinach, place spinach leaves in freezer bag prior to freezing

How to you use frozen spinach?

There a million different ways to use frozen spinach! You can literally toss it into almost anything. Here are some of my suggestions:

• Smoothies (makes them extra creamy!)
• Frozen pizza
• Marinara Sauce
• Muffins/breads/biscuits
• Sloppy Joe
• Scrambled Eggs/Egg bake
• on top of casseroles or enchiladas

Is frozen spinach still healthy?

Once again, yes. Freezing maintains the nutrients and benefits. This is so cool because my kids and husband tolerate small amounts crumbled pieces and still get all the good.

Using techniques like this eliminates the stress of “eat your serving of veggies” and just makes it part of the meal. And since I do it frequently, I know they are getting the nutrition.

Ready to try it?

Have I convinced you to toss that bag of spinach in the freezer and crumble it?! See below!

Looking for something similiar?

If you’re looking for another way to blend in nutrients food without any work, check out:

• Benefits of Pumpkin (and why you should stir it in!)

Full Heart

If this tip makes your life easier and infuses more joy (+ greens!) into your day, I’d love know. Please leave a comment below. And share the gift of easy with a friend! Be sure to tag me in it so I can see that frozen spinach being thrown around like kindness 😉