Spinach & Potato “Muffin”

This can be made as a loaf but to save time and for easier portion control, a cupcake pan works really well. It’s a slightly modified version of a Pillsbury recipe. The difference is, this one is gluten free* and not loaded with salt and fat.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups frozen diced potatoes
• 1 cup frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain**
• 1/2 cup steel cut oats
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2/3lb grated Gruyere cheese***

Directions

1. Brown onions in a skillet and put to the side
2. Defrost potatoes and spinach
3. Combine all ingredients and mix well (potatoes will become similar to mashed potatoes with some texture left)
4. Heat oven to 350F. Coat a muffin pan with non stick spray. Press mixture firmly in sprayed pan.
5. Bake 350F for 35 to 40 minutes or until top is golden brown and “muffins” are firm. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes.
6. Serve with mushroom gravy

• Even though oats are gluten free many people with gluten allergies are also allergic to proteins in oats. Make sure to check with your doctor!

** If you have an abundance of local spinach, freeze some to save for recipes like this one
*** Gruyere adds a lot of flavor, but it does increase the salt content of the meal. It is also high in saturated fats like all other cheese, so try to balance this out in your meal with something that is low in saturated fats

Water

Water is one of the most, if not the most powerful nutrient that your body needs

• Roughly 70% of the cytoplasm (cell goo) in each cell is made up of water
• Our blood is primarily made up of water, so it’s integral for transporting nutrients through the body as well as the removal of toxins from the body
• Every time a cell breaks down an organic molecule it has to utilize water to do so

Without sufficient water your body will not be able to function correctly

• You may begin to feel sluggish as your body has difficult breaking down nutrients and removing toxins
• It may become difficult to think straight
• You’ll become increasingly stressed
• As your body begins to weaken, you may become vulnerable to illness

It’s difficult to have too much water, but roughly 8 - 12 cups of water a day is sufficient for a moderately active person. If you are more active, you will need more water than that

When fulfilling your water intake, there are certain requirements that should be met besides just general quantity

• Warm or hot water is better for digestion than cold water
• Bottled water often leeches chemicals into the water so make sure to at least find BPA free bottles and never freeze or heat the bottles. A better option is to use tap water
• If you use tap water
  
  • Make sure it’s properly filtered
  • Also make sure that you do not use a salt based water softener. If you do it adds a lot of sodium to your nutrient intake.
    
    • Potassium salt based softener systems are a bit better
    • The best option is using an organic chelation softener such as the Nuvo H20
• While not quite as good, tea can also be used to add a bit of variety, However try to add tea to your diet in addition to the minimum water intake rather than in place of it