Salad from the weekend

For Earth night I had a friend over and we made salad, cooked pizza and drank wine in the dark.  This salad was also spinach, I realize I make a lot of spinach salad, I like it.  You can use any lettuce that you would like to use...it is good for you and delicious.  See below to see the pictures.

Basic Nutrient Values

According to Ready Pac, 2 cups or 6 oz. of raw baby spinach provides 20 calories, 2 g protein, 0 g fat, 3 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber and 65 mg sodium. Baby spinach is rich in many micronutrients, including vitamins K, A, C and folate; and the minerals iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. If you do not consume raw spinach within a few days, many of the vitamins are destroyed.

Vitamins

Baby spinach is very high in vitamin K, A, C and folate. A 2 cup serving of raw baby spinach meets over 25 percent of the Recommended Daily Value or DV for vitamin C and nearly 400 for vitamin K. Vitamin K is essential for normal blood clotting and, in addition, is important for maintaining bone health. Vitamin A is needed for healthy eyesight as well as proper growth and development and, along with vitamin C, helps protect the body's cells and supports immune system function. Folate offers cardiovascular benefits and promotes a healthy pregnancy.

Mineral Absorption

Spinach is rich in calcium -- but it is poorly absorbed by the body because it contains naturally occurring substances known as oxalates. Oxalates bind calcium and prevent most of it from being absorbed by the body. According to the World's Healthiest Foods website, on average, your body absorbs about 10 percent of the calcium in spinach. While cooked spinach is rich in iron, plant foods contain a form of iron called non-heme iron. This form is not as well absorbed and utilized by the body as heme-iron, found in animal foods such as meat. Vitamin C enhances non-heme iron absorption, however.

Mineral Benefits

Although spinach is not the best way to meet your calcium requirements, it is still an excellent source of non-heme iron, magnesium and potassium. Iron is essential for oxygen transport throughout the bloodstream and a healthy immune system. Magnesium, along with vitamin K, is important for maintaining strong, healthy bones, aids in muscle relaxation and, along with potassium, helps regulate blood pressure.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/258415-what-is-the-nutritional-value-of-baby-spinach/#ixzz1quthcOae

This Salad had pomegranate, mandarin oranges, onions, celery carrots, peppercorn goat cheese.

Very delicious, I used my smoked mustard salad dressing.

Food is personal.  It helps us to be our best.  It's anchored in time 

and place and always tells a story.

Michael Smith

I used my smoked mustard dressing with this salad