The Story of Spinagrape™

 

Grapes grow on vines, but you probably know that.  Spinach grows from seeds.  When the wind hit that day, the spinach seeds twirled and spun into the grape vines and that's how Spinagrape™ came about.  Grape gets his purplish color from something called flavonoids.  The stronger the flavor of Spinagrape™, the more flavonoids he has.  And these are good for your heart.  When you look at Spinagrape, count his dark grapes.  He should always have more dark grapes than light grapes.  Be sure to check that out.  

Spinach and grape are probably the two most cantankerous characters of the bunch.  And speaking of bunches, Grape is always so cranky because he's so stressed out and bunched up together.  And Spinach is always telling him to unwind and move.  I guess it's the phytonutrients that both are loaded with (those things that are good for your health and heart)  that cause them to fight (you know, phyt is pronounced like fight).  So unwind and mellow out (umo) Grape, Spinach is on your side.

One day they did come together and came up with this great Spinagrape™ salad (with the help of MandarinOrange).  Did I forget to tell you, - Spinagrape™ loves to dance!

To store and clean greens/spinach:

Choose spinach that has bright green leaves, without yellow or wilted leaves.  Check to make sure the leaves do not have a slimy coat or bruising.  If the spinach that you purchased came in a plastic bag, store the spinach in the bag in the crisper of your refrigerator.  It will last about 5 days.  Like most vegetables, don't wash the spinach before storing. 

The leaves of spinach tend to collect sand a dirt from the soil.  Remove stems and separate the leaves. Wash the spinach in a large bowl of mildly warm water by gently moving the leaves around.  Empty the dirty water and repeat this rinsing several times.

 

SpinaGrape™ Salad
serves 4

4 cups baby spinach, cleaned
1 small can (10.5 oz) mandarin oranges packed in juice, drain
1 cup red grapes, sliced in half
1 celery rib, diced
12 cheese cubes - cheddar, Colby, or what you like
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
favorite dressing - raspberry vinaigrette, poppy seed or try a Balsamic spray

1.  Divide spinach into 4 equal servings (1 cup each) and place in a bowl.

2.  Divide the mandarin oranges, red grapes, celery rib, cheese cubes, and walnuts into equal portions and place on top of spinach portions.

3.  Top with salad dressing.

Food Groups in MyPyramid  - compare to your recommendations in MyPyramid (use Your Pyramid Connections Slide Guide)

3/4 cup vegetable    1/2 cup fruit     1cup milk    1 oz meat         1 Tbsp oil

To store and clean grapes:

Store grapes in the refrigerator.  Put the unwashed grapes in a paper towel in a plastic bag.  To prepare the grapes, was under cold running water right before consuming or using in the recipe.  Drain the washed grapes in a colander or gently place on a paper towel to collect the water. 

To clean and prepare greens/spinach:

Choose spinach that has bright green leaves, without yellow or wilted leaves.  Check to make sure the leaves do not have a slimy coat or bruising.  If the spinach that you purchased came in a plastic bag, store the spinach in the bag in the crisper of your refrigerator.  It will last about 5 days.  Like most vegetables, don't wash the spinach before storing. 

The leaves of spinach tend to collect sand a dirt from the soil.  Remove stems and separate the leaves. Wash the spinach in a large bowl of mildly warm water by gently moving the leaves around.  Empty the dirty water and repeat this rinsing several times.

 

For parents:  If you look at a grape, you can usually tell it's sweetness.  Green grapes should be slightly yellow, and red grapes should be mostly red.  The more ripened the grapes, the higher their antioxidant value - heart protective factors.  The peel of the grape contains most of the nutrients, so keep the peel on the grape.  Instead of pulling individual grapes from the stem, keep a small pair of kitchen scissors and snip off bunches of grapes.  This will help prevent the stem from drying out to help preserve nutrients.

 

TO ORDER VeggieFruitables™   (More Always Sprouting!  Check Back Often)

Each has a story of nutrition to tell.

Click on each picture for their story, recipes, nutrition tips, and more!
The puppets come with a script.

        Broccoberry™ Plush Toy                    Spinagrape™ Plush Toy                          Applecarrotop™ Plush Toy
         15-inch fleece toy                                  20-inch fleece toy                                    18-inch fleece toy
         felt accents                                             felt accents                                              felt accents
         100% polyester fiberfill                        100% polyester fiberfill                          100% polyester fiberfill
         $20.00 plus s/h                                       $20.00 plus s/h                                         $20.00 plus s/h
 
      

             Broccoberry™ Puppet                               Spinagrape™ Puppet                          Applecarrotop™ Puppet
               14-inch felt puppet                                      14-inch felt puppet                               14-inch felt puppet
               $10.00 plus s/h                                            $10.00 plus s/h                                      $10.00 plus s/h