UrbanUpdate

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These days it’s basically impossible to step foot into a restaurant that doesn’t serve kale. The fibrous green has become so ubiquitous that even McDonald’s is considering adding it to their menu. We here at GQ Fitness have no problem with kale, but we sometimes find ourselves missing the green we grew up with, which is as nutritious as it ever was even if it’s no longer trendy.

The go-to workout fuel of a famous tattooed sailor, spinach is packed with nutrients without all the calories. Whether it’s raw (one cup has only seven calories) or cooked (41 calories), spinach is a light-yet-nourishing juggernaut that’s idiot-proof to prepare. Below are fifteen simple ways to work it back into your diet.

**1. **Fill a bowl with spinach, dried cherries, slivered almonds, and goat cheese. Mince a half shallot, add red wine vinegar, olive oil, and Dijon mustard to taste. Whisk. Pour over the greens. You now have a salad that is better and considerably cheaper than any high-end salad bar—looking at you, Chop’t—could make.

**2. **Easiest hot side ever: Wilt spinach, season with salt and pepper, squeeze lemon juice on top, serve.

**3. **Two words: Spinach chips.

**4. **Sautée diced sweet potatoes and onions in olive oil until the potatoes are crispy. Add spinach and wilt. Serve with a healthy dollop of sour cream—and your choice of hot sauce—on the side.

**5. **Wilt spinach with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then add eggs a la this definitive GQ guide to scrambled eggs.

**6. **For your next party, make this Turkish yogurt dip to replace the cheesy hellscape spinach-and-artichoke bowl.

**7. **Chickpeas aren’t just for hummus. Dig into this spinach and chickpea dish from the Smitten Kitchen.

**8. **But you _can _make hummus with spinach.

**9. **Pack it in a Ziploc and eat it raw at your desk like a rabbit.

**10. **Add it to a smoothie.

**11. **Cut three cloves of garlic into slivers. Sautée the garlic with olive oil, spinach, and red pepper flakes. Serve on top of your (whole wheat!) pasta of choice.

**12. **While you’re waiting for your basil to bloom, whip up some spinach pesto.

**13. **Make this ridiculously easy and stress-free strata.

**14. **Next time you order a sandwich, forget that useless iceberg. Spring for the spinach.

**15. **It’s refreshing as hell in a simple salad with tomatoes, cukes, and fresh herbs. Feta doesn’t hurt either.

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