Turn Your Wilted Spinach Into A Low-Waste, Plant-Based Powder

Be honest — when was the last time you finished an entire bag of spinach? Was it a few months ago when you were on a now-abandoned health kick? Perhaps it was never at all. With the leaves magically wilting as soon as you reach the halfway point, it's hard to use up the whole thing. To prevent food waste, turn your wilted spinach into a plant-based powder.

If you don't follow the best ways to keep spinach fresh, the leafy green seems to have a short shelf life before it shrivels up and takes on a slimy consistency. With that process occurring in only a few short days, it often feels impossible to get your money's worth from the vegetable. However, there's no need to toss the rest of the bag. When you see the spinach start to darken or wilt — an indication that it's going bad — turn it into a powder to keep reaping the benefits.

The habit helps to extend the shelf life of the leaves while increasing their versatility. After thoroughly rinsing the spinach leaves, put them in a salad spinner or pat them dry with a towel. Place them in the oven or dehydrator at around 100 degrees Fahrenheit until the leaves are fully dried out and crisp. Blend the leaves into a fine powder, then store for up to one year.

It's a common belief that cooking vegetables is a quick way to make them lose all of their benefits. While this can be true when it comes to grilling or cooking veggies in water, Healthline reports that baking has very little impact on the vitamins in food. When heated at such a low temperature, the spinach should still boast its high levels of iron, vitamin A, potassium, and other nutrients.

With its fine consistency and mild taste, spinach powder makes it easy to give almost any meal a health boost. If you're not a big fan of green smoothies, sprinkle some of the powder into an at-home acai bowl or a refreshing vanilla fig smoothie. Sweet smoothies retain their taste while taking on the benefits of one filled with fresh spinach.

The powder also works to give dinners a healthier edge. If you're too lazy to steam some veggies as a side for a late-night dinner, the powder can easily be stirred into pasta sauce or sprinkled onto spaghetti. Spinach powder also makes a great secret topping on homemade pizza for picky eaters.