Welcome to The Mett!

First of all, welcome to the launch of Mettler Center's new blog, The Mett. This is a very exciting opportunity for Mettler Center to get involved in social media and provide current and potential new members with information on how to live a healthy life. This is also a great way for YOU to interact with one another by commenting on our posts! Check in every day for new tips on eating healthy, new ideas for your fitness routine and tips on how to live the best life possible.

Each week will have a "theme" and each day's blog post will relate back to that theme. This week's theme is "5 Common Nutrition Myths," which debunks some of the most common myths that people believe to be true in regards to food and diet.

For the first 4 weeks, we will be doing a variety of giveaways and prizes to those who check out our blog. To enter for your chance to win, you must make a comment on at least one of the blog posts that week. Simply scroll down to the end of the post and enter a comment about anything relating to that post or respond to someone else's comment. It's that easy! If you have any questions, please see Member Services for assistance.

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Please let us know if you have ideas for content for the blog. This blog is for YOU so we want to hear YOUR input! Happy Blogging and don't forget to check back in every day!

Myth #1: Frozen vegetables aren't as nutritious as fresh

Vegetables fresh from your produce department may look (and taste) much fresher than their frozen counterpart. And while just-picked veggies do have more vitamins and minerals, nutrient levels drop during shipping and storage. And they decrease even more if you add on the days that the product lingers in your refrigerator. Frozen vegetables, on the other hand, are usually picked ripe and frozen almost immediately, so they retain most of their nutrients. You can often purchase frozen vegetables for a much lower price too, especially when the vegetable is not in season. With no trimming or cleaning, you can easily put a taste of summer on the table every night of the week.

For an easy, cost effective meal, make this lasagna using frozen chopped spinach. Spinach, considered one of the top "power foods" in the nutrition world, will provide you with a healthy does of vitamins A and C, folate, iron, magnesium and calcium, just to name a few.

Simple Spinach Lasagna (from AllRecipes.com)

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ready In: 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups non-fat cottage cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 egg
• 8 ounces lasagna noodles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large pot over medium heat, saute spinach, onion, oregano, basil and garlic in the olive oil. Pour in spaghetti sauce and water; simmer 20 minutes. In a large bowl, mix cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and egg.
3. Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan. Place 4 uncooked noodles on top of sauce and top with layer of sauce. Add 4 more noodles and layer with 1/2 the sauce and 1/2 the cheese mixture, noodles and repeat until all is layered, finishing with sauce.
4. Cover with foil and bake for 55 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information (per serving)

Calories: 361, Total Fat: 11.8 grams, Dietary Fiber: 6.2 grams

**Don't forget to post a comment on today's post for your chance to win this week's giveaway: A Mettler Center lunchbox, water bottle, coffee mug and recipe book!**