How To Eat More Greens

It’s the number 1 thing Americans are missing from their diets. Dark leafy greens! I know, you’ve been pushing your vegetables away since you were a kid. But here’s a few quick and easy ideas to help you get those much needed greens BACK into your diet, WITHOUT breaking the bank!

Buy a family sized bag of pre-chopped greens such as kale or spinach. I prefer a heartier green like kale because the next step is to freeze the bag and kale can withstand the freezer without getting funky. From there, you don’t have to worry about the leaves rotting in your fridge and feeling like you’ve wasted food and money! And you have quick and easy access to prepared greens that you can now add to anything!

Try adding a handful to your smoothie! Now that the weather is warm, a smoothie is one of my favorite things for breakfast. I love one made with a banana, a cup of almond milk, a handful of mixed berries, a handful of fresh or frozen greens, a bit of vanilla extract and 2 spoonfuls of chia seeds! Add in some ice and blend for 1 minute. You’ll never know those greens are there because the sweetness from the banana and berries is all you’ll taste!

Or if I’m in the mood for something savory, tossing some chopped onion (which can also be purchased pre-chopped and frozen) with the frozen greens and then adding in 2 eggs and scrambling it all together is a delicious way to get those greens in. Or you can prepare something like my Baked Egg Boats and have it ready to grab and go all week!

For lunch - add a handful of greens to leftover cooked grains like rice, quinoa or farro. Toss it all with a bit of salad dressing and you have a simple grain bowl that will satisfy you for the rest of your workday. Bonus feature, it can be eaten, cold, or at room temperature so if you don’t have access to a fridge at work, no biggie! Try my Mediterranean Grain Bowl or my Quinoa Salad.

Finally for dinner, it’s as simple as heating up some extra virgin olive oil, a touch of garlic and tossing those greens in! Hint: the more garlic you add, the less bitter the greens will taste! They’ll wilt down in less than 5 minutes and you can serve them right alongside your favorite protein! Here we paired them with a delicious filet mignon in mushroom sauce! (cause we fancy, no, just kidding).

I hope these tips help inspire you guys to get some more greens into your diets! Adding in more greens benefits your body by crowding out less healthy foods. They help nourish and build up healthy gut bacteria which impacts your immune system, your mood, your hormones, your sleep and your mental health - just to name a few! They also help to alkalize the body, neutralizing acid and filtering out pollutants. To learn more about the benefits of greens, you can download this info sheet! And if you still can’t wrap your head around dark leafy greens, try something like spirulina powder. It’s powdered seaweed that has a BIT of a funky smell but no taste at all and can easily be added to smoothies, yogurt and oats.

Salute!