How to Eat your Salad Greens Daily!
I have a confession…. I’ve got a crush on greens.
I have some every morning in my smoothie – usually spinach, kale or a mix of red lettuce, spinach, radicchio and arugula. (read more below on how to add to a fruity smoothie, you will LOVE it – or LEARN to LOVE it at least!)
Then for lunch, I’ll usually have a couple more cups of greens in a big salad.
Add some tomato, cucumber, avocado, some red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir up and you’ve got a tasty salad.
Salad greens are not only delicious, but they’re full of vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A, C, iron, potassium, magnesium, and calcium just to name a few.
Here are some other ways to add greens to your diet:
SIDE DISH
Cook up 2 cups (serves 1 side dish) of your choice of kale, collards, mustard greens, chard and/or cabbage (green or purple/red) in a pan.
Add a little salt, pepper, garlic and water – sauté for about 5-10 minutes. Simple little side dish of greens.
You could add oil instead of water if you wanted, but I just use water usually, saves me on calories.
In addition, I like to add a splash or 2 of Braggs Liquid Aminos and Nutritional Yeast for added nutritional benefits.
SOUP
You can add kale, chard or cabbage to soups! They are a wonderful addition. Along with added nutrients, it also adds some good texture.
PASTA
Kale or spinach are good additions to a veggie pasta.
The pasta can be regular pasta, whole grain pasta, quinoa pasta or zoodles made from zucchini. Spaghetti squash is another pasta alternative.
SMOOTHIES
Add some spinach, kale, romaine, red leaf lettuce or chard to your smoothies.
Start out with a little if you’ve never had it before (1/2 cup). Spinach is good for beginners as it has a very mild taste. You probably won’t even notice it.
It might make your smoothie green though!
But don’t be grossed out by COLOR!
Be a grown up, you’re going to love it!
Here is a good recipe: 1 large banana peeled, 1 orange, peeled, 1 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup spinach, 1/2 cup water. Blend and enjoy.
This one will probably turn out purple from the berries, so that’s awesome for all you “green colored smoothie haters”! LOL.
Here is an app for more good smoothie ideas that include or don’t include greens: 200+ Smoothies! Feel free to add greens to any smoothie recipe you find! I highly recommend it. (can you tell I love smoothies?)
Enjoy this chart below for more info on the nutritional benefits of salad greens. My goal is to try one new green I don’t think I’ve ever had – Watercress!
Which green will you try today? Tell me in the comments below.
