15 Easy Ways to Eat More Greens
There are more ways to eat greens than just in salads. Learn 15 easy ways to eat more greens in today's post!
Spring is now here and what better time to find new ways to incorporate greens into your life? While I love a good salad, they don't have to be the only way to get a dose of leafy greens in. If you need a lil' inspiration for some ways to eat more greens, I've got you covered in today's post with 15 easy ways to eat more greens. I promise there are tons of creative and delicious ways to eat more of them!
Greens — like leafy green vegetables and herbs — are incredibly nutritious. They're a great source of fibre, antioxidants, and minerals like calcium and magnesium.
Watch my video below to learn 15 easy ways to eat more greens or keep reading!
1. Start Small
First and foremost, if you're not used to eating a whole lot of greens at the moment, don't feel like you need to add them to everything all at once or use them in larger amounts. Start slowly so you can adjust to their flavour and get used to adding them to recipes.
Some small ways to incorporate more greens include adding romaine or spinach to your sandwich, adding arugula on top of pizza, or tossing chopped kale in spaghetti sauce, in soup, stew, or a stir fry. The best thing about greens is that they can usually be added quite easily to all kinds of recipes you may already be making!
2. Collard or Romaine Lettuce Wraps
Using greens as wraps is a fun way to switch up your tacos, fajitas, or burritos! Simply add your fillings and fold just like you would a tortilla. Romaine lettuce leaves are fresh and crunchy and pair well with tacos or fajitas. Collard greens are another great option, although they are a little more bitter. To mitigate this, you can steam them first to make them more palatable. Collards work great for pulled chicken or pork wraps with bbq sauce!
Keep in mind that using lettuces as a wrap reduces the carbohydrate load, so I recommend adding an extra starch filling such as rice or sweet potato. This will help make your wrap more filling and balanced.
3. Sauces
Sauces like basil pesto and chimichurri are a fantastic and delightfully delicious way to eat more greens. Pesto, traditionally made with fresh basil is a splendid sauce with your favourite pasta or gnocchi. Chimichurri is another great option, a zesty sauce made with lemon, garlic, and fersh parsley that pairs well with steak or portobello mushrooms.
Enjoy these sauces as is with just the herbs they're made with, or add kale or spinach for a little extra green!
4. Spinach Hummus
If you're like my fiancé, then you looove hummus. We always like to have some handy because it's makes a great dip with crackers, sliced cucumbers, fresh sourdough bread or sandwich spread. For a green variation, simply add a small handful of baby spinach.
Check out my homemade hummus recipe here.
5. Kale Chips
Kale chips may not be as popular as they once were (aren't food trends funny things?) but they're still a favourite in my books. They're crispy, wholesome, super easy to make and can be flavoured to your liking. Try 'em with salt, cumin, paprika, or chili powder. Check out my kale chips recipe here.
6. Omelettes
I love a good omelette, not only because they're quick and easy (and super yum), but because they're such a great way to use up leftover veggies or easily toss some greens in. My favourite combo is garlic, baby tomato, and chopped kale.
7. Green Smoothies
Of course I had to mention green smoothies in this list! Greens can easily be added to smoothies without affecting flavour. If you haven't yet made a smoothie with some added greens, give it a go! Most--if not all--smoothies can handle a bit of added greens. To avoid affecting the flavour, try a milder green like baby spinach, and don't overdo it. A small handful will do.
Here are some smoothie recipes you might like:
8. Try an Easy Blender Green Juice
I used to love making homemade veggie juices (circa 2010 when I was really into the raw food movement!) While I don't have a juicer anymore, there's no need because you can make a green juice easily with just your blender and a cheesecloth to strain the contents.
Some of my favourite combos include pineapple, green apple, ginger, kale, celery and mint.
Learn how to make a green juice in your blender here.
9. Veggie Tops
If you're ever cooking veggies like carrots, beets, or celery, don't forget to hang on to the tops! They can just as easily be steamed, sautéed, or added to sauces.
10. Microgreens
Microgreens--or sprouts--are such a fun way to get more greens in. Think broccoli sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, sunflower sprouts or mung bean sprouts. You can often buy these at your grocery or local health food store, or you can try sprouting them yourself! Check out my instructions on how to make homemade broccoli sprouts here.
Add these nutritious greens to sandwiches for a fresh crunch, or into smoothies, soup, or salads.
11. Try a New Green
Spinach, romaine lettuce and kale are often what we think about most, but trying some new greens or ones you haven't had in a while is a great way to switch things up. What about green cabbage or asian greens like bok choy? I love bok choy sauteed with shiitake mushrooms, and I love a good cabbage casserole too.
12. Garnish
Greens make a wonderful garnish, especially herbs as they add a good punch of flavour. I love using cilantro on top of burrito bowls, fajitas, tacos; parsley on soup or fresh basil on eggs. Mint also goes great in my Minty Lemonade! Chop them up finely and enjoy them on all kinds of things.
13. Greens Powder
While I don’t recommend relying on powders as your main source of veggies, if you find it hard to eat greens regularly, a greens powder added to a smoothie can be a helpful way to get some more nutrients in your diet.
I like the Protein & Greens blend by Garden of Life. Spirulina, a protein- and mineral-rich blue-green algae, is also a great way to get more greens in, in powder format. A little goes a long way so 1/2 a tsp will do!
14. Keep some handy in freezer
Befriend your freezer, my friend. Keeping all kinds of foods handy in the freezer, including greens like spinach will help add convenience to your life. You can either purchase frozen greens (try my Chicken Saag made with frozen spinach!) or freeze them yourself when you buy them or when they're going to go bad soon. Just freeze and save for later!
15. Plan to Eat Them
Lastly, be sure to plan to eat your greens with tools like meal planning. This way you'll know what to do with them when you buy them and you're more likely to actually make use of them! Meal planning is a big part of my life and something we do each week on the weekends. It helps us make healthy homemade meals and grocery shop so much easier.
Did you find this post helpful? Let me know in the comments below your favourite green and how you enjoy eating it the most!