8 Ways to Eat More Leafy Greens ...

I love adding a handful of fresh spinach to a smoothie to sneak in a serving of leafy greens. Why not? This isn’t just a way to eat leafy greens… it’s a way to get some dairy (if you’re not a dairy fan), some veggies (if you don’t like vegetables) or even some fruit (if you don’t eat enough fruit). Kale and spinach are both great in berry-based smoothies. Or, give this recipe a go, the Green Monster Smoothie! Blend together a large handful of fresh spinach, 2 tablespoons of plain yoghurt, 1 small ripe banana, a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries, 1 teaspoon of ginger, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of matcha green tea powder, and a handful of ice.

Mmm, spinach fettuccini alfredo! At lunch or dinner, add a little spinach to your pasta sauce, and reap the health benefits and the extra-tasty flavor benefits, too! I can’t think of a pasta dish that’s not improved with a little spinach, can you?

Why aren’t leafy greens listed as traditional pizza toppings? I love adding spinach to my pizza, but I always have to do it once I have it from the pizza place. If you’re making pizza at home, use a whole-grain crust, brush with a little olive oil, pile with fresh baby spinach, a light layer of cheese, then mushroom and tomatoes and olives and… whatever other veggies you love… then top with low-fat mozzarella cheese, bake, and enjoy! So good!

If you’re into easy stir fry suppers, but are looking for a way to eat more greens, then you’re in luck! Stir fry meals are an ideal way to eat leafy greens. Add a little bok choy to your chicken stir fry, or try some collard greens with grits… I know it’s not traditional, but it’s so good!

Can’t stand soggy cooked spinach? Try eating it raw! Cooked foods often vary greatly in texture and taste from their raw counterparts, so one way to eat leafy greens, if you find cooked greens unappealing, is to enjoy them raw instead.

I love adding a small handful of mustard greens or dandelion greens to chicken soup for a little extra zing — in my view, they’re a little too bitter to eat raw, or on their own. But wow, in a soup, they’re delicious! I also like baby bok choy in wonton soup. This is another clever way to eat leafy greens.

Ah, yes, a salad, the classic way to eat leafy greens. But here’s the twist: make a salad with more than one type of lettuce, and ban iceberg lettuce. Get creative with the kale, romaine, endives, and chard. Add tasty toppings, too, like sunflower seeds, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries… experiment a little! Just make sure you’re not drowning your healthy greens in a lot of fatty dressing. Ick!

We all know potato chips aren’t very healthy (all that sodium and fat!), but kale chips are a fantastic snack alternative… all the crunch and flavor, without the harmful fat. Look for them in the chips and salty snacks aisle, or in the organic foods section… and eat more greens by dipping them in spinach dip… or is that too much?

See? There are so many ways to eat leafy greens, you can try a new one each day of the week and have one left-over! Which of these ideas will you try first? Or do you have another way to eat more greens you’d like to share, maybe a tasty recipe? Do tell!

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