My head is all over the place today with the Orioles playing the Yankees at 5PM in game 5 to determine the ALDS winner… but I’m going to try to get this out for you even though I’m a total scatterbrain.  Greens are a huge topic so we will continue to cover them in more depth in later posts (including K is for Kale!  My favoritest ever. :) ), but no time like the present to get started!

So… your incredible, edible, greens.  I wanted to get started talking about them today because nothing out there has more nutrients per calorie than dark, leafy greens, followed closely by other green vegetables, so it is so important that you incorporate them into your diet as much as possible.  Even other vegetables can’t come close, though they are next on the list.  Check out Dr. Fuhrman’s article on nutrient density for more information on this.   Of course, in order to get all the micro and macronutrients your body needs you should never only eat one food, but making sure to incorporate leafy greens daily is an important place to start for great health.

So how do you do that, aside from eating many, many salads?  Well, salads are a good way, but greens can be used in so many dishes.  One easy unexpected way to add greens into your life is with a daily green smoothie.  I know, I know, the idea seemed weird and honestly kinda grossed me out at first, but if you do it right they’re actually good!  I swear!  Quick easy recipe to come soon. [Edited to add – now posted, here! :) ]  You can also easily google it and find many possibilities.  You can also mix greens into stir-fries, make a quick side dish, add to a casserole… pretty much add them to anything, I’ve been finding.

My first truly tasty green smoothie. So proud. :)

Recipes

1. Quick side dish: Greens are so easy to prepare as a side.  Chop into bite-size pieces and saute with a small amount of olive oil and any additional flavors you would like (lemon juice? nuts? something sweet like dried cranberries?) over a medium hot burner for just a minute or 2 until they begin to wilt.  Tada!  Delicious.  :)

2. Stir-fries: Add with about a minute or 2 left to pretty much any stir-fry, with pretty much any leafy green, and it should work.  Experiment to find the best combinations.  :)  Here‘s my most recent creation – chik’n and mushrooms and SPINACH with pumpkin alfredo sauce.

3. Savory pies: Add to savory pie fillings, like here, with my sweet potato and spinach curry pie.

4. Casseroles: Add to casseroles – lasagnas for sure.  One of my first recipes I adapted when diving into this, that remains one of my favorites, is 101 Cookbooks Almost Cheeseless Pasta Casserole, which calls for 3 cups of greens.  If you want to give this a try all you need to do is sub soy yogurt for the yogurt, and leave out the egg and feta.  It’s delicious!

5. Dessert: Of course, what would a greens roundup be without my recipe for kale doughnuts?  :)