Spring is just around the corner. Trees are starting to bud, tulips and daffodils are starting to come up. This means that fresh local produce isn’t far behind. Year after year I find that as soon I can get my hands on fresh produce I wind up with lots and lots of greens. At first this was a bit of a challenge for me. I love a good salad but day after day it can get a little dull. The good news for me and for you is that there are a lot of different things you can do with leafy greens, not to mention lots of different types of greens and the health benefits that go along with eating them regularly.
When you find yourself needing to eat your greens and need a little variety in how to eat them, give these things a try:
- Smoothies – You would be amazed to find how easily the flavor blends into some fruit. A couple things to keep in mind is that some greens like kale are tough by nature so unless you have a really good blender you may find yourself chewing rather then drinking your smoothie. Some greens also have a strong pepper flavor like arugula or watercress so keep that in mind when you pick what you blend up.
- Omelets and Veggie Scrambles – Breakfast is so often loaded down with sugar, some of it natural in fruit, some of it extremely processed in syrups and many breakfast cereals. Instead, chop up your greens and mix them in with some scrambled eggs or saute them with some onions, peppers, and mushrooms, and fill the inside of an omelet with the saute. If you’re trying to avoid eggs or eating vegan try this with a tofu scramble!
- Soups and Stews – It might not be appealing to have a soup of straight leafy greens. However adding beet greens, broccoli raab, or other greens to a lentil, minestrone, or even chicken soup can give it a kick for it’s nutritional value and add some nice color.
- Quiche – This is something you can do up almost any way you’d like and it is easy to get your greens in a quiche.
These are just a few things you can do. In truth the list is endless. You can even make your own kale chips for an anytime snack. The best thing for you to do is play around, experiment and find recipes you like. The more you like the foods you eat, the more you will eat them, and the more you eat things that are good for you, the happier your body will be.
Basic Spinach Quiche Recipe
This is a basic recipe that can be edited to your hearts content.
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I prefer cheddar)
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1 pie crust (whole wheat and homemade is best but store bought will do)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Beat the eggs, milk, salt and pepper until well combined and set aside.
In a pie plate lay out the crust, layer the spinach and cheeses. Pour the egg mixture over the spinach and cheese covering it as well as possible.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Drop the oven temperature to 350 and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean.
