SUMMARY
Going green has never been easier. If you want to add more greens to your diet, your options include everything from salads to smoothies.
Regardless of the diet you choose to follow, one thing we can universally agree on is that leafy greens are incredibly healthy. Everyone can benefit from tucking into these nutrient-dense, flavorful plants.
Whether you’re looking to add more veggies to your meals or are interesting in making the jump to a plant-based diet, there are plenty of options available to you. Getting more greens in your life doesn’t mean you’re sentenced to never-ending salads (although there’s no denying they are an excellent way to up your green intake). You’ll find plenty of delicious, easy, ultra-convenient ways to add this essential food group to your favorite dishes.
Start the Day Green
Didn’t think it was possible to add greens to your morning routine? Think again.
1. A breakfast smoothie is an excellent way to start your day off with some nutrient-rich greens. Use nut or oat milk for your liquid base and build from there. Adding greens to your smoothie in place of fruits high on the glycemic index and combining them with low sugar fruits like berries or melon will give you a healthier way to enjoy smoothies.
2. If smoothies aren’t your thing, fresh juice will do the trick. Try some of these delectable combinations. They’re not only delicious, they’re also packed with essential nutrients.
- Spinach, kale, ginger, and apple
- Cucumber, lemon, and mixed berries
- Grapefruit, celery, arugula, and mint
- Pear, apple spinach, and cucumber
3. If you need something a bit more substantial to get yourself going in the morning, you can whip up some scrambled eggs, an omelet, or frittata with chopped arugula or chard.
4. A warm bran, pumpkin seed, and zucchini muffin will also hit the spot and set you up for the day with a helping of fiber and protein (just be careful of the sugar content). Truly a delicious way to start the day.
Eating Greens All Day Long
Incorporating plants into your lunch and dinner couldn’t be easier. For your midday munch, there are endless tasty combinations you can try. Let’s be honest here. A dash of greens in any of these dishes only makes them take better. And don’t forget – a little meal prep goes a long way.
5. Swap out lettuce for leafy greens in your favorite sandwich.
6. Toss some greens into a wrap for a dose of essential micro and macronutrients. We recommend watercress or endives.
7. Adding them to a burrito is a simple way to up your plant intake.
8. Make a mushroom and zucchini quiche with chopped spinach.
9. Blend greens into sauces. Pesto is an obvious choice, but you can also add them to ragus, chimichurri, amatriciana, and salsas.
10. Garnish your favorite pizza or pasta with a helping of fresh greens. Arugula is a classic choice (especially when paired with a Margherita), but chard or beet greens are equally delicious.
11. Make your curry more green with a sprinkling of kale or spinach.
12. Wilted greens help make a stir-fry pop. Bok choy is a natural choice if you’re using Asian flavors and delivers with high levels of fiber, vitamin A, C, and B6 and potassium.
13. Casseroles are a great meal prep dish and it’s terrifically easy to sneak greens into them.
14. Whether you enjoy them hot or cold, lentil dishes make ideal candidates for a helping of greens. Collard greens, spinach, and kale are real winners here.
15. Serve up a side of greens lightly sauteed in olive oil with your main meal.
Something Salty, Something Sweet
You can even enjoy greens at snack time or for dessert. Chocolate works especially well as its sweetness acts as a counterpoint to the bitterness in certain greens.
16. Kale or spinach chips are perfect for that mid-afternoon pick-me-up to see you through to dinner or as a healthy savory side at lunch.
17. Chocolate fans will enjoy a chocolate spinach cake or brownies baked with a helping of kale.
Subscribe to a Meal Plan
18. If you want to commit to a healthier you but are short on time to spend in the kitchen, subscribing to a meal plan which specializes in plant-based meals is a fantastic solution. Meal delivery services offer weekly rotating menus which are vegetable and leafy green heavy which means adding more plants to your diet becomes a no-brainer.
Adding more greens to your diet means you’ll benefit from the entire spectrum of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and more. There’s no reason not to start right now. When it comes to eating more greens, your options are really endless. Even if you make just one meal a day a little more green, you’ll be doing both your body and mind a massive favor.
Fresh N Lean is the nation’s largest organic meal delivery service. Our tasty, chef-prepared cuisine is always fresh and never frozen, and we offer convenient meal plans like Protein+, Keto, Paleo, Standard Vegan and Mediterranean. Choose Fresh N Lean for affordable nutrition, delivered to your doorstep.
