Glorious Greens!

The color green symbolizes rebirth, freshness and vitality–beatiful concepts to embrace! And so we will talk about adding GREENS to your life!

What do I mean by greens? I certainly don’t mean green M&M’s or green gummy bears! I mean greens like kale, spinach, chard, collard greens, dandelion greens, bok choy, romaine, arugula, parsley, cilantro and beet greens (The tops of the beets are nutrient-packed edible greens! Don’t throw them out!)

Why should I eat greens? Because they are incredibly healthy! They contain many vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C and Vitamin K, they are packed with disease-fighting phytochemicals, kale and collard greens are high in calcium, and they contain fiber which cleans out your gut, improves your cholesterol and contributes to weight loss.

Here are 10 ways you can do yourself and your health a favor and add more greens to your life:

1. Always buy a variety of them at the grocery store. If you don’t have them in the house, you can’t eat them!! Buy a bunch of greens each week and try different ones every time to benefit from the variety of nutrients found in each different green.
2. Instead of putting just lettuce in your salad, add other greens as well! Enjoy how the crispness of kale, the peppery flavor of arugula or the unique taste of dandelion greens can elevate your salad to the next level.
3. Stack some romaine or arugula on your sandwich.
4. Mix chopped Swiss chard into scrambled eggs.
5. Stir parsley and kale into a pot of soup during the last 10 minutes of cooking. It doesn’t matter if the recipe calls for greens or not–just add them anyways!
6. Add spinach to your homemade tomato sauce.
7. Throw beet greens or dandelion greens in your morning smoothie. You won’t taste them but your body will thank you!
8. Spice up your stir fry with bok choy and cilantro.
9. Sauté a bunch of greens in a pan with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper for a great side dish to complement fish or chicken.
10. Make kale chips! They are addicting and won’t last long in the house. Even kids love them!

Here is my recipe for Roasted Kale Chips:

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Roasted Kale Chips

Course Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Appetizers, Vegetarian and Vegan

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of green kale
• 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Rinse kale and remove leaves from thick spine. Discard spines. Dry kale leaves with a paper towel and tear kale into large pieces. Toss in a large bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange kale leaves in single layers on 2 baking sheets. Bake in oven until moisture is evaporated from the kale and it is crispy like a potato chip, about 30-40 minutes.