The American Cancer Society states that we need 13 servings of Vegetables and Fruits DAILY to prevent cancer.
That sounds like a lot!!
I did not always love greens, it took me some time to acquire the taste for the greens and bitters in my food plan. I came up with 4 easy ways to get my greens in, and I wanted to share them with you. Remember to always use organic veggies and fruits to keep your body safe and healthy.
- With Eggs: Saute some onion, mushrooms, and bacon or sausage (just a little) in a pan. Chop up some greens, at least 3-4 cups—I love chard, arugula, and spinach, just slice them up into pieces about 1 inch long/wide. Then put them in a big pile over the rest of the stuff and put a lid on. As the onions and mushrooms cook the moisture will steam the greens. At this point I add a blob of bacon grease or butter, a little sea salt and pepper, and maybe some fresh thyme. After a few minutes mix everything up together and then break and egg or two in the middle. Cover it back up and let the eggs cook, if you eat dairy put a little goat cheese or parmesan on top of the eggs while they steam. Turn down the heat so the veggies do not burn, and allow the eggs to cook for a few minutes. Peek in and when the whites are cooked but the yoke is runny, scoop the whole thing out onto a plate and ENJOY!!
- Greens Pesto: Get out your food processor, put in 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 clove garlic, juice from 1 lemon, and 4 cups arugula, and 2-3 cups of basil leaves. Blend it all together-start with half the greens, grind it up then add the other half. Then add 1 cup of nuts-use a blend of nuts if you like, I often use brazil nuts (high in selenium good for immune support) macadamia nuts (high is great fats) pine nuts (high in anti oxidants and good fats) and almonds. Grind all that up together. If you want dairy, add 1/2 cup chèvre or parmesan. Salt and pepper to taste. This is great all by itself but also amazing on crackers or zucchini or cucumber slices, on any veggies, as a salad dressing. Also wonderful on top of fish. Store it in an airtight container with a little lemon juice squeezed on top to keep it fresh.
- Greens and Gravy: I love biscuits and gravy, and when I took some time off grains I had to figure out how to get my gravy even if I was not having biscuits (It is all about the sauce-right?). Take some organic pork sausage, add extra herbs (poultry seasoning or mild Italian season works great) and sauté in a stock pot, breaking the sausage up into little bits. Once the sausage is mostly cooked, start adding chopped up greens, you can use anything here, arugula, chard, mustard greens, kale, beet greens, carrot tops, collard greens, etc. Add at least 8-10 cups (really really). You will not believe how small they get and how you hardly notice they are there. I chop mine up so that they are in pieces about 1” by 1”. Then to help them steam down, pour one quart of coconut milk (from a carton) into the pan. Once it starts to boil it will cook the greens down. Once all the greens are in and softening I add a quart of organic chicken broth, and another 2-4 cups of coconut milk. Bring to a simmer. The greens and sausage should all be cooked by now. Use the pan lid and strain off the liquid leaving the greens and meat in the pan. Dump that into a bowl and pour the liquid back into the pan. Add 4 tablespoons pasture raised butter, and start to sprinkle Organic brown rice flour, tapioca flour or OG/nonGMO corn flour into the liquid-slowly sprinkling and mixing with a whisk. I often us a combination of flours, but the corn flour will add a sweet taste so beware. Keep testing the gravy, add salt, herbs or pepper as needed for taste. Once the gravy is nice and thick, add back in the meat and greens and simmer for at least 20 minutes. Then pour some into a bowl and enjoy. This dish freezes well, put it into glass containers just the right size for breakfast or dinner. Reheats well too. Enjoy!!
- Greens Drinks: My fourth and final tip is to get an organic greens powder drink. Some days I just can’t manage to get all my veggies or fruits in. Having a greens drink with my protein smoothie, or mixed in with 3 tablespoons chia seeds and 16oz water for an afternoon pick me up-helps hedge my bets and keep me on track. I love “Drink Your Vegetables” Organic and Gluten Free, full of good stuff-Available at Portland Natural Health.
I hope you will find these tips helpful! Get your greens and Stay Healthy!