It’s all about gettin’ your greens these days. From kale and collard to spinach and mustard, greens are an excellent source of vital nutrients and add depth to numerous recipes. Dark leafy greens are a concentrated source of iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. Adding these into your daily routine is easy whether you love them or not as they are quite versatile and the milder versions (like spinach) can be disguised behind sweeter fruit flavors in juices or smoothies.
Showing your kids Popeye cartoons may be a good way to encourage them to eat their spinach, but if that doesn’t work try disguising the spinach in pizzas, soup bases or smoothies. Try a chocolate banana smoothie using Sunwarrior Warrior Blend vegan protein powder, frozen bananas, almond, rice or coconut milk and a couple handfuls of washed organic spinach. Put it in an opaque cup with a cool glass straw (like these cute ones from my fav company Strawesome) and tell them it’s a yummy chocolate shake! If your kiddos are into sweeter fruits, try my Tropical Spinach Green Smoothie – this recipe makes enough for the entire family to get their daily dose of greens!
Even adults have trouble eating their greens sometimes. It must be some sort of residual childhood avoidance of all things healthy, but you can get over it, I promise! Having a huge salad for lunch may sound boring, but if you get creative you can concoct a crazy good meal filled to the brim with healthy plant-based food. Mix up the flavors and textures and your salad will be anything but boring. Add to that a delicious homemade dressing and your salad aversion will be gone for good. Check out my Crunchy Green Salad with Lime Avocado Dressing, it’s sure to please!
Kale, kale, kale! Kale is all the craze now from internet recipes to restaurants, you can’t turn around without getting smacked in the face with something kale related, and that ain’t bad! It is high in beneficial antioxidants, vitamin K, iron and dietary fiber. It’s a potent anti-inflammatory and great for gentle detoxification, plus it’s low in calories and has zero fat. Kale is king, baby! But kale can be off-putting to some, as members of the brassica family can be. Fear not my friends, I am armed with another recipe that is easy to prepare and packed with the goodness of kale that your tastebuds will rejoice over: the Kale Apple Quinoa Bowl.
Back to being a little sneaky when it comes to getting your kids to eat greens – you can delight in fooling, ahem, tempting them with these ooey, gooey delicious Superfood Fudge Brownies! No child can resist a chewy delicious brownie and they never have to know they are getting a dose of nutritious superfoods at the same time. You could also take a regular brownie recipe and sprinkle in some neutral-tasting, mineral-rich and ultra nutrient dense Ormus Supergreens or Vitamineral Green into it before baking. No need to feel guilty, you are doing them a HUGE favor that they may or may not thank you for when they get older!
