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Leafy Greens
Healthy Habit #3: Eat 2 cups of leafy greens each day.
Ooo, I could almost hear the groans as you read this week's challenge!
Let's make it easy! You get to pick 2 cups of any leafy green to eat. Will it be kale? Spinach? Arugula? Collard greens? Watercress? Or maybe some combination!
Greens are among the most nutrient-dense foods around. Packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients-those wonderful antioxidants that give vegetables and fruit their color while helping to reduce the risk of chronic illness, greens deliver what your body needs for optimal health.
All of the leafy greens mentioned are good sources of calcium, potassium and folate. Watercress, spinach and collard greens have protein too; spinach, kale and collard greens have the added bonus of omega-3 fatty acids, which are so important for our cells and brains.
Each day you have 3 meals to have 2 cups worth...even if you don't want to do the math, it really is do-able.
A few easy ways to start this healthy habit:
- Add a handful of one of these new greens to your regular tossed salad for different flavor
- Try sautéing spinach or kale with some extra virgin olive oil and garlic as an easy side
- Throw a handful or more of baby spinach into your morning eggs
- Here are a few of my favorite recipes that give me the leafy greens I need every day. Let me know which ones are your favorites! You can do this!
Kale Smoothie
Spinach Smoothie
MOTLOT Signature Sandwich
Parmesan Chicken and Kale
Grilled Chicken with Arugula and Chickpeas
Roasted Potato and Kale Salad
Kale and Butternut Squash Salad
Mushroom Parmesan Watercress Omelet
MOTLOT Pro Tip: Choose organic when buying spinach, kale and collard greens. These three are on the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Dirty Dozen as vegetables most contaminated with harmful pesticides.
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