Kale and other greens

TammyLynne71
TammyLynne71 Posts: 184 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am trying to get more greens in my diet.Does any one use Kale or spinach in their shakes? What other ways can I use them? What about other greens?

Replies

  • bellaivy
    bellaivy Posts: 2 Member
    I've tried juicing kale once, but i think juicing takes all the fiber out of it. maybe blending it with orange juice would be good.
  • cutie2b
    cutie2b Posts: 194 Member
    I put spinach in my morning smoothie with frozen fruit, 1/2 frozen banana, coconut milk or real milk, and protein powder. I can't taste the spinach at all, but it does turn the shake green and you have to make sure everything gets blended.

    I also love spinach in salads, cooked, in quiche, in omletes, in a casserole, etc.

    I like Kale sauteed with olive oil and a splash of lemon juice and garlic.

    There's lots of recipes. Some people have been eating Kale Chips/Crisps.

    Also, I've made an arugula pesto before that was good - with a bit of spice to it. There's lots of recipe ideas online. I just google the ingredients and go searching.
  • misskerouac
    misskerouac Posts: 2,242 Member
    Kale chips are delicious!!!!
  • MMarvelous
    MMarvelous Posts: 1,067 Member
    I put spinach in my smoothies as well. It does make the smoothie a funky color but I put the mixture in a brown container. So I only notice the taste and not the color LOL I have friends who have RAVED about kale chips. I plan to try them in a week or two. I also do spinach in my omelets and lasagna.
  • awandell
    awandell Posts: 62
    I put spinach on just about anything I can. Spinach makes a great "bed" for almost any of the casseroles, lasagnas, chicken/tuna salads etc. you may eat. I eat spinach by itself with a little dressing and some raisins or parm. cheese. The kids will eat spinach plain. They just love it. It's great also chopped up into dishes, similar to what you'd do with parsley or basil. I'm still in the learning stages with kale. I've put it on a sandwich with a tomato and cheese before, and it was crispy and yummy. Blending it and adding it to my juiced veggies or fruit is the easiest thing for me to do with kale. I never seem to get much out of it by juicing it.
  • evolutionaerie
    evolutionaerie Posts: 21 Member
    Soups! Pair your greens up with things like potatoes, cauliflower, celery, asparagus, squash, and so on, add some onions, garlic, spices, and veggie stock, and then, once it's cooked, give it all a whir in the blender. Healthy, tasty, filling, chock full of vitamins, and you generally have lots left over to freeze. :)
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    I put spinach in smoothies sometimes...you really don't taste it, but it looks pretty funky. Put it in an opaque glass, no problems!
  • robinxhope
    robinxhope Posts: 125 Member
    I put a bed of greens (spinach, arugula, kale, collards, green beans...whatever is available) at the bottom of whatever I make for dinner whether it be pasta and sauce, soup, casserole, eggs, enchiladas.. etc. It bulks up the meal and creates an illusion that there is more food there. And it helps fill me up with nutrient dense low calorie content. But I really like greens. I go through a bag of spinach in a day sometimes. I hope this helps.
  • JaclynnGail
    JaclynnGail Posts: 204 Member
    I put a couple of handfuls of kale or Swiss chard in my eggs every morning, and always put spinach in my smoothies. Really, if I'm making anything that involves a skillet I throw kale or chard in there...I love them...I used to not, but I do now. Getting my husband to love them like I do has been the tricky part, but he's starting to come around.
  • doubglass
    doubglass Posts: 314 Member
    You can cook it any way you cook or use spinach. There are a lot of varieties and nutrition varies slightly from one to the other.
    Very easy green to grow, There are cold weather varieties and some warmer weather varieties. Kales keep better than many mustards. Other greens to try: Bok Choy, mustards, collards, chard, beets, turnips, arugulla (a mustard), dandelions. All can be used as you use spinach. Collards, mustards and chard tend to be stronger tasting. Younger plants and leaves usually taste better.
  • HollyMinear
    HollyMinear Posts: 16
    I LOVE kale chips...and they are super easy. I made some tonight and I'm posting the recipe here: www.facebook.com/FitCoachHolly Come "like" the page and you'll get free healthy recipes delivered to your page. :)
  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
    I put kale or spinach in EVERYTHING. For breakfast, I often put chopped greens in my scrambled egg whites.
  • AVinmill
    AVinmill Posts: 88 Member
    as previously stated Kale chips are very easy, very delicious, and very healthy. Add a little parmesan cheese to them while they are in the oven and sooo good.
  • TammyLynne71
    TammyLynne71 Posts: 184 Member
    Thank you for all of the wonderful ideas.
  • Vegetablearian
    Vegetablearian Posts: 148 Member
    I can eat kale and spinach raw for a snack... most wouldnt stomach that though
  • DalexD
    DalexD Posts: 236 Member
    Put them on a salad sandwich, put them into a curry, blend them with other veg and put in the fridge to make a smoothie (I love them blended with cucumber), mix with scrambled eggs... There are loads of things :)
  • CrazyDaisysMommy
    CrazyDaisysMommy Posts: 472
    We love to use kale, spinach and beet greens in our morning smoothies! We use a vitamix instead of juicing. One of our favorite blends is: spinach, celery, pineapple, apple. Yum!
  • barefoot76
    barefoot76 Posts: 314 Member
    I put greens like kale, spinach, chard, etc, in everything I can to get my kids to eat them.

    I put eggs, butter, a splash of milk and some greens in the food processor to make "scrambled green eggs."

    I put my pancake mix and a handful of spinach in the food processor to make "radioactive pancakes."

    I put swiss chard in the blender with fresh or roasted garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and green onion to make "super-pesto!"

    See if you can add greens to some of your favorite foods as you transition towards eating them. Eventually you'll be able to simply eat them as a salad or saute them with other veggies and eat them no problem!
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
    I made a delcious brunch yesterday. I fried an egg in a little bit of good olive oil and placed it atop a bed of baby kale (which is so tender you can eat it raw). Then I drizzled some more olive oil on top and sprinkled the whole thing with za'atar. Meanwhile I toasted a couple pieces of baguette in the pan and ate it with the egg and kale. It was a great meal!
  • JamesonsMommy
    JamesonsMommy Posts: 771 Member
    Kale chips :)
  • darkling_glory
    darkling_glory Posts: 239 Member
    Just a heads up, if you're going to blend kale in a smoothie, make sure you have a pretty high-powered blender. Kale can be pretty tough and sometimes it doesn't get as blended as it should!
  • KLo924
    KLo924 Posts: 379 Member
    I add arugula to just about any pasta thing I make (I loooove arugula!). I'll also make a warm baby spinach salad:

    - sautee a little garlic in olive oil in a large pan
    - add a bag or box of baby spinach (in batches, depending on the size of your pan)
    - add a little bit of white wine (or vegetable broth)
    - sautee until a little wilted
    - squirt with a little lemon juice
    - finish with salt, pepper, asiago or another funky cheese if you like, and pine nuts (all of these are optional)
    :flowerforyou:
  • Slice1
    Slice1 Posts: 193 Member
    I have yet to try Kale chips, but I think I should, I keep hearing so much about them!

    I put spinach in my scrambled eggs (or egg whites) and in many other things. You can put spinach in just about anything.

    I also will add it into a salad.
  • SweetSammie
    SweetSammie Posts: 391 Member
    Mmmm, I put kale in soup... minestrone, or a 15 bean soup.

    I also have cooked it like collard greens (with a little lean bacon, garlic and onion).

    Or I make colcannon (Irish cabbage and potatoes) but use Kale instead of cabbage. Using fat free evaporated milk is a good way to make mashed potatoes creamy with no added fat (and a lot of added calcium and vitamin D). Colcannon is also a great way to get "Mashed potatoes" with less starch.

    There are a lot of colcannon recipes out there, but I sort of "wing it."

    (P.S., the leftovers can make a great soup)
  • lightstruck1
    lightstruck1 Posts: 52 Member
    Green smoothies! :) However you have to have a pretty hardcore blender to shred leafy greens.

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