5 Sneaky Ways To Eat More Leafy Greens

Let’s do a quick check-in and make sure we’re human-ing okay. 

Have you been drinking enough water? 
Have you been outside recently? 
Have you moved your body, worked up a sweat? 
Have you been getting enough sleep? 
Have you talked to a friend? 
Have you avoided spending a redonkulous amount of time on your phone? 
Have you eaten healthy food lately? 
Have you gone out and done something enjoyable with other humans?

Sometimes, these things can be second nature. Other times, they feel monumental, as if just getting out of bed feels like an enormous challenge. But whatever you’re going through, whether that’s joy, sorrow, worry, boredom, stress, love, or anything in between, these things will help you feel better. 

When I haven’t been eating as healthy as usual, I like to course correct by eating more leafy greens. There are lots of leafy greens to choose from, and I like to keep a variety on hand. If you missed it, we did an awesome post all about dark leafy greens you can bookmark for later. 

Here are five easy ways to eat more leafy greens—tested and approved by yours truly.

1 – Massage leafy greens and use them in a bowl

Chop them up, put some in a bowl, drizzle with this dressing, and massage (seems fussy, but trust). Put a plant based burger patty on top of the massaged greens. You can buy them or make a double batch of these and freeze half so your future self will be set. Then, add some hummus from the store or make this easy recipe. 

Are you a Clean Food Dirty Girl member? Here are my fave dressing, burger, and hummus recipes to do this with: 

• Sunny Island Vinaigrette 
• Beet Burgers
• Everything But the Bagel Hummus 

2 – Add chopped leafy greens to soup

Batch some yummy soup, like this awesome one. Then, when you’re ready, heat up your soup in a pot on the stovetop, and add a handful of chopped greens to the pot along with your soup. By the time your soup heats up, your greens will be perfectly wilted and ready for your mouth. 

If you’re a Clean Food Dirty Girl member, this Creamy Herb Tomato Soup is my favorite, which is saying a lot. It also goes really well with chopped kale—bonus! 

3 – Add to green smoothies

Make smoothies and fill them with leafy greens. Here’s one that tastes like freaking ice cream to get you started. 

This Creamy Shamrock Smoothie from Clean Food Dirty Girl calls for spinach, which is delicious in smoothies. 

4 – Use a variety of leafy greens in your salad

Add different greens to your salads in addition to lettuce, or ditch the lettuce altogether! Chopped kale, swiss chard, watercress, beet greens, broccoli greens, and arugula are some of my top choices. The trick is to chop them enough so they aren’t competing with the lettuce (if using) and add equal parts of greens so nothing is overpowering.

If you’re a Plant Fueled life member and either love or want to try watercress, you have to make this yummy Watercress Citrus Salad. 

5 – Add to pasta dishes

Make plant based mac and cheese and stir in some thinly chopped leafy greens. If you haven’t tried the creamy, dreamy cheesy sauce in this mac yet, you must! It’s so yummy, you won’t even notice the nutrient-packed greens. Triple the sauce since it freezes wonderfully and your future self will thank you. 

Bonus tip: Remember those frozen patties from tip one? Heat one up and drench it with cheesy sauce for a delicious melt. Add a handful of greens for a nutrient kick. 

If you’re a Clean Food Dirty Girl member and you like jackfruit, BBQ, and mac, this meal is calling your name. Serve it over a bed of greens to keep this leafy love fest going.

There you have it. Five simple ways to eat more leafy greens. Which one will you try first? I’m all about simple things that I know will help me feel good. 

Let’s recap: 

✔️ Drink water
✔️ Go outside
✔️ Move your body 
✔️ Sleep adequately
✔️ Connect with friends
✔️ Put the phone away
✔️ Eat healthy food 

✔️ Be around enjoyable humans  

Enjoy those leafy greens, friends.

Xo

Molly