Looking to sneak greens into a few extra meals? It’s SUPER easy and with the right combo, you won’t even taste it!
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Why incorporate extra greens into your diet? There are countless reasons but I’ll share a few…
A little goes a long way for your health: greens of any kind are nutrient-dense. Containing essential vitamins, fiber and micronutrients. Greens contain important amounts of vitamin K (great for bone, heart and brain health), vitamin A (for vision and immunity), magnesium (for brain health and digestion), iron (if you’re vegetarian/vegan this is essential)...among many other benefits like skin health and improved mood.
1. A perfect fridge clean out meal...SPAGHETTI SQUASH CASSEROLE(pictured above): Full of broccoli, green beans and spinach (or massaged kale). This recipe is packed with nutrients and is SO good. The spaghetti squash and sauce truly cover up all the greens (even though they also taste pretty delish)...
Ingredients: (This makes 4-6 servings)
1 spaghetti squash
2 or 3 cups of super chopped veggies (I use broccoli and green beans from frozen, but lots of veggies work)
2 huge handfuls spinach
1 cup sugar-free, natural marinara sauce
½ cup dairy-free cheese (I use DF cream cheese)
⅓ cup breadcrumbs (I use ground up Simple Mills crackers or another cracker)
Olive oil for drizzling and sauteing
Ghee/spray/butter to grease casserole dish
Garlic powder and onion powder for seasoning
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
Wrap the squash in a wet paper towel and microwave for 6 minutes. Let cool for one minute.
Cut in half, spoon out the seeds.
Roast open side down for 20 minutes
While roasting, cook the veggies (not spinach). I used frozen, so I microwaved them for the directed time and then sauteed in olive oil and a dash of the spices until browned. If you’re using fresh, either steam/roast/saute. Basically you need browned veggies. Once done set aside.
Remove the squash from the oven, flip, drizzle olive oil over inside and a dash of spices. Roast for another 20 minutes open side up.
While roasting, make bread crumbs if doing from scratch. I use a blender/food processor & blend crackers for 2 seconds.
Remove squash from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes, scrape squash out and into a bowl.
Lower oven to 350 degrees F, grease casserole dish.
Layer ½ the squash, top with ½ the veggies, then the ½ the sauce and then ½ the spinach. Repeat for 2nd layer. Top with dairy free cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake for 15 minutes.
2. Any pasta dish...here’s a great one that packs in protein, fiber and greens. GRAIN FREE MEATBALLS - This high fiber, low carb, gluten/grain free and dairy free dish has everything you need for a balanced, nutritious meal…
Ingredients: (This makes 3 servings)
1 LB of ground meat - I used 99% lean ground turkey for mine
2 TBS nutritional yeast
2 TBS flax meal
3 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
Olive oil (for dusting)
Pasta of choice (3 servings worth - I use often use either Banza protein pasta or Capello's grain-free pastas)
3 huge handfuls of spinach
3 servings of a sugar-free, natural marinara sauce
Optional: cheese to top the dish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
In a bowl, mix together the ground meat, nutritional yeast, flax meal, garlic powder and onion powder. Best done with your hands!
Roll into 1-1 ½ inch balls
Place equally spaced apart on the lined baking sheet
Dust with olive oil. I used olive oil spray and gave a quick spray to each ball
Bake for 15-18 minutes
While baking, boil pasta as directed on the box. Drain and set aside.
Once meatballs are ready, in a large pan on low/medium heat, add in a drizzle of olive oil, add in the marinara sauce, the pasta and the spinach. Saute for 3 minutes, string to cover pasta with sauce and wilt the spinach.
Serve with the meatballs!
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3. More pasta...truly the greatest way to get those greens in! CREAMY CAJUN SHRIMP PASTA. I’m not sure about you, but I LOVE a good kick and this Cajun packs just enough. A great pasta needs a few things; veggies, a light sauce & seafood...this dish checks all the boxes. My version is gluten free and dairy free, but notes are below for subs. It’s super easy to whip up, check out how...Ingredients (serves two):
Ingredients:
2 servings of shrimp - I used @traderjoes frozen jumbo, so about 14 shrimp
2 servings of pasta of choice - I used Banza or xxxx
1 bell pepper, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
2 big handfuls of spinach or massaged kale
2 TBS olive oil or an olive oil spray
3 tsp Cajun seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
For the sauce: juice if 1/2 a lemon, 1/2 cup milk of choice (I use unsweetened plain almond milk - my go-to brand is Califia Farms), 1/3 cup cream cheese of choice (I use DF scallion from Kite Hill), 1 TBS almond flour, 1 TBS minced garlic and 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
Directions:
Cook pasta of choice according to the package. Drain and set aside.
Blend sauce ingredients and set aside. I do it in my Nutribullet.
Sauté veggies in 1/2 the olive oil, 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp onion powder. Sauté for 5 minutes. While that’s looking…
Prep shrimp according to the package. Pat dry. Season with 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp onion powder. Add into the veggies and sauté for 8 minutes. Stirring and flipping shrimp at least once.
Add pasta and sauce into saute ́ pan.
Cook for 2 minutes.
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4. Double greens...PLANT-BASED ZUCCHINI BOATS.
How to: (makes 2 boats per zucchini)
Slice a washed (so important) medium/large zucchini in half (the long way). Spoon out the middles, just enough to get the seeds out and create a divot. Drizzle with olive oil and spread the olive oil through the zucchini with a spoon or your fingers. Roast at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Top with marinara. Use one with no sugar and simple to read ingredients (I use Raos homemade). Now, top with organic spinach, roasted red pepper, pesto (I love to use Good Foods avocado pesto) and top with cheese of choice. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes. Drizzle with balsamic post-roasting.
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5. SMOOTHIES!! DUH! The easiest way to sneak in those greens!
My go-to smoothie: I call it the PB&J smoothie!
Ingredients for one:
1 serving of protein powder of choice - I use Orgain Chocolate
A huge handful of spinach
½ cup blueberries
½ cup strawberries
1 TBS nut butter
½ cup unsweetened plain almond milk
1 TBS flax meal/chia seeds
Juice of ½ a lemon
Blend it alllllll up in a blender...like my Nutribullet!
Bonus points to drink it from a finished nut butter jar...I always save mine in the fridge for the next time I have a smoothie... you get all that extra nut butter flavor!
What are your favorite recipes to add greens into? Share them with me in the comments or on Instagram and Facebook!
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