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How’s your 2018 going so far? If you’ve let some of your New Year’s intentions slide, that’s totally normal—it turns out 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail by February. It could be that the goal isn’t specific enough, is overly ambitious, or simply doesn’t fit in with your lifestyle. Whatever the reason, even the highest achievers among us can start to fizzle out right about now. The good news is, it’s not too late to turn your progress around!
In the lead-up to National Green Juice Day on January 26, mbg and Evolution Fresh will be offering small, actionable challenges to help you keep your clean eating intentions in check using—you guessed it—greens!
Day 5 Challenge: Add greens to every meal.
In honor of National Green Juice Day and the last day of the #GotMyGreens challenge, we’re asking you to work greens into every meal. Seems basic? It is, but that’s also why it’s a genius shift.
When you’re focused on getting greens at every meal, eating well seems to fall into place. Think about how much good stuff is in a handful of spinach or a couple of kale leaves—then multiply that by three.
Are you ready to join the challenge? Here are a few ideas for keeping your day extra green:
Breakfast
- Breakfast bowl: Combine sauteed kale, cooked quinoa, and a soft-boiled egg. Top with a little olive oil and parsley or cilantro for extra greens!
- Smoothie: Add either frozen or fresh spinach to fruit like bananas and berries and a nut butter for plant-based protein. Blend together with almond milk or coconut water.
- Frittatas: A great make-ahead meal that reheats well. Make a big one in a skillet and cut into wedges or bake into individual portions in a muffin pan. Simply beat a few eggs together and include finely chopped steamed broccoli, spinach, or arugula and any other veggies or flavor boosters you like.
Lunch
- Collard wraps or lettuce cups: Use the greens as a vehicle for your lunch instead of a wheat-based wrap or bread. Collard wraps can be assembled ahead while lettuce wraps are better to make as you go when you’re ready to eat. Fill with any combination of hummus, cooked chicken, roasted vegetables, or rice and beans for a burrito vibe.
- Warm Salad: Salads are a hard sell this time of year, mostly because our bodies naturally crave something warm when it’s cold out. Create a salad out of roasted vegetables, sautéed chickpeas, and lots of greens, and gently rewarm when you’re ready to serve. Top with a winning dressing (tahini + lemon + garlic or olive oil + balsamic + Dijon mustard are both classics), and you have a satisfying and nourishing lunch.
- Soup with extra greens: If you make the soup yourself, even better. But in a pinch you can use store-bought. Simply heat and toss in a couple of handfuls of your favorite leafy green and let it wilt in the hot soup.
Dinner
- Stir fry: Load up a typical weeknight sauté with a few extra greens. Try bok choy, kale, and Swiss chard. If you’re not feeling a ginger-soy sauce stir-fry, try a simple combo of garlic and olive oil.
- Make-it-greens bowl: Instead of serving something over rice (like a curry, stew, or burrito bowl), consider serving it over greens instead. Wilted kale and spinach work well here, as does broccoli "rice"—as in finely chopped, rice-size broccoli that’s lightly cooked.
There’s no use beating yourself up if you can’t sneak leafy greens into a meal. An easy fix? Grab an Evolution Fresh green juice (we love Organic Superfoods Thriving Greens, Emerald Greens, and Essential Greens with Lime).
So how did you do this week?! Use the #GotMyGreens hashtag to share all of your beautiful green plates from the last five days with us. And don’t forget to enter our sweeps on Instagram before it’s too late (check out the rules here)!
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Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN
