As a pro athlete I have always had a lot of tricks for squeezing greens into my diet everyday. Before I had a kid, I was more experimental in the kitchen, and would make elaborate veggie dishes more often. But now I really appreciate the no brainers. I care a lot about the quality of the foods I eat, but I’ve learned that I also need to be realistic with strategies for incorporating them. That’s where green juices came into play, and how I got hooked up with Evolution Fresh. I announced a partnership with them a week ago and was stoked to see so much enthusiasm!
When I asked how I could help them out, they told me they have been trying to curate a list of helpful tips that motivate people to incorporate more greens into every day. They obviously have juices that do this, including four juices with over a pound (!) of green veggies packed into them, but promoting overall wellness is part of their bigger picture mission so they are interested in green tips of any and all kinds. So in the spirit of spreading the good word and encouraging people to lean into green, here are my personal Greens tips, (juice and non-juice). I’d love it if you’d share your own in the comments. 
1. Juicey Juice
Sports nutritionists always tell you to eat greens at every meal possible, which is pretty hard to do. Hot summer days make them sound more appealing but putting in the effort outside of dinner time is harder than it used to be now that I’ve got my 2 year old running around the house. Bottom line, I’m tired, and if it’s not super easy, I’m heading to the Pop Tarts. Fresh juice is by far the best way to get the most greens in at once. But I’m not going to be buying a $500 cold press juicer, cutting and cleaning a bunch of veggies, and micro-cleaning the juicer afterwards. It’s just not gonna happen. I don’t enjoy juicing. I enjoy drinking juice. The Essential Greens with Lime is basically a sweet and tart salad in a drink. Cold, fresh, portable, done.
2. Tropical Green Smoothie
Smoothies are the easiest way to get in some greens without dominating the overall flavor. Just add a handful of spinach or two big leaves of kale to any smoothie. I have a great recipe that was featured in Women’s Running Magazine that I’ve evolved, and now I have a way to get some extra mileage out of it: Popsicles! Instead of making a normal sized smoothie, I make a gigantic one, and pour all the leftovers into popsicle molds. Perfect way to cool off after a run from the house, and a great late night sweet treat when I’m trying to be on my game.
3. Spinach v2.0
You’ll always find a big container of spinach in my fridge, in the hopes that I’ll make those afternoon salads that never happen. So, the day before it goes bad, I chop up 2-4 cloves of garlic, sautée them in a wok with some extra virgin olive oil, and then dump the whole clamshell of spinach in there, cooking it down on medium high heat until it’s all just barely cooked through. I crack some salt and pepper on there and eat a whole pound of spinach at once in 15 bites! Just kidding I share it with Jesse and try to trick Jude into eating a bite or two. You can eat it all though, if you really believe in yourself.
4. Summer Salad
My college teammate, Caroline, used to make this summer salad out of spinach, avocados, strawberries, and goat cheese, tossed with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, and nothing else compares. I make it a few times a week, but especially whenever I have guests or go to a potluck because it gets major love. It’s beautiful, fast, and fun to have at parties, just like Caroline.
5. On the Run
Traveling is the worst for getting in greens. I don’t like eating a bunch of fiber before race day, but I don’t want to miss out on the nutrients. One trick I use is to check where the nearest Starbucks is to my hotel, pop my debit card into my running shorts pocket, and plan my run so that I finish there, where I pick up a Sweet Greens and Lemon, and generally a pastry because the green juice cancels it out. And then I enjoy it while walking through those last few city blocks back to my hotel, taking in the sights. With a pound of cold pressed greens in there, I get all the good nutrition without the dangers of fiber runner tummy. If it’s really hot I get the Coconut Water and Greens flavor (available at grocery stores) instead because it has some great electrolytes, and a mild flavor more easily suited to chugging.
Your Turn! (And a Prize)
A lot of you are way better cooks than me, and have your own tricks for squeezing some greens into your diet (looking at you @trainracepace). I’d love to make this post a great resource full of green snack ideas, so I invite you to share an idea for your own way to incorporate greens in the comments below. As an extra incentive, I asked the Evolution Fresh people if they’d hook us up with a giveaway, and they put together a “Lean Into Green Kit” worth about $130. It has a nice peeler, mixing bowls, ice pop molds, a $50 gift card to Whole Foods, and some other good stuff. Winner will be randomly chosen by Jude on June 29th and I’ll contact you so Evolution Fresh can send your prize!
I look forward to reading all your tips, and will re-share this blog on social media after we get a good collection, so thanks in advance. And thanks to my friends Sally and Lesko for getting me hooked on these juices. The new Oiselle store in Seattle opens up a few doors down from the Evolution Fresh store in July…dangerous.
Lauren
My favorite way of eating more veggies is to chop them up fine and add to egg dishes: scrambled, frittata, poached egg on top… Now I’m hungry.
A good addition to steak night is an arugula pesto to top the steak. Just put a dollop on top before you tent the steak to rest and its melted all over when it’s time to eat. It’s super easy too. Arugula, toasted walnuts, and grass fed butter in a food processor for 30 seconds and its done.
We do the green smoothie every day. And I’ll add the green superfood scoop as well for even more good green stuff like wheat grass, spirulina, chorella…and it tastes like orange creamcicle. Boom!
My favorite post-run breakfast: eggs, diced tomato, diced yellow pepper and a big handful of baby spinach! Sauté the tomato and pepper first, then add spinach until wilted, then drizzle in one beaten egg. Cook till egg is firm. Yum 😉
I add kale to my protein shakes to get more greens
I can only get enough greens in me by having smoothies in the morning. These are all great suggestions to add!
Spinach in my smoothies. Juicing at dinner. Nothing fancy or new… It’s just what we do!
I like to always have fresh veggies readily available – already washed and cut broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, etc. Most live in the fridge, but some get thrown into the gym bag and work bag, so whenever hunger arises reaching for veggies is easier than going for junk food.
I buy the packages of greens that you just pop in the microwave. They’re not expensive and really convenient.
Since my boys are always hungry…I put spinach, Kale, and carrots in baggies and as soon as my boys say I’m hungry when we get in the car (as it happens often)I’m prepared!:)
First, wash and stock the fridge with all the greens as soon as the hubs (the gardener at our house) brings them into the garden. If they get a chance to get limp and stay dirty, I’m less likely to use them. Putting them in smoothies is my favorite, but also in popsicles, or tossed with scrambled eggs. For cooler weather, as a topping on sweet potatoes.
Greens get hidden in my smoothies, omelets and frittatas, sautés, and even oatmeal!
I put a bed of greens on my breakfast plate, scramble two eggs, and top both with salt, pepper and olive oil
I like to drink my greens too. Loving all the tips from other users too.
Whether it’s frozen (follow microwave instructions on package) or fresh spinach and/or kale (generous portion to 1 tablespoon of water) I bop it in the mircowave for about 4 minutes and then add it to just about any dish you’d like. It cooks down so much, you’ll never know your eating it. My favorite is to add it to a cup of crushed tomatoes which creates my own “green” and oil free pasta sauce! YUM!
I love to add spinach to our dinners, and it goes with everything! Spaghetti, risotto, sandwiches, and even soups!
Kale and spinach in my fruit smoothie! Steamed broccoli is a staple at dinner because my kids eat it!
I pile it into soups, sandwiches, dip handfuls of leaves in humus, use it as a base for rice bowls and put a huge bed of leaves down first pretty much with each meal, greens for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don’t think I have a spinach dessert….yet!
I make pasta dishes and wilt greens in the pot with the drained but still hot noodles. I also buy jambalaya boxed rice and add a ton of chopped greens in with the rice as it cooks. I like to eat seasonally and its a harsh reality that lettuce is usually done by the time tomatoes are ready in order to make blt’s. Fortunately, sturdy kale is still hanging around and if you de stem it and massage it with some oil, lemon juice and salt, it’s an undetectable and more nutrient dense stand in.
Stirfried mixed veg with my noodles 🙂
I stick ’em in smoothies and do the popsicles, too – easy to pack in the kiddo’s lunch! If I am feeling particularly energetic one evening, I cut up a bunch of kale and lightly steam it or leave it raw – then I feel like an amazing rock star every time I open the fridge and see a big pile of prepped kale. I also have been known to take the almost too old clamshell of spinach, lay the leaves out on a big sheet tray and stick it in the freezer so they all freeze without sticking. The I dump them all into a zip lock bag and have them ready for smoothies. Rock. Star.
Add greens in your morning scramble, spinach and zucchini in your muffins and brownies (yum!), and extra veggies in pastas and casseroles for healthy carb loading. Love snacking on raw veggie sticks to satisfy crunch and gets good nutrients! 🙂
Always have some spinach or kale thrown into a smoothie with mango and berries
These are awesome tips Lauren – I love that you’re a realist when it comes to combining an active lifestyle with nutrition. My sister got me into green juice and now I try to squeeze it in whenever I can! 🙂
I like to add fresh herbs from my garden and spinach/kale to my morning smoothies ….easy-peasy!
As a High Carb Low Fat Vegan, I consume a lot of greens everyday. A meal/side that I make often: Sauteed Greens (Collards, Green or Red Kale), diced tomatoes, grilled onions and either tofu or seitan cubes for additional texture and variety of taste. It’s easy to change the overall flavor of this dish with different seasonings and I will sometimes add chipotle peppers diced in adobo sauce for an extra kick.
I do make green food smoothies to take to the gym with me to consume post-workout. I’ll have to try your Popsicle treats, that looks fun!
My favorite thing to do is to add chopped spinach leaves, argula, or even edamame into my eggs! Otherwise making pizza with a cauliflower crust or pasta with zuchinni noodles is a way to change things up!
Smoothie – easy, right? but that is where I will almost always throw in the baby spinach. yum. Also – so easy to throw in veggies in eggs. Trying to (cough) fool the kids? add finely cut greens to spaghetti sauce (what? that green stuff? that is oregano – just try it). I am considering taking some of my smoothie concoctions and freezing them now too to make fruit/veggie popsicles!
We enjoy just taking tomatoes and putting some cilantro on them with a it of Parmesan cheese and black olives putting them in the oven for a bit. Tastes like pizza… Almost …. we eat them as a late night snack.
It’s an easy extra way to get some veggies in at the end of the day.
So I know this sounds super gross but you can easily sneak greens into your oatmeal!!! Just blend them with whatever liquid you cook your oats in (I find spinach blends the best) and cook your oats in that! It works best if you use a mashed banana too so the sweetness hides the green taste, and coco powder or chocolate protein powder gives it a bonus fudgey flavor!!!
I have a plastic container that I constantly refill with cut raw vegetables and put out on the table in the late afternoon when we are peckish before dinner. We go through a lot of veg and fruit this way – if it’s already washed and cut up it’s the easiest thing to eat.
Whenever I’m making scrambled eggs, I throw a few handfuls of greens in the pan first, and then add the eggs after the greens have cooked down a little. *BOOM* green eggs … and sometimes also ham.
My idea isn’t very creative, but it’s one that I do every day. I make what my children affectionately refer to as “sludge”. “My “sludge” contains 13 of the most nutritious veggies, a few of the most nutritious fruits, a 1/2 can of no-salt black beans, along with 4 bags of green tea leaves and a Tbsp of either chia seeds, ground flax seed meal or wheat germ (I rotate them). I add water and blend. Voila! 5 1/2 cups of something that is not very edible-looking, but is jam-packed FULL of everything good- vitamins, minerals, fiber and some protein. I drink this for both lunch and dinner (supplementing with additional protein throughout the day). Sometimes I add protein powder, sometimes not; just depends on how strenuous a workout day I have planned. So… that’s my story! Hope you like it… 🙂
Love the frozen Popsicles and always having a salad with every meal to add greens.
Whenever I use my juicer, I really hate throwing away the fruit/veggie fibers that are left over. One day I had a brilliant idea and decided to use them in my cooking/baking. No matter the fruit/veggie I put it my juicer, I’ll add them in my meatloafs, meatballs, breads, etc. Even ginger and apples are such a great addition to meatloaf – and you’d never tell! It adds a good amount of moisture and hidden nutrients ;). I frequently juice all of the greens I get in my CSA box and their the fibers right into my meatloaf!
I absolutely love the Popsicle idea. Such a great way to sneak in some veggies.
I throw spinach on E’erything!!! I’m back in school after taking a sharp turn towards a different career after 15 years in another. I’m short on time and I’m in the car a lot commuting to/from school and clinic so I try to cram as much into my juicer as I can. Spinach goes with everything…just like khaki pants in the 90’s. I throw spinach, other veggies and fruits into our juicer, dump it into a mason jar, and fly out the door knowing at least I’m packing in some iron and greens! 🙂
Smoothies, Popscicles, and fruit leather (well – veggie leather)! I’m looking for a veggie COOKIE recipe if anyone has one ……. LETTUCE TURNIP THE BEET! thanks Lauren and Evolution!
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Hot soup – saute sausage, onions, garlic in the bottom of the pot and add an entire potful of greens (kale, spinach, collard, chard, bok choy) and add salt. Once veggies are cooked down, add water/broth and potatoes or other root vegetables. Simmer until potatoes are tender. Simple and so good! And my kids love it.
I don’t eat enough greens and am going to look into this juice and read through the comments!
Waw thank you for these recipies ! It sounds interesting and i’ll definetly try it 🙂
Juicing is a fab way to get those extra veggies in. I like a healthy cocktail of kale, apple and ginger for long and vibrant energy. Fruit and veggies have an abundance of vitamins and minerals and very low in calories. If you are after anti-oxidant properties to fight off free-radicals if you have low immunity to flu or cold I’ve also heard any kind of berry smoothie helps!
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Great post! All of these look delicious, I want that summer salad now!
Salads are the best! Be healthy!