The Leafy Green Challenge is here!
Struggling to get out of bed? Feeling tired and sluggish lately?
Adding more greens to your diet can be just what you need to add a bit more pep to your day!
One green that is great for energy levels is SPINACH (popeye anyone?) If you’ve been struggling with low energy, it could be because you’re not getting as much iron as your body needs.
This is usually an even bigger challenge for women or for those under significant amounts of stress – it’s crucial to replace these minerals daily.
Magnesium is another mineral we don’t get enough of -which is another reason people tend to tired so easily.
Our bodies need magnesium to break glucose into energy and you don’t need to be hugely deficient to start noticing the negative effects.
A study looking at women with low magnesium levels found that their bodies were working harder than they needed to (no wonder you’re tired!) 😴
SWISS CHARD to the rescue!
One cup gives you 36% of your daily intake 🙌🏼
Its also a great source of vitamins A, C and K, potassium and fiber.
Ready to start boosting your energy levels with spinach and Swiss chard? Here are a few ways you can incorporate them into your diet today:
Spinach is pretty mild tasting, which means you can add it to many different meals without affecting the flavor.
It goes great in breakfast smoothies (don’t tell my kids), frittatas, empanadas, eggs florentine, pasta dishes, pizza toppings and salads.
Swiss chard is also quite versatile due to its texture. It’s not quite as tender as spinach but it’s not as coarse as kale and this middle ground makes it great for adding to frittatas, pastas and stir fries and things that need to cook a bit longer.
Need some inspiration?
Spinach is great for smoothies
Mango Green Smoothie
1 banana
1 cup baby spinach
1/4 Vanilla Protein
3/4 C Unsweetened almond milk
1/2 Kiwi
1/2 C blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 T Hemp seeds
1 tsp ashwagandha (optional)
Throw the banana, frozen mango, baby spinach, protein powder, any herbs and almond milk into a blender. Blend well until smooth.
Pour into a bowl and top with kiwi, blueberries, hemp seeds and any other favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Note: in a rush? Blend the kiwi & Hemp seeds into the smoothie. Have someone who won’t drink it if its green? Blend in more blueberries to change the color.
Swiss Chard
Swiss chard has just the right mix of tenderness & stability that it works really well as a wrap or layer in many dishes – I especially love it gently steamed or cooked as a wrap around tasty fillings like the recipe here.
Turkey Quinoa Swiss Chard Rolls
2/3 C Quinoa (uncooked)
1 Cup Water
1 lb Extra Lean Ground Turkey (can sub lentils)
2 tblsp Italian Seasoning
1/4 tsp Paprika
Sea Salt & Black Pepper (to taste)
3 cups crushed Tomatoes
4 cups Swiss Chard (washed and stems cut off)
Preheat oven to 375oF (191oC).
Add the quinoa and water to a sauce pot. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Let simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Turn off heat and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
Combine the quinoa, ground turkey, Italian seasoning, paprika, and sea salt and pepper to taste in a medium sized bowl and mix well.
Spread a few spoonfuls of crushed tomatoes over the bottom of a large baking dish (just enough to cover).
Lay a swiss chard leaf flat on your cutting board and add a few spoonfuls of the turkey/quinoa mixture to the base of the leaf. Roll the leaf while tucking the edges into the roll as you go. Once rolled, place the roll seam-down into baking dish and repeat until all the leaves have been rolled.
Cover rolls with the rest of the crushed tomatoes. Cover with a lid or tinfoil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the lid or foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes uncovered.
Slow Cooker version: Place rolls and sauce in slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours. (I haven’t tried it, but i bet these would cook nicely in an instant pot too! 20-25 mins on high?)
No Quinoa? Use brown rice.
So how did it go? D