Gimme Some Oven

March Dare: Eat More (Leafy) Greens!

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It’s March!!!

Time for madness! Time for St. Paddy’s! Time for Spring! Time for all things green!

Heck yes. After a cold and gray winter, I’m always oh-so-ready this time of year for some more green in my life. And after a season full of often heavier comfort food, I’m always oh-so-ready this time of year for more greens on my plate.  Especially leafy greens. So I’m keeping our dare for the month of March very simple and straightforward:

Eat more greens!

I was going to get more specific, but decided to leave the word “more” up to you for interpretation.

Personally? I’m going to try and make leafy greens my main course for at least one meal a day, which could mean anything from a big leafy salad to a green smoothie to lettuce wraps. So often I relegate greens to being a “side salad”, but this month I want to focus more on making them the rockstar of my meal when I’m at home. And when I’m out to eat, I want to order salads as a main course — partly to avoid heavier options, and partly to get more ideas and inspiration for better salads I can make at home.

However, if you’re someone who doesn’t usually eat many leafy greens, maybe that just means that you make it a priority to eat a side salad at least once a day. Or have a green smoothie for breakfast. Or incorporate more leafy greens into your pastas, or soups, or sandwiches, or even your breakfast. (Hint hint: poached eggs are way more delicious when served on a bed of arugula!)

Whatever it looks like for you, the dare is simply to eat more leafy greens for the month of March.

Why?

Well, here are a few of my reasons:

  1. Leafy greens are in season! Well, depending on where you live, different greens may be sprouting up at different times. But in general, leafy greens are in season during the month of March. (And as a result, they are often on sale at your grocery store!)  I like to think this timing is nature’s way of helping us all transition into a season of lighter and healthier eating for the summer months ahead. So keep an eye out for your favorite leafy greens at the store — or better yet, branch out and try some new ones — and pop them in your shopping bag with the added bonus of knowing that you’re eating seasonally.
  2. Leafy greens are WAY good for you.  Of course, we all know that leafy greens are lighter in calories, but don’t forget that various leafy greens are also packed with fiber and vitamins and minerals that can do all sorts of good things for our health. And the darker green, the better. So load up on those collard greens and kale and swiss chard and spinach! (And when possible, I always recommend buying leafy greens organic.)
  3. And most importantly, leafy greens are DELICIOUS. Gone are the days of boring iceberg lettuce salads and canned spinach. One quick peek at Pinterest will prove in a heartbeat that leafy greens are now the rockstars of the food world! There are so many greens at grocery stores and farmers markets to choose from nowadays, there are endless ways to prepare them, and there are so many recipes to choose from!

Here are some recipes I recommend:

For breakfast:

For lunch: 

For dinner:

For more: 

Feel free to browse the Recipe Index here on Gimme Some Oven (especially the Salad index) for more delicious ideas.

So who’s hungry for some greens?

I “dare” you to eat more of them this month. ;)

(And when you do, snap a pic and hashtag #gimmesomedares and #eatmoreleafygreens so that we can cheer you on!)

Fuji Apple Chicken Salad | gimmesomeoven.com

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5 comments on “March Dare: Eat More (Leafy) Greens!”

  1. I’m always looking for a fresh way to get my greens in. I AM IN! :) Thanks for sharing, nice work

  2. I love fresh greens!! <3

    https://aspoonfulofnature.wordpress.com/

  3. Perfect color for March!

  4. We are trying our best to eat more greens. Luckily this articles helps.