SMOOTHIES

This is one of my all time favourite ways to sneak in additional greens into my day. My morning smoothie typically contains 2 loosely packed cups of spinach along with banana, superfood powders, seeds, and additional fruit depending on what I have in the house. One can even use kale if they have that handy. ​In addition to this, there are so many wonderful green superfood powders available now in health stores and supermarkets for an additional boost. This is one of the easiest ways to pump those nutritious greens into the start of your day!

FRESH JUICES

I don't advocate for fresh juices everyday because I am a firm believer that the fiber in fruits and veggies are important for our systems, but the occasional fresh pressed juice is nutritious and also a great way to get more greens. ​Green juices can include lots of fresh spinach and even fresh parsley which is incredibly nutritious if balanced out with a sweet fruit like apples. A really great way to pump nutritious greens into your diet.

SWAP OUT THE ICEBERG

A salad is the perfect healthy addition to your lunch and dinner, but the choice of greens in your salad makes a world of difference. Iceberg is crispy and delicious but lacks the antioxidants and nutrition of greens like baby kale, spinach, rocket or even romaine. If you're hell bent on the iceberg, swap out half the iceberg for some of the other dark leafy greens I've mentioned to add additional green nutrition to your salads. Also, toss in as much fresh herbs as you have on hand as they are both flavourful and full of antioxidants and additional nutrients.

BLENDED TOMATO SAUCES

One of my absolute favourite things to eat is pasta with a delicious scratch made tomato sauce. I am also a big advocate for a blended sauce because I just find it clings to most pasta shapes so much better. Right before you blend, toss in several cups of spinach for that additional boost. Fussy eaters won't notice the difference and you've successfully amped up your green intake!

UTILIZE HERBS

People tend to associate fresh herbs as nothing more than garnishes but that's only the tip of the iceberg. Herbs contain unique antioxidants along with a plethora of vitamins and minerals that are easily added to almost every dish you can think of. Toss your finished pasta with a cup of fresh parsley and fresh basil. Finish each bowl of soup with some fresh thyme and parsley, chili with fresh cilantro etc. The more herbs you add to your dishes, the more greens you're getting in with the added bonus of additional flavour.

PRE-CUT FRUIT / VEGGIE CUPS

​Cutting up fresh fruit and veggies might be time consuming when you're on the go but reaching for those cups at the grocery store of pre-cut veggies and fruit means sacrificing QUALITY and COST EFFICIENCY. Those cups are often overpriced for what you actually get and might have been sitting there the entire day already cut up meaning they've lost their quality. Reach for whole fruits and veg & you'll save money in the long run but you'll also eat better fruit and veg!

FROZEN ENTREES

These might have been a staple for us growing up but they have no place in our lives as adults. Convenience comes at a cost of your HEALTH when it comes to these sodium laden scary looking frozen entrees. Often times, these frozen dinners harbour a day's worth of salt in one serving, ridiculously high amounts of fat, and a lengthy list of preservatives. If you're going to go for the pre-made meals, look to your grocer's fresh prepared dinners instead. You'll save yourself a science lab in preservatives and artificial ingredients that are simply not good for us and eat better food.

FAST FOOD

Hey, we've all hit up that late night take out spot looking for instant gratification after a night out but it should really only be limited to that once and a blue moon night out. Convenience in this case comes at a cost of HEALTH and COST EFFICIENCY. Fast food is surely convenient but if you're finding yourself at the drive thru two or three times a week due to being busy, you're likely gobbling up large amount of calories, saturated fats, and money. That 10 -15 dollars two or three times a week amounts to quite a hefty price tag at the end of the month.

PRE-MADE JUICES AND SMOOTHIES

It's 100% fruit juice so it has to be good for us, unfortunately that's not the case. Fruit juices are delicious but are also loaded with sugars and can occasionally contain added sugars which are wholly unnecessary and will undoubtedly cause you to crash throughout the day. Pre-made smoothies are guilty of added sugars as well. This convenience costs you in the HEALTH department.

After shopping, toss your smoothie ingredients into separate freezer bags for ease of use on the go. This way all it takes is reaching for a bag and some plant milk to whip up a healthy smoothie on the go!