Eat Green Leading up to St. Patrick's Day

Many of my favorite foods are green. Apples, kale, spinach … it’s definitely a food color that packs a nutritious punch and what a perfect time to focus on eating green with St. Patrick's Day just around the corner. 

Green fruits and vegetables are some of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat, offering a wide range of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants which boost our immune system, give us energy and help our digestive system. 

Our March Theme of the Month is Nutrition and to kick it off Spears Strongers will take on the Eat Green 365 Hour Challenge, eating one extra green thing per day for 365 Hours (Monday-March 17). The only rule is that it must be from a plant, not made in a plant, which means green beer or mint oreos do not count. 

Adding a green food every day means you’ll get more fiber, vitamins, minerals and even protein (thank you peas). Before you start your challenge, plan your green foods. If you're not eating a lot of green foods currently this is especially important. A salad is a great go-to or a green apple. 

Thinking about green foods I realized how many of them I just love. Here’s my top 9 favorite greens, some of their special powers, and how we like to eat them.

Green Cabbage: A perfect St. Patrick’s Day green veggie to add! Healthy and versatile, the green cabbage helps digestion (fiber) and even muscle function (potassium). 

Make it: This miso butter roasted cabbage is mouth watering good. Roast it for a long time and it will just melt onto your fork.

Peas: High in fiber, vitamin K and folate (b vitamin super important for your body) but also and most impressively, I think, is their protein content! Split peas have about 8.5 grams of protein per 100 grams. Snap peas make a great snack or add some frozen peas to your soup. 

Make it: This split pea soup rocks and makes for great leftovers. 

Broccoli: America’s favorite vegetable and a mascot at Spears Strong. Her name is Broccolina and she appears on shirts and totes!

Make it: Our favorite way to make broccoli is in the air fryer. Sprinkle a little avocado oil, salt and garlic powder. Cook at 400 until it’s fully charred but not burnt. 

Kale: Up there as one of the most nutritious green foods and in season almost all the time in the PNW. 

Make it: Kale chips in the air fryer or kale salad are two of our favorites. 

Brussels Sprouts:  Good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber, and folate.  

Make it: Skillet sprouts Also love them shredded and made into a salad.

Green Apple: Jonathan’s favorite of the apple varieties and my second favorite (partial to the Pink Lady). Apples are high in vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants. An apple a day is legit. 

Make it: We usually slice one up and split it or chop it up and top our oatmeal with it. Pair it with some nut butter for a balanced snack to keep you full. 

Green Apple: Jonathan’s favorite of the apple varieties and my second favorite (partial to the Pink Lady). Apples are high in vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants. An apple a day is legit. 

Make it: We usually slice one up and split it or chop it up and top our oatmeal with it. Pair it with some nut butter for a balanced snack to keep you full. 

Spinach Popeye was spot on. Iron makes an appearance in this vegetable as well as magnesium. Pair it with some lemon juice dressing or red peppers to get some Vitamin C to help you absorb the iron. Or, hey, add some green apples! 

Make it: Love spinach thrown in with other greens for a salad but my favorite way is to make pesto out of it. It gives a nice smooth and bright green texture and pairs so well with any other green. See Basil. 

Basil: This fantastic herb is one of the healthiest things you can eat. With it’s vitamins, minerals and anti-inflammatory properties you can’t go wrong. 

Make it: Pesto is the besto and it’s great on everything from pizza to pasta to flatbread to toast to carrot sticks and more. My favorite way to make it is with walnuts, spinach, basil, garlic, olive oil, salt/pepper and lemon juice. But you can use ANY green for pesto! Check out this recipe from Sara using fennel fronds. I have also used carrot tops. Tops of greens can be bitter so they’re great mixed with spinach or basil.

Parsley: Another favorite herb and super versatile. 

Make it: I’m very partial to tabouli salad and when I make it Jonathan is lucky to get some. Here’s a simple recipe: I also like to use bulghar wheat instead of quinoa (traditional) 

Honorable mentions: All leafy greens are so great - arugula, romaine and butter leaf are also common picks for us. Limes make for great salad dressings, avocado toast is a regular snack for us and celery is pretty fun too - especially when topped with peanut butter or dipped in hummus. 

What’s your favorite green food? Comment here or contact us!