Since we’re well into the Spring energetic season (until April 17), a time associated with life-giving, detoxifying green, it’s wise that we support ourselves with as many green foods as we can.

Not everyone enjoys green leaves and vegetables but what follows are a number of novel and fun ways to make sure you amp up your diet with green and enjoy the deliciousness of it too!

While most of these ideas provide ways to creatively add greens and green foods to your entrees and side dishes, don’t be afraid to make green the main event!

1. Scramble your eggs with cooking greens or add them to your frittata.
2. Add fresh fruit like strawberries to make your highly nutritious spinach salad more interesting.
3. Make a batch of green pesto to have on hand for adding to dishes like pasta or for garnishing dishes like scrambled eggs, soup or roasted veggies.
4. Learn to sprout! It’s so easy to do right in your kitchen with some mason jars, cheesecloth and sprouting seeds. In just a couple days you’ve got green sprouts absolutely brimming with nutrition that you can add to salads, add as soup garnishes or throw in your smoothies.
5. Learn to identify wild edible greens and pick them. Some might be in your backyard or favorite local forest preserve.
6. Everybody loves nuts and seeds so add them to your salads. Not only will they provide texture but lots of nutrition too.
7. Add a handful of spinach or other green to your favorite smoothie to make it green. We suggest spinach ‘cause it won’t alter the flavor intent of your smoothie.
8. Garnish your soups with parsley or cilantro.
9. Never miss adding a beautiful green leaf to your sandwiches. Experiment. Go beyond iceberg or romaine lettuce.
10. Garnish your sandwich plate or even top your salad with dehydrated kale chips. Depending on the sauce massaged into the kale before dehydrating, kids will love eating them instead of potato chips.
11. Add a handful of fresh basil, leaves and stems, to your blenderized soups for a subtle flavor enhancement and nutrition boost.
12. Add green legumes like pea pods and green beans to your side dishes for color, texture and vitality.
13. Learn to make a mean tabbouli. With the main ingredient being parsley, this minted salad is incredibly fresh tasting and you’ll feel so much better about yourself after eating it! You can sub quinoa for the bulgur wheat, if you prefer, and it will taste just as great.
14. Fold finely chopped parsley or spinach into your mashed potatoes or alfredo sauce.
15. Mush some not overcooked broccoli into side dishes for texture, flavor and nutrition.
16. Make some avocado topped toast or spread your toast with a mélange of peas tossed with a small amount of olive oil, quartered grape tomatoes, and edamame. Avocado toast is a current wellness trend!
17. Add shaved or grated courgette (zucchini) into your salad.
18. Have a nice spinach salad or other green leaf salad for breakfast. It’s a fantastic way to start the day.
19. Explore fresh green herbs (oregano, rosemary, basil, dill, cilantro, chervil, chives, tarragon) and learn how to add them to your dishes for an added dimension of healing and flavor.
20. Make green bean “fries” for an awesome snack. Toss washed whole green beans with a bit of olive oil, and then garlic granules, salt and pepper to taste, and munch!
21. Make your wrap sandwiches raw wraps using collard greens, bibb lettuce or swiss chard leaves; you can do the same when making tacos, too.
22. When puréeing your homemade hummus, throw in a half cup of spinach; it will lend a green hue to the hummus and give you added nutrition, but it won’t alter the flavor of the hummus.
23. Top your burger with lightly sautéed greens.
24. Make green dips; spinach-artichoke is always nice.
25. Make simple homemade green salad dressings in your blender; throw six to eight dandelion greens in the blender along with a cup of soaked raw cashews, a half cup of soaked raw sunflower seeds, a cup of water, a squirt of lemon juice, a half teaspoon of turmeric and Himalayan salt to taste and blend until smooth. Delish.
26. Double the amount of green vegetables and half the amount of animal protein in your dishes.
27. Be a sneaky chef; purée some greens and add them to marinara sauce or grate or finely mince the greens and add them to your burger and meatloaf mix.
28. Join the Meatless Monday movement and make green foods the centerpiece of the day.
29. Wilt your greens like spinach, arugula, mustard and dandelion greens; you can add them to your favorite dish or eat them straight with a little salt and pepper and a dash of olive oil.
30. Slightly blacken bundles of bok choy, broccoli or asparagus spears for a unique taste and nutrition treat.