How to Get More Greens in Your Diet - Part I

Whether your goal is to shed some pounds or give your family more nutrient-rich food, the first thing you need to do is get more greens on the dinner table. The best way to accomplish this is through vitamin-packed salads; but if this makes you envision a tasteless bowl of iceberg lettuce with carrot curly-cues and no dressing, you're not alone.

I was never a fan of the salad. It seemed like a "filler," something used to round out a meal and make it look bigger. Restaurants, wanting to attempt to serve courses, would plunk down that bowl of lettuce and cucumber, and I'd end up picking off the croûtons and leaving the rest.

But now I can scarf down a salad with the best of them, because I've learned the trick of variation. It's not all about the iceberg, baby. Here are a couple of my favorite salads:

Mix together spring mix greens (I like Earthbound Farms Organic), chopped Campari tomatoes, sliced cucumber, onions, alfalfa sprouts, pomegranate seeds, and chopped walnuts. Dress with balsamic vinegar and a good olive oil.

Here's a recipe my friend recently shared with me, and I love it! Mix together baby spinach, orange slices, and pine nuts (my addition). Combine 3 Tbs. honey, 1 1/2 Tbs. lemon juice, 1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil, a pinch of salt, and 1/8 tsp. cumin. Mix well and toss with the greens.

You might want to make these salads in size extra large, because they're so good your family will want more! Chop the veggies into a variety of shapes and sizes to entertain the kids as well as yourself! Also, if you have leftovers, these greens tend to keep just fine until the next day, unlike the wilty iceberg. Got a favorite salad recipe you'd like to share? Email it to me at themommyspot(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll post it here!