Everyday Greens Mix (Kale, Watercress, Spinach, Lettuce): 3 Easy Methods, No More Excuses

Dino Kale - Papillon Sky Photography

The Secret to Easily Eat Greens Everyday:

1. Always have greens cleaned and ready to grab
2. Get in the habit of having a handful at each meal (even one a day is a respectable start)

If you wait until after you walk in the door at 5:30 to clean and prep that kale you bought two days ago – you aren’t going to do it.

If you think the only way to eat greens is by having  a cold salad everyday – you aren’t going to do it.

Greens like kale, collards, Swiss chard, and watercress are far from just for salad anymore.  I shared a few ideas in an early post about how easy it can be to add something green to each meal.  This is what I love about the Everyday Greens Mix and why I included it in each season of the meal planning kits.  The mix allows you to have a variety of greens, prepped before it’s time to eat, so you are encouraged to use them…easily and unlimitedly.

But as mentioned above, if you don’t have the mix ready to go before 5:30 – you aren’t going to do it.  The good news is that there are three methods to make sure you do have greens ready to eat everyday.  Pick the one that best matches your time availability and buying preferences – and which method is best will likely change depending on the week.  And that’s good; having flexible options will ensure you do it each week – not just the ones when all the stars align.

Method 1: Buy Pre-Washed

The variety of packaged, pre-washed organic greens is booming.  Baby Kales, Baby Lettuce, Half-n-half Spring + Baby Spinach, Arugula – so easy to find and reasonably priced.  Some delicate greens like watercress (which I always recommend buying the variety with the roots still on) are harder to find.  And on those weeks were convenience is needed – it’s ok to just have baby kale and spinach.

Pros: No Prep*, Competitively Priced, Always Ready

*Whether to wash pre-washed produce is a personal decision – CBS reviewed this and posted some comments from manufacturers.

Cons: Not Local, Compromise with Flavor (nothing like fresh picked greens)

Method 2: Store Greens in Salad Spinner – Keeps them Fresh and Easy to Grab

If I have the room in the fridge, I like to wash all of the various greens together by placing in the (very clean and sanitized!) sink.  Then, I place them all in my salad spinner and just store on the top shelf.  It’s still easy to grab individual types of greens (like lettuce for tacos) or a mix for salad. Stays nice and crisp for up to a week.

Pros: Can buy Local, Easy to Grab

Cons: Increased Prep Time with Cleaning, Bulky Storage

Method 3: Wash and Store in Plastic Bags in Crisper

When space is limited, then I ‘wrap and roll’ them for storage in the crisper. You can wrap them mixed, or wrap them individually by type- whichever works best for you. This method is great for reducing storage space, but aren’t quite as accessible and might limit grabbing those extra handfuls.

Pros: Reduced Storage Space, Can buy Local

Cons: Longest Prep Time, Not as Readily Available (could decrease frequency used)

—-Storage Note: All methods will keep them fresh for about 5 days in a ~40 degree fridge (if greens were fresh when bought: watch use-by dates on pre-washed, especially if they are on sale)

And finally, for the meal planning kit users, here are the visual instructions for how I describe to roll the greens in paper towel when doing Method 3.

Step 1: Place the bunch of cleaned greens at top of paper towel strip

Step 2: Roll-up in paper towel

Step 3:  Place 1-4 individual rolls in large storage plastic baggie, gently remove excess air, seal, and store in crisper (see pic above)

I always love hearing new ways that you find to ‘throw a handful of greens here’ and ‘a handful of greens there’.  I’d love for you to share your ways to eat greens everyday! I think you’ll be surprised at how good they taste outside of the salad bowl!

~Teri