When I became a vegetarian, I did so because of a location change and the fact that i’d been living with a veggie – and not eating much meat at all.
The questions you get when you become a vegetarian are “how do you get enough protein? what about iron? do you only eat salad? are you EVER full?”
The answers are: yes, yes, no, and YES!
Just to confuse you a little bit, technically i am a ‘lacto-ovo pescatarian’ – this means i eat eggs and dairy (lacto-ovo), plus fish (pesca). Which takes care of my protein and often helps me fill up. Along with other proteins like chick peas, black beans, and quinoa.
But there are only 2 things really that are high in iron: red meat and dark, leafy greens. So, i decided i had to step up my game with the greens – and i love them.
There is WAY MORE to greens than lettuce, and i’m going to highlight a few that i absolutely love.
1 – Swiss Chard
2 – Kale
When i was in high school, i worked at a chain seafood restaurant, so every plate was served with a garnish of lemon wedge on top of a piece of kale. Then, it was basically thought of this basic greenery. Since, people have really explored the perks of kale! Wayyyy more than a cheap garnish.
It goes great with citrus (there are tons of recipes for this online). This is also a good one to throw into omelets, smoothies, or juices! It’s got a soft enough texture that it cooks down/blends easily and can add some fast vitamins to your meal or snack.
3 – Bok Choy
This was part of my dinner last night. The stalks are really thick like celery and the leaves are very spinach like. i chop it up in big chunks and season it, throw it on a hot skillet and go to town. The texture is different, but i really enjoy it.
4 – Arugula
