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15 Foolproof Ways To Use Up Greens Before They Go Bad

July 26, 2016 by workweeklunch 3 Comments

There’s nothing worse than seeing a bunch of limp greens in your fridge after a busy week when you didn’t have time to cook.

You had good intentions. You actually went out and bought a bag of spinach. But instead of making beautiful leafy salads like you planned, it just sat in your fridge, forgotten. RIP spinach.

Just because your leaves go bad sometimes doesn’t mean you should stop buying them, though. One of the biggest issues people have with grocery shopping is being afraid they won’t use up the produce before it spoils.

I’ve been there. But, when you get in the habit of incorporating the veggies you buy, it gets a lot easier. Eventually, you’ll nail how much produce you actually need for the week and never waste a shred of food.

It does take some trial and error, but today I’m going to tell you how to use greens (spinach, kale, arugula, etc) in just about everything.

Note: I originally had four ways to use up greens, but I took to Reddit and had people tell me their methods too! The 10 best responses are included at the end of this post.

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The blog is up and running! Link in bio 🍉

A post shared by Workweek Lunch | Talia Koren (@workweeklunch) on Jun 12, 2016 at 8:35am PDT

Let’s just talk about kale for a quick second. My case for kale:

A lot people are “over” kale. It’s a vegetable, guys. I’m not here to tell you the health benefits of kale or why it’s a superfood. But I’m going to tell you why I swear by it. Kale won’t go mushy on you after three days in your fridge like spinach.

One time my supermarket was out of kale (I know, right?!) and I had to buy a box of spinach. Let me tell you, eating that entire box before it went bad was definitely more of a challenge than dealing with kale. Kale can keep in the fridge for up to one week. So it’s OK if you can’t use it every day.

Here are my four foolproof ways to add greens to every meal. Make sure to comment and add your methods below if you have any!

Add greens to your breakfast protein shake or smoothie.

This is a tried and true trick. Blending up some greens with your smoothie is a great way to sneak veggies into your breakfast and use up greens. I usually add a handful of chopped kale to my smoothies. They help thicken them up a bit too.

Adding greens might give your smoothie and interesting color, but not all food has to be Instagram-able, right? This article has some great green smoothie ideas.

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Sometimes food is just too pretty to eat. Today's smoothie bowl is brought to you by banana, mango and peanut butter 💯

A post shared by Workweek Lunch | Talia Koren (@workweeklunch) on Jun 16, 2016 at 5:48am PDT

Put protein on a bed of greens.

When I take lunch to work, I usually have a protein like chicken or salmon in my Tupperware. An easy way to add greens is to put them under the protein.

If you use kale and you’re worried about it being too hard and crunch, add a drop of olive oil before laying your protein on top. Microwaving your lunch before eating it will also make the kale a little softer.

If you think about it, this method is similar compared to what most health takeout chains do when they offer a base of greens or grains with your order.

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I have a love affair with leftovers.

A post shared by Workweek Lunch | Talia Koren (@workweeklunch) on Jun 29, 2016 at 6:33pm PDT

Add it to your go-to quick meals.

When I come home from work and cook a quick dinner I always add kale.

My go-to meals are:

  • Quesadillas!
  • Breakfast burritos!
  • Scrambled eggs or an omelette with cheese tomatoes!
  • Salads!

But you can easily add greens to pasta and other dishes too.

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Veggie whole wheat quesadilla is one of my favorite 10 minute dinners! 👌

A post shared by Workweek Lunch | Talia Koren (@workweeklunch) on Jun 15, 2016 at 5:10pm PDT


Just sauté them!

A side of sauteed greens goes with almost every dish. And look at that spark of color they add! If you want to make them tastier, add a little bit of garlic, onion, salt, pepper and a little lemon juice.

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Cayenne sweet potato "fries" are literally fire 🔥#mealprepmonday

A post shared by Workweek Lunch | Talia Koren (@workweeklunch) on Jul 18, 2016 at 4:30pm PDT


Responses from Reddit:

1. “Make sure you’re keeping greens properly to make them last.”

  1. Wash
  2. Wrap in a clean dish towel (or paper towels)
  3. Store in an airtight container in the fridge, usually a freezer bag.
  4. Change out the towel when it gets soaked through, usually once per week.

Easily doubles or triples the shelf life of most leafy greens.


2. “The biggest thing is simply committing to eating a lot of salad during any given week (or whatever else you decided to cook with the greens purchased).”

Once you’ve made the decision to eat 4-6 salads as meals during a week, you’ve won half the battle already.


3. “Stir-fries and curries are fantastic for using (almost) any veggie up. I always make a bunch and store leftovers.”


4. “My go to is to make an egg bake, sort of a healthier crustless quiche.”

You can use up a ton of greens in this & I make it to have for lunch throughout the week. 9×13″ pan, 8 or so eggs, 2 cups cottage cheese, little flour, & shredded cheese if you want. Wilt down a good portion of greens with whatever seasoning you like & saute any other veggies that need to be used up (green onion, tomatoes, mushroom, zucchini, whatever). Stir it all up & bake uncovered 350, 45min or so. Cheap, easy, healthy as you want to make it, and cleans the fridge out!


5. “Boil some broth and potatoes, half-blend it, add greens. Soup.”


6. When my greens get close to going bad I put them in the blender with some orange juice and ginger-blend them up and put them in ice cube trays and freeze them.

Great for green smoothies on the go.


6. I like to make a warm pasta salad.

Cook pasta, drain, chuck in greens while pasta is still hot. They will wilt a bit. Add a pinch of salt and some extra light mayo, or other dressing of your choice. Maybe a few slivers of cheese too 😉


7. I buy giant bags of kale and spinach from Costco, separate them into serving sized plastic bags, and freeze them for smoothies.

It’s convenient and lowers the temperature so you don’t have to add as much ice.


8. You can make pesto with pretty much any type of greens.

Throw them in a blender with whichever nuts you think will go well plus some olive oil, probably some lemon, garlic, parmesan cheese if you have it, etc etc you can play around. sesame oil would probably work great with certain greens, you can add other herbs, etc. This freezes perfectly as well.


9. Put them on a pizza! Surprisingly delicious.


10. Place in bowl.

Devour.


There’s a lot more where this came from. Sign up today to receive ~free~ tips and tricks on meal prep and cooking that anyone can use, even if you don’t know how to use a toaster.




Filed Under: Blog, Meal Prep Pro Tips Tagged With: cooking, easy, eating, greens, healthy, kale, leaves, simple, spinach, vegetables, veggies

Previous Post: « Honey Lime Chicken, Sautéed Asparagus & Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes
Next Post: For The Love Of Meal Prep: Kale Pesto Pizza & Easy Chicken With Veggies »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rita

    July 29, 2016 at 12:33 am

    Talia
    Thanks for all these good ideas. I’m one of those people who never seems to be able to use all the greens before they wilt.

    Reply
  2. Quiet Pursuit

    July 30, 2016 at 5:18 pm

    Whenever I know I’m not going to finish a bag of spinach, I throw it in the freezer. It’s easy to take it out later, grab a couple of handfuls and throw it straight into a hot pan with some garlic or shallots for sauteed greens. It’s also great for adding to a veggie soup.

    Reply
    • workweeklunch

      July 30, 2016 at 5:55 pm

      That’s a great one!

      Reply

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Workweek Lunch | Talia Koren
Instagram post 18034586200225443 Would you eat a chili with beans, lentils, tomatoes and chocolate?! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m obsessed with this one pot, freezer friendly vegan Rocky Mountain lentil chili I made last week and the recipe is coming to the WWL Program TOMORROW! Learn more or sign up today in my bio link.
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👉🏼Couple things: the kidney beans and soyrizo didn’t actually make it into the chili. And it made 3 servings, not 2. I just ate one before snapping the “after” pic. To make this a meat recipe, simply use your favorite ground meat instead of lentils. Done.
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🙏🏼This is a perfect lazy Sunday meal prep recipe that’s super cozy and filling as a lunch or dinner! Can’t wait for you to try it this weekend on the new meal plan.
Instagram post 17988759484286314 Last week’s prep was perfect! Not pictured are some of the servings we ate before I snapped this pic but I ended up with 13 meals from 4 different recipes.
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Deets👇🏼
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🍳Breakfast tortilla bake! The vegetarian version is already available in the WWL Program - vegan version is coming.
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🥗Crunchy spinach apple carrot salad with chicken! Recipe is already in the WWL Program
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🌶Vegan Rocky Mountain Chili - recipe coming to the WWL Program this week
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🍔Spinach feta turkey burgers with lemon dill rice (this was a winner) - recipe is already in the WWL Program!
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👉🏼If you’re not a member of WWL yet, you can join to get access to all of these tested meal prep recipes + 300 existing ones in my bio link!
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✅Reheating: in the microwave as needed
✅Storage: in the fridge until we eat them
✅Calories: don’t know, don’t count, don’t care
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❓Got questions about this prep or meal prep in general? Drop them below!
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🌞Today is our last full day in Mexico and I’m feeling so inspired to cook when I get home tomorrow!! I always look forward to meal prep after a vacation because it helps my body get back in its regular feel-good groove.
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Have an amazing Monday!!
Instagram post 18119875405011786 I don’t count macros or calories! That’s one of many reasons why I don’t include them in my recipes, my program or my IG posts. (All recipes in this pic are featured in the WWL Meal Prep Program and are for members only- sign up in my bio link!)
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👇🏼Other reasons why I don’t include them:
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1️⃣ macros tell us nothing about flavor, taste or satisfaction when it comes to meals. These are factors I’d rather focus on.
2️⃣ counting macros is still a form of dieting! As an intuitive eating advocate with an anti-diet approach to food, counting macros doesn’t align with my mission.
3️⃣ including macros makes us second guess our food decisions instead of listening to our gut/intuition
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8️⃣ even though I don’t count macros I still make sure there are macronutrients in each prep: protein, carbs and veggies as micronutrients. I don’t spend as much time on the fat aspect- but fats are there too if we look close enough. There’s a way to make sure all the macronutrients are present without counting.
9️⃣ my philosophy is... we simply have more important things to worry about in life than macros
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🤘🏼I get this question a lot but haven’t been able to fully explain it. If you do count and it helps you- that’s great. I’m not here to bash you. I’m just explaining my position on this topic - we don’t have to all agree here. As always I welcome discussion in the comments, but remember that there’s no right or wrong here!
Instagram post 18028238254244227 🙅🏻‍♀️Me: I don’t want to travel so much this year
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✈️Also me: *takes 7 plane trips in 2019*
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👈🏼Swipe left to see all my plane food grams! Not sure why, but you guys seem to love them. And yes, ALL of this food got through security (which is different than customs - this food was eaten on the plane not taken into other countries).
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🌏Travel is a big part of my life and it’s one of the reasons I started meal prepping in the first place (to save money to use for trips). When I started prepping, I saved $260/month and all of that went toward travel and savings. It’s why I keep doing it!
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☀️This year I went to California 3 times, Turks and Caicos, Toronto and Israel. And now I’m headed to Cancun with my amazing mom for a few days! Next year? Japan and maybe Spain or the UK with my partner.
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🍌Why do I bring food on the plane? Having food I know I will enjoy makes my travel experience better AND I don’t have to spend so much money at the airport.
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👇🏼Products I travel with:
@stasherbag reusable bags
@gocontigo water bottle
@stojo collapsible cup
Containers vary, but I stick with plastic for plane travel because they’re lighter and won’t break.
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Have an amazing Friday!
Instagram post 17890277281433577 These spinach feta turkey burgers with lemon dill rice were a hit! 💯The recipe for these and the vegan/vegetarian version is in the WWL Program for members as of today!!
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✅If you’re a member, a new meal plan is already waiting for you in your inbox with this recipe in it.
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🍋This recipe is bomb because the flavors compliment each other and it’s made with very simple, easy to find ingredients.
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ℹ️It’s not freezer friendly but it can last in the fridge for up to 4 days. It reheats well in the microwave or on the stove. I have no idea what the calories are because we don’t count here at WWL!
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🤘🏼Can’t wait for you guys to try this one. Have a kickass Thursday!
Instagram post 18076894759154473 We all screw up in the kitchen! Here are just of a few of MANY epic meal prep fails from this year:
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🍕Pizza quesadillas with a side salad - might come back to this. The quesadilla was just sad, not filling or flavorful enough. Side salad and dressing too much work for what it was.
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🍳Hashbrown egg cups - just wasn’t into this greasy mess of a meal at all! Everything about it was weird.
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🤨I think I attempted curry noodles and it all just clumped together. Super ugly meal, terrible texture, will probably try again because I love the flavors.
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🥘Quinoa sausage butternut squash skillet - these flavors go well together but not in skillet form. Was going for a one pot meal but it turned to mush. Might try again!
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🍠Turmeric tofu Thai stir fry. This combination of ingredients literally came to me in a dream 😂 and might try again because I loved it, it just needs a sauce!
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🍔Vegan, GF black bean burgers. Guys I tried these 4 times with no luck. Bland, bad texture, just the wrong ingredient combos. Will definitely come back to it, but needed a break after so many failed trials.
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🥞Not pictured: French toast. I tried sooooo many meal prep French toast recipes but they were all awful. Great in theory, terrible in practice.
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🥦Also not pictured: the epic broccoli soup fail you may have seen on stories 2 weeks ago
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🤘🏼I’m not here to be perfect. If you watch my lives and stories, you know that I screw up often, laugh it off and embrace it. It’s part of cooking. It’s impossible to learn how to cook without screwing up many times. 👉🏼The only way to learn is by DOING. Each “failure” is a lesson. Time and time again, mistakes lead to something awesome if we keep going.
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☺️Can’t wait to see what failures I come up with next year
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✅And if you want access to my meal prep success recipes, you can join the WWL Program in my bio link!! All the recipes that work out (Over 300) end up there for members only.
Instagram post 18078789757183769 Introducing the MVP of the week: this breakfast tortilla egg bake! 😍I had it for breakfast this morning and I can’t wait to eat it again tomorrow and the next day (and the next!).
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👈🏼Swipe left to see what it looks like inside 👀🤤🤤 I added black beans at the last minute
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✅ This breakfast is kind of like lasagna but with tortillas. It can last in the fridge for up to 4 days and in the freezer for 3-6 months (it’s all about how you store it!). I’m reheating it in the microwave, but the stove or oven (or toaster oven) would work just fine!
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🙅🏻‍♀️Dont know what the calories or macros are because I don’t count and don’t encourage counting. We eat food, not numbers!
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🤘🏼Recipe, including the vegan version, will be in the WWL Program this week! To get access to new and existing meal prep recipes, join the WWL Program in my bio link for just $7.99/mo (less than the cost of 2 takeout breakfast sandwiches!!)
Instagram post 18082525816142755 So I’m going to Tulum on Friday. Before I ditched diet culture, I used to try to change my eating habits to “look good” before a vacation or big event where photos will be taken. 😪Now? You couldn’t pay me to restrict food before an event or vacation.
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🙋🏻‍♀️Anyone else do this or used to do this? The focus was never on ENJOYING myself or reducing stress, it was on my looks. I regret doing that to myself in my teens and early 20’s when I could have been in the moment.
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🌮How I look or feel in a bikini won’t make or break my trip to Tulum. It’s going to be AMAZING regardless of my cellulite, belly rolls and all. I seriously can’t wait to eat all the tacos and get out of the cold!!
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🍕RECIPE for the pizza enchiladas (bottom left) is in the WWL Program for members only- learn more in my bio link!
Instagram post 17994246034301484 Throwing it back to this prep from January... how is 2019 almost over?!
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🤘🏼All recipes for the meals you see here are in the WWL Meal Prep Program! If you’re not a member yet, you can sign up for $7.99/month to get access to all of these recipes AND my entire archive (over 300 meal prep recipes), plus get weekly meal plans with grocery lists and more. 👆🏼Learn more in my bio link!
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Meals in this prep:
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🍓Breakfast (just for me): baked oatmeal cups 3 ways! Strawberry, banana chocolate chip and apple walnut. I got 6 breakfasts total from this- only 3 are pictured.
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🌶Meal option 1: General Tso’s chicken and tofu with rice and mixed veggies
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🥕Meal option 2: carrot ginger soup with curried tofu (vegan, GF)
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🍔Meal option 3: salmon sweet potato burgers with green beans
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🥬Meal option 4: spinach Alfredo pasta bake with mushrooms/chicken
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👉🏼All of these meals can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Some are freezer friendly. I reheat them in the microwave but they can also be reheated on the stove/oven depending on the meal. I don’t count calories and I have no idea what the macros/calories are!
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❓Got questions about this prep? Drop them in the comments. Hope this gives you some inspiration to get it done this week!
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About Workweek Lunch

Hey! I'm Talia Koren, founder of Workweek Lunch. Here are the basics: I'm 27, I live in Queens, NY with my boyfriend and I've been meal prepping vegan, vegetarian, pescetarian and ...

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