I have to be honest with my eating habits. Prior to pregnancy, I never paid that much attention to food. I eat whatever I want, whenever I want it. It was easy to lose weight back then and get back on the fitness track whenever I want to, so I never worried that much about what goes inside my body.
Of course, things changes when I gave birth, especially after my second child. I blame it on age, but it was quite a challenge to lose weight. My husband also had a blood pressure issue and was advised by the doctor to change diet.
One of our moves towards healthy living is adding more greens in our diet. I’ve been checking the many health benefits of leafy greens and here’s what I found out:
- Excellent sources of fiber
- Helps us stay young, thanks to their vitamin K content
- Rich in other vitamins and minerals like calcium, folate, and iron
- Acts as antioxidants, which helps remove free radicals inside our body
- Lowers cholesterol level
Since then, I made it a point to buy leafy greens in the grocery, with romaine lettuce as a personal favorite. If you check out my Instagram or the hashthag #TMCHealthyEats, I share our salad stories that helps us keep track of our health.
What I like about eating greens, especially in the morning, is that it keeps me full and minimizes food cravings. When I am too lazy to cook, salad will be my instant tummy filler. Salads are easy to prepare too, since I tend to toss some leftovers, fruits, nuts, and olive oil in it. I sometimes add Parmesan cheese or basil leaves.
Here are some salad ideas you can try:
Honey lemon chicken, sliced apples, grapes, sunflower seeds drizzled with olive oil 
Boiled chicken seasoned with salt and pepper, walnuts, and Parmesan cheese 
Shredded pork tenderloin, apples, and kesong puti with olive oil 
Boiled chicken seasoned with salt and pepper, orange, and olive oil 
Here’s the problem: leafy greens tend to wilt in just a few days. Since I do my grocery shopping once a week, I need to make sure that the greens will remain fresh and crisp without putting any “chemicals” in it. I hate spoilage and throwing food as well. 
Here’s what I do to keep them fresh and crisp:
- Wash the leafy greens.
- Soak them in water and a spoonful of salt for five to 10 minutes.
- Drain the leafy greens, pat them dry, and place them in a container, although an airtight container is much preferable. You can also cut the leafy greens already, to save you preparation time in the future.
- Place a tissue inside the container. This will help absorb the moisture from the greens, hence making them fresh for days.
I’ve been doing this for months already and I can attest how long it kept the greens for days. It could even go for a week (or longer!) and it remains the same.
How about you, mommas? Do you love salads too? Share your recipes and let’s learn from each other!
Ayi is a stay-at-home mom of two. When her kids are in their best state, she keeps up with chores, work, and ensuring that her sanity is intact. Join her as she navigates through this rollercoaster ride called motherhood.
Wow! The recipes look fairly easy to whip up! I must give it a try soon because it’s also on the top of my bucket list to lose weight! Haha…thanks for sharing!
This is really interesting, never knew about this! Thank you very much for sharing! 🙂
I’m a salad lover! I’d buy tons of veggies when we go to Baguio only to be disappointed when the leafies turns black. Thanks for aharing this tips!
Nice tip! I’m definitely going to try this out at home. Hope you can also share your salad recipes. Hubby and I also need to eat more salads.
Hi Janice 🙂
I shared a few salad recipes on the post, which are easy to do and prepare 🙂 Tama, healthy living dapat, especially now that we are getting older 🙂
Thanks for sharing this. I will definitely follow the steps to prolong the crisp of the greens. This has been a problem of mine. Nabubulok agad yung leaves. Thank you thank you!
You’re welcome 🙂
This is very timely for me as hubby wanted to go on a diet and says he would eat salad na lang for dinner. Thanks for sharing!
Keeping greens fresh has always been a problem in our household! Taking note of this!
Hmm pwede pala yun! Thanks so much for the tip. I am discouraged to keep greens kasi I don’t like it pag ndi na crispy ngayon pwede na hihi!:)
That is my problem with veggies too; they tend to wilt so quickly! And they’re not even cheap haha. Thank you so much for the tip!
I know! I usually get the organic, which is much more expensive pa. Been doing this for months and so far, it didn’t fail me :)) You’re welcome!
Good tip! We don’t consume our greens fast enough and when left in the plastic, they do tend to wilt. I’ll give this a try. 🙂
This is what I do! When I bought different kinds of lettuce in Baguio, I did this and it lasted for weeks! 🙂
Effective dba? 🙂 At least hindi sayang sa money 🙂
Thanks for the tips! I had to throw out lettuce a day after buying because it got soggy.