This week my box included spinach and swiss chard, and I love them both! If you've never had swiss chard (aka green chard) before, it is a large dark leafy green vegetable with ribbed leaves. It can have a white, red, or yellow stem too. These vegetables are very low in Calories yet packed with vitamins and minerals. Our bodies can use many of the nutrients both spinach and chard are loaded with such as:

Potassium
Vitamin A
Vitamin E (chard)
Vitamin K

Whenever I bring home leafy vegetables, I like to wash them right away with cold water in my salad spinner. If I have big chard leaves, I usually cut them up first, and then wash them. I leave smaller leaves whole. Mix the greens around in the water, and then let them stand for about 5 minutes, to let any sand or dirt sink to the bottom. Then I spin dry and store in the fridge in the spinner, or I'll cook them right away so I can snack on them later.

If you're short on ingredients or just prefer a more basic method, you can never go wrong with sauteing the greens with a bit of olive oil, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Heat up a pan with a bit of oil, and gently cook the garlic so it does not burn
Then add the raw greens as they are–no need to boil first
Add a cover, and the water in the leaves will steam and cook them
Season with salt and pepper
Mangia!

Marina Bedrossian is a Northport, NY dietitian nutritionist who helps people with holistic nutrition solutions and food sensitivities. Visit this page to schedule an appointment and don’t forget to join the private Facebook group “Ingredients For Healthy Families” more information here.