Reduce your trips to the supermarket, eat better, feel better, and save money, all at the same time?
By Jamie Creskey
Yes, having an unlimited production of greens in your own home can help you eat healthier, and dramatically reduce the number of trips to the grocery store.
Here's a a key point about micro greens that is not widely known: They can provide all the micro nutrients that your body needs, even if you don't have access to fresh vegetables. In fact, micro greens contain up to 50x the micro nutrients of mature vegetables.
By combining the fresh greens you grow at home, along with storage and freezer items, you can save money, eat healthier and largely skip the produce isle.
Tips
• A big serving of greens, mixed with high-quality, unprocessed proteins will give you tons of energy, and leave you feeling great.
• Mix up your protein selections throughout the week to keep it interesting.
• A large amount of greens will provide enough bulk and fiber so that you feel full, even without a lot of carbs.
• I like to have chick peas with every meal. Chick peas are a fantastic source of protein, along with fiber, vitamins and minerals, and taste great.
How to grow enough fresh salads for every day of the week
1) Grow 3 trays at a time of greens to ensure that you have enough for every meal of the week. Grow a combination of the fastest growing and most productive micro greens, along with slower growing but tasty crops such as lettuce, kale and fresh herbs.
2) Start by growing mostly micro greens, and then gradually add leafy greens.
3) Begin harvesting your greens before they are fully mature, which will help to spread the greens production out throughout the week, without having to refrigerate.
Dried chick peas taste much better than their canned counterparts, take up less space in the pantry, and cost significantly less. But if you don't cook them properly, you very likely will cause some gassy emissions, not ideal when sheltering! To avoid the gas, soak cook and rinse them thoroughly:
How to prepare dried chick peas
1) Soak dried chick peas for at least 12 hours in water, draining the water several times.
2) Bring to a boil, and then simmer until soft, which takes about half an hour to 45 minutes.
3) Drain and rinse several times, then place into freezer bags and put in freezer.