Healthy Greens

I used to think that having lettuce daily counted as getting my "greens," then I progressed to eating Romaine lettuce, which is still not my favorite. But, thanks to a friend who is a much healthier eater than I am, I am now realizing that most of us just don't eat enough greens, plain and simple. Oh, I eat spinach now and then, but collard greens or kale or some such - no thanks! So, I have set about to find ways to incorporate this life-giving food into our family's diet, while still being able to enjoy our dinner!

This was my first attempt, and we tried it two different ways, really enjoying it both times. My friend informed me that greens are best cooked for a LONG time, so I decided to put them in a crockpot.

First, I chopped some onions and put them in the crockpot on high to cook a little while I prepared the rest of the ingredients. I added some healthy meat (you pretty much need it for flavor). I put in one whole steak once, which I cut into little pieces after cooking, and I diced one package of turkey bacon the other time. Both were great. Then I washed the greens and sliced and diced them. I chopped LOTS of tomatoes and put everything in the crockpot up to about 1 inch from the top. Then I covered it with water (you could add bouillon and/or s/p, if you want) and cooked on low all day. About 3 hours before serving, I added 2 cups uncooked brown rice, real quick. Rice only takes about 3 hours in the crockpot, so add it later. This particular crockpot is 6 quarts. I made this up, so the ingredients are very flexible. My friend did tell me that onions and tomatoes are a must with greens, so keep that in mind. I made mine slightly soupy.