Every week at the market I buy at least a couple of bunches of kale. To make it super-duper easy to add into any (and sometimes every) meal, my personal time saving trick is to massage the kale as soon as I get home from the market.

To do this, all you need is a large bowl and a little bit of oil. I’ve used avocado here, but use your favorite. Strip the kale greens from their stems (reserve the stems to add to stock or thinly slice and add to stir fry, scrambled eggs, etc.). Tear the leaves into roughly bite-sized pieces. Drizzle lightly with oil and massage between your hands, similarly to what you would do when making sauerkraut. When the greens have wilted and reduced by half, they’re ready to go. I massage enough kale for several meals and keep it ready in the refrigerator.

Massaging kale makes it easier to digest without cooking which means that it has an improved bioavailability, and also means that it’s ready to throw into a meal at any time. Here’s how I used up my stash this week:

Meal #1: Scrambled eggs. I sauteed some kale stems and leaves in a little bit of butter and then poured over a couple of beaten eggs for a quick breakfast that’s energizing.

Meals #2, 3, 4: Salad to go with lunch–I drizzled some lemon juice over the kale and added a handful of whatever nuts, seeds and dried fruit I felt like using each day, then added some cooked chicken or beef for protein.

Meal #5: I stir fried some kale with brown rice and soy sauce. When it was pretty much perfect, I cracked an egg into the pan and cooked, stirring constantly. Voila, kale fried rice.

Meal #6: This pesto (made with Cumberland cheese instead of Parmesan) that I served over pasta after thinning it slightly with some of the pasta water.

Meal #7: Kale scrambled eggs again.

How do you like to build greens into your weekly meals?