Getting More Veggies
Sometimes it can be tough to get enough vegetables in for the day. What if there are some fun, fast, and enjoyable ways to get more in your diet? I have found a few solutions to help you get out of your rut to overcome this never ending battle. If you are like me, you are always busy, and just don’t seem to have enough time in the day to make this work. Here is a list to hopefully help with the problem! Enjoy!
Keep them on hand and shop by season:
Be sure to plan a grocery shopping day and list to ensure adequate vegetable consumption throughout the week. You can also shop by season of the vegetable ( i.e. pumpkin, acorn squash, butternut in fall)
Prepare ahead of time:
Anyway that you can prep veggies for when you will cook them will help with convenience.Chop carrots, cucumber, and peppers for a quick raw snack
Prep a salad or soup at the beginning of the week that will last.
Sautée mushrooms and onions to freeze for later use.
Replace your pasta with veggies:
You can purchase a zoodler or carrot spiralizer ( the link is below) to use for zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, beets, and sweet pots. You can also opt for spaghetti squash to replace noodles. After you have achieved your noodle type you can then make a homemade sauce to compliment it like marinara or a pesto, add protein, and you have a perfect dinner combo!
Add into a green smoothie:
Add in spinach, kale, swiss chard, and many more to your typical smoothie or protein shake a day to reap the benefits. This can also be achieved by using left over salad mixes, kale, or spinach by blending them and putting them in ice cube trays,freezing them, and then adding to your smoothie.
Snack on them throughout the day:
Make a snack of raw veggies with hummus, guac, or greek yogurt dip , or in a soup or mini quiches…the list goes on and on so get creative! You can also make veggie chips by using a mandolin slicer ( link listed below) to ensure veggies are sliced thin enough to bake to perfection.
TechCulinary V-Blade Stainless Steel Mandoline Slicer with 6 Different Inserts – Black
Make a meal plan:
One of the best ways to ensure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need in your diet is to make a meal plan incorporating different veggies through out the day of different colors. One veggie is not the same as another for example a tomato has a great amount of vitamin C and A where as spinach has more vitamin K and folate. The sky is the limit on getting all types of vitamins and minerals so get to shopping!
Track your veggies:
Make yourself a veggie tracker to use to your advantage to be sure you are eating about 7-10 veggies a day! This tracker can have a variety of veggies that you have bought on your grocery list and you mark each one off as you use it that way you have completely used them all.
Everyone get to slicing and dicing and reap the benefits of convent ways to get all your veggies in! Have a wonderful day!
Healthfully Yours,
Krystal Goodman
