We all know we should eat more vegetables, but actually
pulling that off can be challenging if it isn’t part of our normal routine.
Here are 8 simple ideas to help boost your veggie intake for good!
1. Keep Produce Visible
Out of sight, out of mind. Keep vegetables that store well at room temperature in an easily visible cool corner of your kitchen or pantry so you think about using them more. A big basket of fruit is also a great addition and helps curb unhealthy snack choices.
2. Prep Veggies Ahead of Time
Prep your veggies ahead of time so that it’s simple to grab and go on busy week nights. Carrots, onions and celery make a basic mirepoix mix that is an easy base for tons of recipes. Chop up a bunch of it ahead of time to speed up your workflow.
3. Keep Snacking Veggies Visible
Get your snacking satisfied with vegetables instead of cheap carbs! A few cucumber slices and some hummus make a great pre-dinner snack. Keep your carrots and celery sticks in a container of cold water for crisp fresh snacks.
Tip: Place vegetables in clear containers on your most viewed shelf of your fridge so you will be more likely to reach for them when you open the fridge.
4. Keep Lettuce Ready to Go
Store salad in your spinner. I love my salad spinner for whipping up a quick dinner salad but it’s also got a secret talent! It creates the perfect storage environment for salads and herbs! Leave about ¬º of an inch of water in the bottom of it after thoroughly spinning and patting your salad or herbs dry and it will drastically extend the life of your salad. Don’t pack the greens in there too tightly, we want to keep some airflow between the leaves. Fluff it up to help this too.
5. Drink It Up! Blend Your Veggies into Your Morning Smoothie
Green smoothies are essential to us getting through our veggies each week. Not only do they easily sneak in 3-5 servings of vegetables to my kids, they also use up leftover bits of veggies from the week. Greens, arugula, broccoli, kale, carrots and so much more can be easily blended up to make a perfect easy breakfast or snack. A good high-quality blender is essential for getting that perfect creamy smoothie texture.
6. Roast Them with Honey
If you or kiddos you know turn your nose up at a vegetable try my secret fail safe technique. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, lightly drizzle the veggies with olive oil and honey and season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast until the vegetable is tender and caramelizing.
7. Swap Bread for Lettuce or Collards
This is my fail safe backup for keeping my weight under control and my veggie intake up. Tacos and sandwiches can all be swapped to a lettuce cup or a collard wrap! Less calories and extra vitamins make this a perfect choice!
8. Plant a window herb garden.
Adding fresh herbs to cooking vegetables is an easy way to add more interest and flavor. But they can be expensive for the fact that they perish very quickly. Growing a simple window herb garden is an easy and inexpensive way to banish boring vegetable side dishes for good.
