“Eat Your Vegetables! They’re Good for You.”

We’ve all heard it before… “Eat your vegetables! They’re good for you.”

Fruits & vegetables contribute important nutrients for the human body. They lower the risk of developing chronic diseases and help with weight management.

Scary fact: Less than 30% of us – 7 out of 10 Americans – are failing to meet the recommended 5 a day.

I know that growing up we definitely did not have vegetables at every meal. Usually, just one meal a day had a vegetable and it was either corn, green beans or a frozen bag of mixed veggies. My mom didn’t know how to cook veggies so the easier the vegetable was to make the better.

Since I’ve moved out, got married, went through a detox and lost 35 lbs I have been on a mission to live a healthy life and help my husband eat healthy. I still find that I really need to think about eating my vegetables. I try to eat veggies at every meal, but it’s not always that easy.

So, I’ve put together a few tips that have helped me to fit more veggies into our diets (or tips that I want to start adding):

1. Smoothies – This is one of the easiest ways to squeeze in more veggies like spinach, chard, or kale without tasting them. I tend to get tired of smoothies all the time, especially in the winter. So this is a simple way to eat more veggies, but if you get tired of smoothies you will need more options.

2. Add greens to spaghetti sauce – I love adding some chopped spinach to spaghetti sauce. You don’t even taste it! We don’t eat spaghetti very often, but when we do this is a simple tip.

3. Omelets – Adding all kinds of veggies to your omelets is super simple and you can change it up often to get a variety of different flavors. Add mushrooms, spinach, kale, red peppers, onions, carrots, zucchini, etc. I love to make scrambled eggs with veggies on top of a bed of chopped kale. Yum!

4. Adding to Baked Goods – I haven’t actually tried this one yet, but adding veggies into your baked goods is actually a great idea! Wait a minute!! 🙂 I have tried this once…I made yummy Chocolate Avocado Cookies and they were so yummy! Everyone that tried them couldn’t believe that there was avocado in them. I would like to try some grain-free muffins with carrots and zucchini.

5. Kale Chips – Making kale chips is super easy and they make a nice salty and crunchy snack.

6. Roasting Veggies – This is one I practice multiple times a week. I throw a combination of the following: broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, mushrooms, onions, brussel sprouts, carrots into a ziplock baggie, pour some olive oil, sprinkle with a little garlic salt, turmeric, italian seasoning and black pepper and roast for 25 minutes. These are a yummy side dish and reheat the next day very well. I love to make a single serve pizza for lunch the next day with an Ezekiel Flour Tortilla, pizza sauce, roasted veggies and top with a little feta or organic mozzarella cheese and bake for about 10 minutes.

7. Veggie Fries – Instead of eating regular French Fries, try veggie fries like carrot fries, zucchini fries or I loved making Acorn Squash Fries! So yummy!

8. Cauliflower is super versatile – You can make mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes. Cauliflower “steaks” instead of beef steaks. Or my favorite way to use cauliflower is in this yummy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites recipe. These are a great replacement for traditional buffalo wings.

So, those are some tips to get more veggies into your diet. What are your tips? I’m always looking for new ways to add veggies so please share!

XO,

Carrie A Groff
-Healthy, Fit & Barefoot!
“Happiness is Barefoot on the Beach”