Well, one of my mom's and my resolutions for the year is to eat more vegetables.
And that's deceivingly hard.
Now fruit, I could eat that all day! I love fruit like nobody's business. But veggies.... eh....
So I came up with a little chart, (mainly for my mom and me, seeing as it's our challenge) but I figured it could help anyone else out there that's trying to add more vitamins and health to their life.
Mine's printed out in my recipe book, so when I go to plan meals I remind myself to add them in. AND! I split it up into sections to show you some of the easiest ways to get yo' greens.
(Does saying that in slang make it cooler? Yeah, probably not.)
How to add VEGGIES to your diet
Just the Basics:
1.
Serve vegetables
at every dinner.
No, I’m serious. I know it sounds
hard, but that’s what you’re reading this for, isn’t it? Try some good carrot sticks or cucumber slices. They’re healthy and satisfying. Make it a practice: a plate of veggies on the
table. No matter what.
2.
Grill your veggies. Peppers, zucchini, asparagus, eggplant, even
tomatoes! Coat them with olive oil and
throw them on. Turn every few minutes and remove when they start to soften. Or
skewer chunks and turn frequently.
3.
Roast them. An easy side dish that will last as long as
any other left over. Make up a big batch
and throw it in with your meals all week!
4.
Eat them like
fruit.
Half a cucumber, celery, a fresh carrot; they all work like apples.
In Soups, Salads,
and Casseroles:
1.
Shredded carrots
and cabbage add color, flavor, and lots of vitamins.
2.
Open a can of soup
and add a bag of precut broccoli and carrots (fresh or frozen) and Bam! Fast and easy meal! As the soup simmers, it cooks the veggies
with it.
Sandwiches and
Entrees:
1.
Build a sandwich
with more veggies than meat. Try this rule: the meat should be stacked no
higher than the thickness of a standard piece of bread. Then, pile on the slices of lettuce, tomato,
etc.
2.
Load up your pizza. Do your body a favor and add on the
multitude of veggies your pizza joint offers.
3.
Add some more
veggies to that pasta sauce. Seriously, most every kind will go good in
there.
Other Tips and
Tricks:
1.
Use salsa liberally. Add chopped up yellow squash and zucchini to
store-bought salsa. Then, put it on
everything!
2.
Try a veggie meal. Once a week make a meal vegetarian. You’ll be surprised how easy this can be.
3.
Move your veggies
to the top shelf.
I’m a big believer in “out sight, out of mind.” If they’re bagged properly, they will last
just as long on that shelf as in the crisper.
4.
Try this golden
rule: half your dinner plate should be
vegetables.
Hope this inspires you! Let me know if you have any more tips!
