Ways to Eat More Veggies

I think it’s safe to say that everyone knows they should be eating vegetables, however, knowing and doing are two completely different things. I think most of us are not eating enough vegetables on a daily basis. Sure, everyone can make sure to add a side salad or side dish of vegetables with dinner, but that’s only 1 serving (½-1 cups worth). According to choosemyplate.gov (the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy & Promotion), people should be eating between 2-3 cups of vegetables a day. On most days, in order to ensure that I get my daily vegetables, I make an enormous salad for either lunch or dinner with a variety of different vegetables in it.
There are so many different types of vegetables out there - all offering different nutritional benefits - and so many ways to cook them. For those who say “I don’t like vegetables”, maybe you haven’t tried that many different types or only had them raw or steamed. I highly encourage you to try them again or something new!
Here are a couple options of ways you can incorporate more vegetables into your diet throughout the day.
For breakfast:
Make a fruit smoothie for breakfast and throw in a handful of leafy greens. You won’t even taste the greens when everything is blended together.
Make an omelet or egg muffins with loads of veggies. My favorite is spinach and tomatoes, but you can add mushrooms, peppers, onions (Here is a recipe for the egg muffins. You can add any veggie or meat/cheese that you want: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/228091/paleo-omelet-muffins/
Here is a website that boasts that they have 34 healthy breakfast recipes: http://greatist.com/eat/healthy-breakfast-recipes-with-vegetables
For snack:
Incorporate vegetables as your snack throughout the day. If you don’t want to eat them plain, you can try dipping carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, squash or celery in hummus. Or dipping raw veggies in a nut butter giving you protein, as well.
For lunch or dinner:
Add shredded zucchini or carrots to a variety of meals. I always add shredded zucchini to my meatloaf and pasta sauce. You can’t even taste it (which my husband likes) but you get the benefit of eating it! Here is a recipe I’ve tried that includes carrots and zucchini: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/240747/mommas-healthy-meatloaf/?internalSource=search%20result&referringContentType=search%20results
For lunch and dinner, the options are endless. They can be as a side dish, you can have a salad,or incorporate them into your meal. Here’s a website that offers 14 vegetarian recipes. You can always add meat to them. http://www.rd.com/food/recipes-cooking/vegetarian-dinner-recipes/
Please send me an email and share your favorite way to incorporate vegetables!