8 Easy Ways to Add More Fruits and Veggies to Your Day
Okay, so maybe you already know all the goodness that veggies hold. I mean, all those different yummy flavors and stuff our bodies crave like vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients – what’s not to love? Here are 8 tips for packing more produce into your day.
1. Sneak ’em in
Did you know that eating more vegetables can make us happier? Feel your best by piling on the veggies. Get your faves fresh or frozen and toss them into any stir fry, casserole, or a pasta dish. Broccoli mac ’n’ cheese is a hit! Speaking of broccoli, a cup of chopped and boiled broccoli is a good plant source of calcium and has the full daily requirement of vitamin K, so it’s great for our bones too.
2. Veggie snacks
Slice up your favorite veggies and serve with a side of ranch or hummus. Have a thing for avocados? Crunch away some stress with celery and carrot sticks in an easy avocado dip. Scoop out that avo into a bowl, mash it with a fork, add a few dollops of unsweetened coconut yogurt and salt to taste perfection. Stir it all up for a dreamy snack! Or, add in lime juice, salsa, and a few pinches of salt for some veggie-dipping guacamole goodness.
3. Smoothies
Enjoy a refreshing nutrient boost to go! Fruit smoothies, green smoothies, and green fruit smoothies – what you blend into your hump day smoothie is only limited by your imagination. Fresh or frozen fruits, coconut water, spinach, hemp seeds, and unsweetened yogurt can get you started, but the options are limitless.
4. Side salad
Add a side salad to your dinner meal. Keep it simple by using bagged lettuce or salad if you want. Any salad dressing will do just fine. Here’s another fun salad dressing idea, if you have a few extra seconds to spare. Squeeze half a lemon into a mashed avocado, sprinkle with salt, and stir it up. Add dollops to your side salad and enjoy.
5. Grab & go fruits
Fresh apples, bananas, grapes, oranges, dried fruit, and avocados (grab a spoon and salt packet) make easy grab-n-go fruits that are perfect for snack time.
6. Microwave madness
Canned green beans, frozen peas, baby carrots, cauliflower and chopped broccoli are a few microwave faves; simply add salt and butter to taste. You can also just heat them in a pan with a little bit of water and they’ll be done in no time. So easy!
7. Sandwich or burger toppings
Lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, onions, pickles, olives, and cucumbers can liven up a drab sandwich. How many can YOUR sandwich hold?
8. Veggie-topped pizza
Go ahead, load up that pizza with your favorite veggies! You can even make it a work of art with thoughtfully placed colors (pizza with a smile?). Think red pepper slices, mushrooms, arugula, red onion slivers, fancy olives, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes.
Meet with a UCAN Health Coach for more ideas or to strategize meal planning and grocery shopping tips to make it happen.