A friend and I were recently talking about how difficult in can be to eat enough fruits and vegetables throughout the day. I’m sure we all know the daily recommendations and what we should be eating, but honestly actually implementing it can be hard. I began thinking about easy ways to incorporate them into the day to day and the things that have worked best for our family over the years. I feel like fruits are easy to incorporate because many of us like a variety of them. Vegetables on the other hand can be tricky and is the area many of us tend to struggle with.
I thought I would share what has worked for us with making vegetables a priority and things to consider if it is something you are working on personally.
I would love to know anything that works for you or your family!
1.Incorporate A Serving Into Each Meal
Try to get a vegetable into every single meal. If you can find a way to do this, you are automatically eating three servings each day. Be creative with the ways you get them. For example instead of just scrambled eggs you could do an egg scramble with a cup of chopped veggies. Instead of a burger on a bun, you could create a burger bowl with your favorite lettuce. Instead of a sandwich you could do a lettuce wrap. There are so many options and ways to think outside the box! Once you start adding a vegetable with each meal, it will truly just become your “norm” and the way you create/plan your meals!
2.Play With Salad Combos
Salads are such a great and easy way to get most (if not all) of your vegetables for the day! I feel like we have the misconception of salads and how monotonous and boring they are. However, there are so many ways to create different, tasty, and filling salads! Once again you may have to think outside of the box and be creative with your combinations. Also, chopping up your lettuce of choice is a game changer with any salad.
3.Consider Smoothies
Smoothies is another great way to not only get a serving or two of vegetables but also fruit. You basically can throw anything and everything into a smoothie, which I absolutely love. A cup of spinach can be thrown into any smoothie with fruit and the taste is completely masked. Also throwing in a greens powder is another great way to get a full serving! We love them as an easy way to get a ton of nutrients!
Amazon: Favorite Greens Powder
4.Try Out Substitutions
There are so many amazing substitutions to use with meals that are veggie based. From zucchini noodles, to spaghetti squash, to riced cauliflower…the options are endless. You can create almost any meal with more veggies or create it to be veggie based if you want!
5.Plan Your Meals/Grocery List
Planning your meals or weekly groceries will help so much with recognizing what you are eating and consuming in a week. Be intentional with your meals and grocery list. Take the time to plan for the week. It may take a little time, but it is worth it!
What are some ways you incorporate your veggies? Do you plan out your meals for the week?
Blessings,
Jac
The Bridwells 