Vegetables. We all know they’re healthy but the vast majority of us struggle to get in our 3 servings of vegetables per day. A report from Time Magazine stated that only 9.3% of Americans are meeting the standard for eating vegetables. Sounds crazy, right? How hard can it be to get in 3 servings of vegetables? Well, think about it. Do you know what counts as a serving of vegetables? According to the US Department of Agriculture, you need to consumer 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables, or 2 cups of raw, leafy greens. They do consider 1 cup of vegetable juice as 1 serving too but it’s preferable to eat your vegetables whole to benefit from the fiber.
Given this evident need for us to get more veggies into our lives, read on to get 10 easy ways to add more veggies into your life. And to integrate them into your lifestyle so you never dip below the recommended standard again!
10 Easy Ways to Add More Veggies Into Your Diet
1. Spiralize “weird” vegetables
My absolute favorite way to get in “weird” vegetables that I normally wouldn’t eat is to spiralize them! I don’t think I ever would’ve tried foods like rutabaga, celery root or kohlrabi if it hadn’t been for Inspiralized – Ali Maffucci’s incredible cookbook.
Be sure to try the Sesame Almond Butter Kohlrabi Bowl and the Pork Bibimbap with Ginger Gochugaru. So yummy!
2. Throw spinach into your morning smoothie
I refuse to add zucchini or cauliflower to my smoothies but spinach is one vegetable I can get behind. It’s a really mild vegetable overall and it works really well in smoothies because it doesn’t add any flavor. It will get completely masked by whatever else you add in – trust me!
Try out my Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie Bowl or my Matcha Green Smoothie. Both featuring spinach!
3. Grate zucchini into your next batch of banana bread
Zucchini works surprisingly well in warm sweet and savory foods such as oatmeal, breads or ice-cream. I remember visiting a Salt & Straw location and they had this incredible zucchini bread ice-cream. Heaven.
I digress – you should definitely check out the following recipe and add some grated zucchini into your next batch of banana bread!
4. Rice cauliflower and make delicious cauliflower “fried rice”
Cauliflower is the most versatile vegetable on earth. IT’S SO VERSATILE, I can’t get over it. A particular fave recipe of mine is my Kitchen Sink Cauliflower Fried Rice. I dare you not to fall in love with it – it has classic Asian flavors and is a perfect meal prep recipe.
5. Substitute eggplant slices for lasagna noodles
Mmm, eggplant slices do a really good job in place of lasagna noodles. They soften up considerably and have a mild yet slightly nutty-ish taste. Try slicing up eggplant, baking it in your oven at 400 degrees farenheit for 20-minutes, and using them as “lasagna” noodles the next time you make it. I also must inform you of Healthy with Nedi’s delicious eggplant moussaka recipe. It’s in her e-book (which is a collaboration with Tanya Zuckerbrot of F-Factor).
6. Shred cabbage and spiralize carrots to make a tasty vegetarian cabbage “Pad Thai”
I came across this Vegetarian Cabbage Pad Thai recipe recently during a search of F-Factor approved foods. I was actually extremely surprised at how delicious it was. Being Half-Thai, I am a little snooty when coming across lightened up Thai noodle dishes. It’s just not the same without noodles….so I thought. Give the recipe above a whirl and let me know what you think!
7. Slice up acorn squash and roast it for a tasty side veggie
I have no idea why acorn squash doesn’t get the love I think it deserves. It’s a great vegetable to have during the winter, when it’s in season, and roasts really well. I usually slice an acorn squash thinly, coat the slices in olive oil, sprinkle salt and crack black pepper over them, and then roast it in the oven at 400 degrees farenheit for 20-25 minutes, or when soft. It’s so creamy and delicious!
8. Blend up broccoli with tofu to create a rich, creamy soup
I’ve read about adding in tofu to soup throughout the years but I’ve traditionally ignored this advice. Silly old me! It’s actually a fabulous trick and really does make your soup much richer, and creamier, as well as adding in boatloads of protein. I really like making a creamy broccoli soup and adding in tofu to get that cream without, well, real cream!
9. Substitute your normal burger buns for butter lettuce buns
Another easy, peasy substitute. Simply refrain from grabbing burger buns the next time you go grocery shopping and grab butter, or bibb, lettuce instead. If you’re worried about using a whole head of lettuce before it goes bad, try and find those “living” lettuces where the roots are still attached. I bought one of those and it stayed fresh for a week and a half. Which is pretty impressive, all things considered.
P.S. You can also use a lettuce leaf in place of a tortilla to make a lower carb taco.
10. Buy a delicious cauliflower frozen pizza. Yes. Cauliflower again!
Cauliflower.is.so.versatile. Did I mention that? Not only can it be riced (and mashed, and roasted, and even turned into gnocchi), it can be made into a tasty and satisfying pizza base. What the heck, right? One of my favorite frozen cauliflower pizzas is from a company called “Caulipower.” They’re a good in-between as far as cauliflower pizzas go. Not too carb-y (the Trader Joe’s one has a pretty high amount of carbs) or so low in carbs that it burns everytime you cook it…you’ll know which one I mean after a quick Google search 🙂
Anyway, you can just buy a frozen cauliflower pizza, throw it in the oven and then add prosciutto or a fried egg(s) on top for an easy, delicious and veggie filled meal. Yum!
Have I significantly changed your life?! Haha, I am kidding…but if you have found this post helpful, please, please let me know in the comments below. Or better yet, snap a pic of this post and tag me in Instagram stories. You’ll make my day if you do that 🙂
Honestly yours,
Alice
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