20 Ways To Eat More Vegetables!

If you're looking to down more veggies, it's time to roll up your sleeves and get creative in the kitchen. An innovative presentation technique or a simple, tasty sauce may be all it takes to turn bland, boring vegetables into tasty, tempting fare. Here are twenty freshways to inject more produce into every meal of the day.

At Breakfast...

1. Enjoy whole grain toast topped with reduced fat cream cheese and thinly sliced tomato and cucumber.
2. Scramble eggs with chopped mushrooms, onions, spinach or bell peppers.
3. Bake zucchini or carrot muffins, and use at least half whole-wheat flour to bump up the fiber. Store half the batch in the freezer as a breakfast back-up plan for hectic mornings.
4. Swap your morning glass of OJ for freshly made vegetable juice. Carrot and beet juice are both sweet, refreshing options.

At Lunch...

1. Prepare a cold pasta salad made with whole grain penne, finely chopped veggies (like carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, and pea pods), and reduced-fat cheese tossed with a splash of vinaigrette dressing. Add in a handful of chickpeas or black beans for protein.
2. Make pureed soups, like broccoli or cauliflower, by boiling veggies with low-sodium chicken broth and seasonings, and then pureeing the cooked veggies in a blender (or use animmersion blender).
3. Instead of mustard or mayo, spread sandwiches with mashed avocado or hummus. They both have a mild flavor and supply an extra boost of nutrition, as well as heart-healthy fats.
4. Top a baked potato with chopped broccoli, marinara sauce, and reduced-fat cheddar cheese.
5. Snack on edamame (green soybeans) in the pod lightly sprinkled with coarse salt. 
6. Make whole-wheat pita pizzas with veggie toppings. Try choppedbroccoli, bell pepper, mushrooms, spinach, or onions.
7. Eat cottage cheese with bell pepper scoops instead of a spoon.
8. Enjoy a bowl of hearty, low-sodium soup like black bean, minestrone, or lentil, and bulk it up with even more veggies. Pour in frozen vegetables straight from the bag before heating the soup, or add a handful of spinach leaves to the hot soup before eating.

At Dinner...

1. Add grated or finely chopped vegetables (carrot, zucchini, sundried tomatoes, spinach, bell peppers) to meatloaf, meatballs, or burgers.
2. Serve tacos with loads of veggie toppers: chopped dark green lettuce, tomato,onion, corn, peas, black beans, salsa, and guacamole all work well.
3. Add one bag of baby spinach leaves to a jar of simmering marinara sauce (the spinach leaves wilt up nicely and the marinara sauce counts as a vegetable serving, too). Use your spinach marinara sauce to cook turkey meatballs and serve over whole grain spaghetti.  
4. Roast vegetables! Try roasted carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, or asparagus.
5. Prepare mashed potatoes using half potatoes and half steamed, mashed cauliflower.
6. Add a large dollop of 100% canned pure pumpkin into seasoned ground turkey meat when preparing taco meat, chili, or meat sauce.
7. Substitute spaghetti squash for spaghetti noodles and top with your favorite pasta sauce (marinara, pesto, olive oil and garlic, etc.).
8. "Bake" a sweet or white potato in the microwave (it takes just a few minutes) and serve as a side dish with dinner in place of white rice or pasta.

For more information on healthy eating visit Joy's website at www.foodcures.com.

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