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5 SIMPLE WAYS TO ADD MORE VEGGIES!

Jenny Robertson BA RHN
Feb 7, 2017
3 min read

Adding more vegetables into our daily routine is important!

They are so "jam packed" with vital nutrients that our body needs every day to keep us as healthy and active as possible.... oh and they are DELICIOUS!

Many of us aren't meeting the daily requirements however so here are

5 Simple Ways To Add More Veggies

1) Pick a day and roast up a bunch of vegetables.

Toss them in a roasting pan with a little water and your favourite spice combination and cook at 375 degrees for approximately 45 minutes

Place them on a cookie sheet with a little extra virgin olive oil and your favourite spice combination and cook at 350 degrees until they are tender (approximately 35-40 minutes)

Place them in the slow cooker with a little water and your favourite spice, place on low heat until tender (the nice thing about the slow cooker is you can leave them for a few hours while you’re busy doing other stuff!)

Having these gems all roasted up ahead of time makes it quick and easy to toss them into any meal you are preparing… toss them into a salad for a nice alternative to raw vegetables, toss them into a stir fry, scrambled eggs or an omelette , toss them into a homemade soup recipe.

2) Slice and dice a bunch of raw vegetables…spiralled veggies are great too!

Find some great storage containers (glass jars or mason jars work great) to store your vegetables

Have a variety of vegetables from across the rainbow of colours available, when they are pre-sliced/diced they become an “easy grab” addition to salads, for sautéing, to add to a stir-fry or as a great snack option

Have a variety of pre-washed greens available to easily add to salads, for sautéing or for adding to a stir-fry or soup recipe

It may take a bit of time to prepare these ahead of time but it is so worth it! When we have them available we will be more apt to include them in recipes or choose them for a snack option…. They become a quick and easy-grab choice!

3) Add them to many recipes

Toss a bunch of your pre-roasted vegetables into the food processor or blender and add them to a spaghetti sauce or chilli…. It’s a great way to add more vegetables into your meal planning and you won’t even know they are there… a very good option for those picky eaters!

Veggie “up” any soup recipe! You can take some of your pre-roasted vegetables and toss them into a great chicken broth or any bone broth. You can toss them into the food processor or blender and add them to a tomato, squash or pea soup recipe.

You can use your spiralled veggies to make fun salads or as an alternative to pasta (spiralled zucchini noodles are a great choice for your next pasta dish)

Add a variety of your pre-roasted vegetables into any salad! Roasted squash, zucchini, sweet potato, beets, carrots make great additions to any salad and are a nice alternative to raw vegetables

Use vegetables as a base for dips and sauces and add them to hummus to add an extra flavour and nutrition “bang”

4) Veggie “up” your baking

Add more vegetables to your favourite muffin recipe! Zucchini, carrots and beets make for great tasting and healthier muffins!
Add vegetables to cake recipes
Add vegetables to your cookie recipes

There are thousands of recipe websites available and great apps that you can download where you can find some fantastic recipes that incorporate vegetables into just about any baked goods you choose to make!

You can also experiment with recipes that you may already have… try adding some vegetables (either tossed through the food processor or spiralled/shred)

5) Add them to a juice or smoothie

Although I am not a big juice or smoothie consumer, many people are and this is a great way to veggie “up”!

Add a variety of leafy greens to any juice or smoothie (you may have to experiment with different varieties and the amounts of each) some can be very bitter/strong tasting

Celery and cucumber are great additions to any juice or smoothie recipe as they won’t provide an “over-powering” taste

Try a great carrot or beet juice or experiment to find your perfect tasting combination

However you decide to enjoy your next juice or smoothie just be sure to veggie “up”! It’s a quick and easy way to add a nutritional “bang” plus it will help to ensure that we are meeting our daily requirements!

Find out some of the nutrition facts for some of your favourite veggies over here

Want more help with your daily menu planning? Click here to book a consultation or head over here for a ready-done menu plan