Even if you love veggies, fitting two to three cups per day of them into your full-time schedule can be a challenge. Besides, why eat a salad every day when there are so many other options out there? Luckily, sneaking extra veggies into your meals isn’t so hard. Here are eleven fresh ways to make your heart and tummy happy.
This method is especially helpful for beginners looking to bump up their daily intake of veggies. You can easily achieve getting five or more servings of vegetables every day by blending them into a delicious, highly palatable smoothie. It is quick, convenient, and a miracle for those who aren’t a big fan of the bitter taste of raw kale. Adding tasty fruit like pineapple, banana, or mango hides the strong flavor of dark, leafy greens while still giving you all the perks of eating them!
These light and fluffy pancakes can be made with pumpkin, butternut squash, or both! They are completely based on veggies. If you’re curious about a paleo or keto diet, this may be the recipe for you. It can be easily made paleo by using gluten-free coconut flour instead. Pumpkin and butternut squash might taste like a yummy dessert, but they are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to help your immune system, heart, and even your eyesight! This is the kind of breakfast that will have you skipping out the door in the morning. It gives you the sweet fix you crave while maxing out your daily intake of veggies.
If you are more of a savory breakfast type of person, then look no further than a hearty frittata. It’s as easy as making an omelet with twice the nutrition. You can add virtually anything to it, especially leafy greens and summery peppers. Pile it all into one skillet for a delicious egg pie loaded with heart-healthy veggies. Let’s face it, eggs are probably the healthiest food on this planet. They improve cholesterol, have an excellent range of amino acids, and even provide an important brain nutrient called Choline that can improve your memory!
These delicious space muffins have a glowing green hue as if they crashed landed to earth in a meteor. Why? Because they are full of delectable avocados! You may wonder how a savory fruit (yes, avocados are a fruit) works in a sweet dessert such as blueberry muffins. The truth is they are a great substitute for oil in any baking recipe. They are so creamy and rich that they blend in seamlessly with the batter and don’t overpower the muffins at all. Pack this batter to the brim with the antioxidant king blueberry and you’ll be feeding two birds with one scone.
Sweet potato fries, cauliflower fries, parsnip fries – you name it. Fries are the perfect hack to get your daily veggies. There are so many ways to flavor and spice up fries that it is impossible to run out of ideas. Give carrot fries a spicy edge with harissa or cheese up your beet fries with crunchy parmesan shreds. It is a healthy twist on tempura by using a hot oven to crisp up your veggies instead of deep-frying. The best part is they are totally snackable. You can hardly overeat veggies, so packing snack-baggies of delicious veggie fries will keep you healthy and satisfied throughout the day.
This low-carb option revolutionizes pasta night with just zucchini and a spiralizer. Pair it with fresh pesto, chicken, and sun-dried tomatoes for a delicious and refreshing lunch. Zucchini is especially skilled at aiding digestion because it has such a high water content, which is great for people with digestive problems such as IBS or constipation. Pro Tip: Keep the peels on to add healthy nutrients for your thyroid and adrenal glands. Just like veggie fries, you can substitute zucchini for many other veggies, like carrots, broccoli stems, and turnips!
What’s the healthiest way to top off your veggies? With more veggies! Earthy, sweet, and creamy, this beet dressing recipe is lovely drizzled over fresh greens or crunchy veggie fries. If the rich, gorgeous color doesn’t get you, the sweetness of the dressing will. Beets have a surprising amount of sugar for such an earthy vegetable, which makes the perfect vinaigrette. It is as simple as tossing beets, onions, garlic, natural sweeteners, and yogurt into a blender and turning it into a smooth puree. This recipe is a great way to keep your iron up since iron deficiencies can lead to anemia and beets boast an abundant amount of it.
Eating your veggies cannot get any easier than drinking down a warm, comforting bowl of soup. You can blend pea soup into a delicious, palatable puree, or chop turnips and potatoes into hearty chunks swimming in a spicy broth. Make a zesty carrot and coriander soup, or a full-bodied pasta Fagioli with hunks of robust vegetables in it. Not only does it provide a calming effect to your mealtime, but soup also locks in all the minerals and vitamins of the ingredients in it while keeping you hydrated. It is perfect for the student on a budget because they are usually inexpensive to make, and you can stick it in a thermos for a meal on the go.
Cinnamon, spice, and everything nice for your health! If you’re a fan of pumpkin bread, you’ll be blown away by sweet potato bread. It is incredibly moist, lightly sweet, and can easily be made vegan or paleo. It is so delicious you may find it hard to believe you are getting a surplus of vitamins, minerals, and cancer-fighting nutrients. I’m a dessert lover, and nothing could convince me to eat veggies quicker than baking it into a sweet, delicious treat.
Swap dairy-heavy mashed potatoes for heart-healthy mashed cauliflower. It has all the creamy, savory comfort of a mountain of mashies with the bonus of extra fiber, B vitamins, and choline to improve your memory. Cauliflower is quite a versatile vegetable, so preparing it as mashed potatoes is one out of many ways to reap its benefits. Instead of rice, you can use “rice” cauliflower for stir-fry nights. For pizza nights, try cauliflower crust. You will be delighted with the possibilities.
What more convincing do you need? The picture says it all. If you’re a chocolate lover, then here’s your chance to double up on your veggies – or, fruits, since it is avocado. It has more potassium than bananas and is packed with healthy fatty acids. Feed your sweet tooth with a pudding that will lower your cholesterol and boost your immune system! If not for the health perks, do it because it is chocolate.
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