Nutritionist Blogger Amie Valpone: How to Eat More Veggies (and love it!)

Guest Post by: Amie Valpone, HHP, AADP Culinary Nutritionist and author of The Healthy Apple,
www.thehealthyapple.com

We all know the endless benefits of eating more veggies, but some of you may find it difficult to incorporate them into your meals and snacks.  Well, here are a few ways to increase your veggie count every day…

•   Try a new vegetable each week.  Choose a color for each week of the month and purchase a vegetable of that color.  You may find veggies that you have never heard of, and actually enjoy their taste. Experiment with eating the veggies raw as crudités, sautéed with whole wheat pasta, scrambled into an omelet or steamed atop of a salad; the opportunities are endless.  For instance, your first week could consist of Purple Week: Choose Eggplant or Orange Week: Choose an Orange Bell Pepper or White Week: Chose jicama.

•   Try juicing; combine fresh herbs, vegetables and fruits into a juicer and create a freshly squeezed juice that will surely keep you energized.

•   Include vegetables and fruit every time you have a meal and snack.  This may seem overwhelming, however, simply having your morning egg omelet with salsa and chili powder instead of butter, your afternoon sandwich with guacamole instead of mayo or pairing an apple with almond butter and a sprinkle of Hawaiian Pink Sea Salt.

•   Keep your fridge stocked with Ziploc bags or Tupperware containers filled with pre-sliced carrot sticks, cucumbers, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes for a quick go-to snack.  Pairing these fresh veggies with hummus, or guacamole is the perfect way to incorporate your ‘healthy’ fats, which will allow your body to absorb all of the beneficial nutrients in the fresh veggies.

•   Add Bamboo Rice, Eight Bean Blend and Organic Golden Flax Seeds to your vegetable soup for an extra tasty dish.

•   Toss in watercress, spinach, red radish, purple cabbage, arugula and orange bell peppers into a pan with olive oil, onions and garlic.  Sauté with your favorite protein source (Chicken, Bison, Tofu, Turkey, Seitan, Tempeh, etc.) and tomato sauce and Lime Sea Salt.

•   Top your burger (Vegetable burger, Turkey Burger, Grass-Fed Beef Burger, etc.) with nutrient-dense greens such as steamed kale and rainbow Swiss chard instead of iceberg lettuce.  Spread guacamole onto your bun instead of mustard.

•   Roast peeled, diced beets and carrots at 425 degrees in a roasting pan for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with Sea Salt, pepper, and a drizzle of  Balsamic Vinegar and Porcini Olive Oil.

•   Mix together Shiso Leaves, Pepquinos, Szechuan Buttons and freshly squeezed carrot juice into your breakfast orange juice.

•   Combine thinly sliced yellow squash, zucchini, carrots and cabbage slaw into a large mixing bowl.  Add red grapes, peanuts, Greek plain yogurt, fresh cilantro and sliced salmon along with a hit of sea salt and pepper.  Store in the fridge for a quick and easy lunch or snack.

•   Marinate your favorite veggies in a mixture of Low Sodium Soy Sauce, rosemary and olive oil; place into a large Ziploc bag and into the fridge for an hour, then grill!

•   Making a pasta salad, meatloaf or quiche?  Spiral some veggies with vegetable peeler or spiralizer and toss them into your dish!

•   When planning a pasta dinner, add Wild Produce Sampler, sliced broccoli, squash, cauliflower, and beans to your marinara sauce.  Cook the sauce with the veggies on the stove top and pour onto your pasta dinner.  Top this delicious veggie sauce with a dash of nutritional yeast.

•   Grill Portobello mushrooms marinated in balsamic vinegar.  Remove from grill and spread guacamole on the inside of each mushroom; fill each mushroom with lentils, Sea Vegetables and salsa. Sprinkle with Fresh Herbs, Sea Salt and Point Reyes Blue Cheese.

•   Grill kabobs with pineapple, peppers, onions and tomatoes along with your choice of protein.  Dip into 3 toppings of salsa, hummus and guacamole.

•   Make your own hummus using the Dried Bean Sampler.

•   Have fun and get creative with your meals; add Micro-Arugula, nuts, fresh herbs and spices, honeycomb, onions, dried fruits, nuts, to any meal for an extra ‘zing’ of flavor!

•   Make Spaghetti Squash instead of white pasta.  Prepare with Olive Oil, Fresh Wild Mushroom Sampler, onions and Black Garlic.