How To Have A Good Time With More Veggies
Local summer farmer’s market
Add in some veg to your snacks
In the house more than usual? If you have some pre cut carrots, cucumbers or snap peas it might be easier to reach for when you’re craving a snack. Dip em’ in hummus, guacamole or make it sweet and dip carrots in your favorite nut butter.
Use alternative products to your rice, pasta or pizza
Try something new and occasionally swap out products or add half and half. For example, use half cauliflower rice and half regular rice next time you make your stir fry. Into thin crust pizzas? Use an alternative pizza crust like cauliflower or chickpea, yes you read that right Banza just hit the market with a new chickpea pizza crust and it’s delicious! Try tricking the family with an alternative veggie based pasta and throwing your favorite sauce or pesto on top. Between Trader Joe’s stunning cauliflower gnocchi, edamame and mung bean spaghetti and zucchini noodles there is so much to try. Swap out an occasional piece of toast with sweet potato toast.
Throw some veg into that morning smoothie
Try adding a cup of spinach into your morning smoothie. Spinach is a wonderful thing in a smoothie as you really cannot taste it, kale, however, is a different story. Kale is delicious in some smoothie recipes, but be careful not to add too much as its flavor is much more prominent. Tryna get something more creamy? Add in some avocado for that healthy fat. Cauliflower is a great base for smoothies as well. I love to half my banana amount and add cauliflower in to fill the rest along with whatever fruit I am using that day. Do know that cauliflower is nutrient dense and filling but it can be hard to digest so steaming it ahead of time and then freezing it can aid in digestion. Two other lovely options to steam ahead of time and throw in are zucchini and carrots. Zucchini can be utilized the same way as the cauliflower as you don’t taste it much and carrots can be used to make a carrot cake kinda smoothie. Lastly, some cucumber thrown into any smoothie adds a beautiful detoxifying effect.
Prepare a whole week’s worth of veggie’s beforehand over the weekend
Wash your veggies with love right when you get home from the market with warm water and a little vinegar. Then, just keep the momentum going and chop, trim and even roast or steam the veggies before you put them away. Prepping veggies is often the most time consuming part of preparing a meal. This way you have stuff ready to eat or already chopped when it comes time for dinner. Keep them visible in the fridge and hydrated with water if needed (queue the asparagus) so that you can see them calling for you...lol.
Pick your own seasonal produce
If you have access to a local farm stand, a farm share or a market with local produce, stop by and get inspired by the season. You are supporting a smaller footprint as well when you eat local and in season produce. Mangoes in New England in December? Convenient but probably not all that lovely for the environment.
Turn them into chips
Zucchini, kale, beets and sweet potatoes all make for lovely chip alternatives and you can do it right in your own home.
Turn them into tasty vessels
You can take taco night, Mediterranean night, and many other themed nights into an elevated meal by stuffing it into a vegetable. Stuffed peppers, squashes, zucchini boats, eggplants and even portabella mushroom caps are great for quinoa, beans, or falafel.
Feel fueled by the delight of knowing you’re giving your body life
Life fuels life and giving vegetables to your body is fueling that fire with so many nutrients, fiber and assistance in the gut. The more colorful the array of vegetables you eat the more you are feeding the diverse set of good bacteria in your gut. The variety of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables are extremely important for restoring our bodies.
