Ah, vegetables. So good for you, but let’s face it, they don’t always exactly get our mouths watering. But just because veggies might not be your fave doesn’t mean that you should just skip them entirely - or that you have to suffer through them. Here are 8 tips for how to eat more vegetables every day, painlessly and deliciously.
1. Blend ‘Em
Flickr user quinn.anya
Smoothies are seriously underrated when it comes to getting veggies into your diet every day. Just because you add veggies into your smoothie doesn’t mean it has to taste like salad. Take your favorite berry or yogurt smoothie and just add a little kale or spinach. Trust us, it’ll still be delicious.
2. Swap ‘Em For Pasta
Flickr user audrey.taylor89
Never had zucchini pasta? spaghetti squash pasta? You’ve never lived. Just take your favorite pasta recipe and replace the carbs with veggies. You might just surprise yourself.
3. …Or Swap ‘Em For Bread
Flickr user Neeta Lind
Two words: Lettuce wraps. Sure, they might sound like lame diet food. They’re not. Get some good lettuce (not the lame bagged stuff), and whip up your favorite burger recipe. It’s a super easy way to get another serving of veggies, and you won’t be too full from all the bread.
Also, cauliflower makes for a mean substitute for bread in grilled cheese. Don’t knock it until you try it.
4. Add ‘Em Into Baked Goods
Flickr user www.justgrobio.com
It is a truth universally acknowledged that everything is made better with chocolate - even vegetables. Next time you’re making brownies or even cookies, add some pureed zucchini or carrots into the batter. And don’t even get me started on zucchini chocolate cake.
5. Prep ‘Em On The Weekend
Flickr user dannielleblumenthal-thinkbrandfirst
One of the biggest problems with getting veggies every day (and getting three solid meals a day period) is not enough time. So the next time you do a weekly grocery run, plan out some veggie snacks that you can grab and take on your busy day. Chop up some carrot sticks, prep a few little salads in Tupperware - simple stuff that you’ll be glad you did later in the week.
6. Hide ‘Em With Cheese
Flickr user Martin Cathrae
When in doubt, add cheese. Sure, it’s not exactly a diet choice, but you’d be surprised how much fiber you can get when you swap out that garlic bread for some cheesy broccoli.
7. Sneak ‘Em Into Soup
Flickr user C. VanHook (vanhookc)
While a good old fashioned vegetable soup is delish on its own, try actually adding it into chicken noodle soup or your favorite stew. It’s easy, will only make the dish taste better, and packs in the nutrition like nobody’s business.
8. Eat ‘Em Before The Main Dish
Flickr user junyaogura
Tell me if this sounds familiar: You make dinner and actually remember to make a side salad or steamed broccoli, what have you - but then you start eating and get too full before actually finishing the vegetables themselves. So you leave them and still pretend that you had a good serving. Wrong. Next time, just eat the veggies first. Simple. You’ll rest assured that you got the good stuff, and you’ll also keep yourself from getting too full on the rest of dinner.
How else do you sneak more veggies into your diet? Tell us in the comments below!
