Eating More Fruits and Vegetables
From Thanksgiving to New Years, eating rich tasty treats is a participation sport. Cakes, cookies and even fruits and vegetables get all dressed up in sauces that are sugary, fattening or both. In January, health clubs and diet centers are packed with people who over-indulged and are looking to lose those pesky pounds added over the holidays. Many include healthy eating as their New Year’s Eve Resolution that they will keep this year.
The good news is adding nutritious fruits and vegetables can be easy with a few hacks. You will be surprised at how easy it is for you and your family to add more produce to your daily diet:
- “Beanless” Chili: Chili is a favorite in most families. However, some picky eaters in your house may turn their noses up at the beans! One Mom found a way to incorporate healthy beans into her chili while getting her pickiest eater to eat every bite: Put canned beans into a food processor, blender, magic bullet, etc. Add a small amount of water. blend beans until they are the consistency of a thin paste. Add to your chili and stir well. The bean “paste” dissolves into the chili and is indistinguishable from other ingredients.
- Spaghetti Sauce: Add sautéed and chopped vegetables to your spaghetti sauce. Zucchini, spinach and yellow squash all mix well in a spaghetti sauce and are virtually undetectable as long as they are cooked well and chopped as finely as possible.
- Smoothies: Smoothies are getting a lot of press these days, and some look downright disgusting. Drinking something that is the color of just mown grass may not be appetizing to you or your family. There are simpler ways to make and incorporate smoothies into your family’s diet. You will need a blender, “Magic Bullet” type drink maker. One of the easiest smoothies to make is to take an individual serving of flavored yogurt (for instance, blueberry). Put into blender. Add 1/2 banana (the riper the better). Add a serving of blueberries. Add a couple of cubes of ice if desired. Mix well. Pour in glass and enjoy!
These are just a few ideas to get you thinking on how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet. Be creative! You will be pleasantly surprised by your creations!