Happy National Nutrition Month! How are the healthy eats coming along? We’re just over half way through the month so I thought I would share some healthy eating tips from wonderful Dietitians I know to help you stay on track. These tips are designed to help you eat more veggies and each one is accompanied with a delicious and healthy recipe.
Happy healthy eating!
~Ashley
Tip # 1: Add extra veggies to almost anything during the cooking process.
“I make a lot of one-dish meals and load them up with veggies, such as a pasta/protein/veggie dish; soup; main dish salads; sandwiches loaded with tomatoes, dark green lettuce or spinach, cucumbers, etc… the veggies automatically come with the meal!” -Alice Henneman
Banana Kale Smoothie
“The thing I love about cooking is that a recipe is not at all set in stone. I almost always add more/different veggies than what it calls for. An easy way to remember to add more veggies is just to keep them ready to use in the front/at eye level of your fridge. I’m also with Alice Henneman on adding them to the actual entree, it’s easier to eat more veggies when they’re incorporated into a dish instead of sitting on the side!” - Rebecca Clyde
“During warmer weather (or any weather for a party! :)) I love chopping up fresh veggies to incorporate in various dips for parties. Adding various veggies adds great color, texture, and of course wonderful flavors! Since I live in the south, “Redneck Caviar” is a favorite in my area.” - Sheena Quizon Gregg
Redneck Caviar
“I always suggest that people add in veggies to meals in a “sneaky way”. Like adding spinach to smoothies, broccoi to mac and cheese, chopped peppers and mushrooms to pasta sauce. There are so many options. I also suggest people add veggies to breakfast since it’s not always the most obvious “veggie” type meal…they’re especially good in eggs/omelettes!” -Andrea Ovard
Egg & Veggie Breakfast Quesadilla
“Right now I’m all about raw veggies in smoothies/juices. This one has spinach” - Jessa Nowak
Superfood Blueberry Juice
Tip #2: Jazz up your veggies to make them more enticing.
“I like to prep all my veggies over the weekend. While some goes into the dishes that I prepare, they can also be enjoyed as awesome snacks, especially the crunchy ones like red bell pepper, cucumbers, etc. (served with hummus, guacamole, etc). The key is to place them at the eye level in the fridge so you can see them every time you open the door.” -Min Mary Kwon
Baked Carrot & Zucchini Fries
“I ALWAYS add extra veggies to whatever I am making…sloppy joes-add extra peppers/onions, tuna casserole - add zucchini, any type of pasta or scrambled eggs - add whatever kind of veggies I have in the fridge; also - always have raw veggies chopped ahead of time to snack on. Also, when making veggie sides, make them different! Don’t just steam/microwave them, add something to them to make them taste better!” -Kristy Hegner
Panko Crusted Cauliflower Bites
“Amp up the flavor! Adding sauces like peanut sauce or cheese sauce to veggies can go a long way to making them taste great. If you’re roasting veggies, try cutting up a piece of bacon and adding it to the pan for flavor or tossing veggies like squash and sweet potatoes in a little sugar and spices for a tasty side dish.” - Lindsay Livingston
Sweet & Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges
“I love to recommend stir fry. It’s a great way to add lots of veggies to a dish. I have yet to post a stir fry recipe though, but here is my favorite veggie recipe.” -Jennifer Lynn-Pullman
Sweet & Spicy Carrots
“Find new (and simple recipes) for veggie dishes using different spices and cooking techniques. Veggies shouldn’t be boring!” -Elizabeth Abrahamson
Thyme Roasted Potatoes & Carrots
Tip#3: Get creative with those otherwise starch-heavy pasta dinners by adding or substituting with veggies.
“I’ve found that grating vegetables can be a great way to add veggies, such as zucchini, to breads, muffins, sauces and even burger patties or meatballs.” - Jamie Vespa
Thai Basil Zucchini Meatballs
“My favorite way to include veggies in my life is my using veggie noodles! My favorite are zoodles (zucchini noodles!) and they’re so easy to sneak in to so many things. My favorite way to use them is to substitute them for half the pasta in a dish, like my Shrimp Scampi with Zoodles!” -Emily Hein
Shrimp Scampi with Zoodles
“I like to use veggies in place of or in combination with noodles in pasta dishes. I also grate vegetables into my spaghetti sauce to increase the nutritional value.” -Holly Johnson Grainger
Zoodles with Meat & Veggie Sauce
“Use a veggie as your serving vessel like in my Quinoa and Cheddar Stuffed Zucchini. Also use bold flavor ingredients like sun dried tomatoes, good cheese or a little sausage to help those who don’t appreciate just the “natural” flavor of veggies.” -Jenna Braddock
Cheddar & Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini
“Don’t stop at just one serving of veggies at a meal-go for at least 2; a salad AND soup; two types of cooked veggies.” - Sharon Palmer
Smokey Roasted Cauliflower with Red Pearl Onions
10 Comments
Thanks for featuring my tip and recipe!
Of course! Thanks for participating
thanks so much for including me! lots of great tips!
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean recently posted…4 Spring Vegetables To Try
Thank YOU Lindsay for joining the conversation! Love your flavoring tip.
What a great post! Thanks for including my tip and recipe Will share!!
Emily @ Zen & Spice recently posted…Clean Slate: Baked Sweet Potato with Kale & Caramelized Onions
Thanks for participating Emily! And thanks for introducing me to the word “zoodles” - hah!
Great post, Ashley! I think a lot of people will find this very helpful. Thanks for including my meatball recipe!
Jamie @ Dishing Out Health recently posted…100 Calorie Double Fudge Brownies
Absolutely! Thanks for joining in Those meatballs look SO good. Can’t wait to try them…
Thank you so much for including me!
My pleasure! I love your photo