Maybe it’s your kids, your partner or yourself that struggles getting enough veggies into their diet. Or maybe all three lol! Regardless, most of us aren’t just jumping up and down to eat more vegetables. But we gotta guys. Vegetables help to fuel our bodies and keep us healthy enough to go for our dreams! Seems like a lot of pressure on a carrot huh?
Regardless- we all know that eating vegetables is important and we aren’t going to get into the why because I am far from a dietitian. But you know what I am good at? Tricking myself! Including tricking myself into eating more vegetables even if that means sneaking them into meals.
So today we are going to chat all about how to sneak more vegetables into dinner time. So let’s get into it so you can start
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How to Sneak More Vegetables Into Dinner Time
How to incorporate more veggies into dinner time:
Start with a Salad: Begin your dinner with a fresh, colorful salad packed with leafy greens, assorted vegetables, and a variety of textures. Not only does it add an extra serving of veggies to your meal, but it also helps fill you up with fiber-rich ingredients.
Also guys seriously salads don’t have to taste bad! Season the vegetables, add your favorite fats (looking at you Avocados) and don’t be afraid to add some carbs on top like tortilla crisps!
Bulk Up Soups and Stews: Add to the nutritional value of soups and stews by loading them with vegetables like carrots, celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, and leafy greens. These hearty dishes are perfect for incorporating multiple servings of veggies in one comforting meal.
And with some extra seasonings (more garlic always!!!) you can basically drown out the taste of vegetables in your soups.
Swap Out Pasta for Veggie Noodles or mix in:Â Replace traditional pasta with protein rich pastas that have veggies in them. An easy way also is to mix in traditional pasta with veggie pastas. That way you get the extra veggies but the better texture of traditional pasta!
Add Veggies to Stir-Fries and Stir-Fried Rice: Stir-fries are an excellent way to sneak in extra vegetables, as they pair well with a variety of flavors and can be easily customized to suit your preferences. Load up your wok with colorful veggies like broccoli, snap peas, bell peppers, and mushrooms for a nutritious and delicious meal.
My husband got a wok for stir fry and I swear the fun of cooking with it has resulted in us eating way more vegetables so if that will help you or your partner don’t be afraid to invest in cooking tools.
Stuff Them: Get creative by stuffing vegetables like bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, or mushrooms with a flavorful filling of grains, beans, herbs, and spices. Bake until tender for a satisfying and nutrient-rich dinner option. Everything tastes a little better filled with cheese – at least in my humble opinion. I am a BIG fan of cheese haha!
Blend Them into Sauces and Dressings: Sneak extra veggies into your meals by pureeing them and incorporating them into sauces, dressings, or dips. Add spinach to your pesto, carrots to your marinara sauce, or roasted red peppers to your hummus for an added nutritional boost. Head to Pinterest for recipe ideas but this is such an effective way especially if you have kiddos in your family that are hesitant to eat veggies when they can see them.Â
Roast Them: Roasting vegetables enhances their natural sweetness and creates delicious caramelized edges. Toss a variety of veggies like cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and potatoes with olive oil, herbs, and spices, then roast until tender for an easy and flavorful side dish.
Make Veggie-Based Side Dishes: Instead of serving traditional sides like mashed potatoes or rice, opt for veggie-based alternatives like cauliflower wings, mashed cauliflower, or roasted sweet potato wedges, air fried Brussel sprouts etc. Sides are the easiest way to add more vegetables into your dinner time in my opinion.Â
Experiment with Different Cooking Methods: Keep things interesting by trying out different cooking methods such as grilling, steaming, sautéing, or even air-frying your vegetables. Each method imparts unique flavors and textures, making it easier to incorporate veggies into your dinners in new and exciting ways. Finding the cooking method you enjoy the most will make adding veggies into dinner time feel like less a chore!
And that is it for now- I hope this was helpful and encouraged you to sneak some more veggies into your diet and dinner times 🙂
Korra-Shay
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