I've got a problem with getting my fruit and veggies in. It's not that I don't like them (except mushy broccoli and bananas, which make me sick - blech!), it's just that I never have any creative or good ways of getting them into my life. Plus, I hate it when things are even a little bit spoiled, so I tend to get scared off too easily.
So how do those of you who manage it get in your 6 servings? I want to add more fruits and veggies into my life because I know it'll be good for me in the long run, but if you have any tips and tricks for sneaking them in I'd be happy to hear it!
I'd love to hear some suggestions too. I don't eat fruit (I know, I know, I should, but I don't like ANY of it so rely on vegetables only) and I find I can get quite a few veggie servings in if I cut up carrots and celery etc ahead of time so that I don't have to spend the time sorting it out and can just grab it and eat it. Convenience is such a big thing in our lives these days - if grabbing some carrots is as easy as grabbing a bag of chips, I will be more inclined to eat better if it's easy!
I ususally eat a banana for a morning snack at work, and a baggie of baby carrots in the afternoon.
I ususally eat an apple or orange with lunch. Also, I eat a side salad and green beans or broccoli with dinner!
When I'm baking something, like a meatloaf or casserole, I wrap sweet potatoes individually in tin foil and bake them, then I have them in the fridge and heat up in the microwave, a tbsp (unpacked) of brown sugar is only 1 pt, and sprinkled on a warm sweet potato is divine.
Also, 1/4 cup of raisins (2 pts) in cold cereal or oatmeal is good. When I make oatmeal, I use milk instead of water, a big spoon of cinnamon and 1/4 cup of raisins, gets you dairy and a fruit.
We've been buying fresh pineapples (about $3 at Sam's or Walmart), I leave them on the counter a couple days and then cut them up (there's a little tag that tells you how, it's pretty easy, just chop the ends off and then quarter and kind of fillet like a fish) it's so much better than canned.
Another way is light vanilla yogurt with crushed pineapple, that was a suggestion from one of my WW leaders, it's a nice dessert, kind of like ice cream.
I buy fresh fruit and just have a piece as a snack here and there throughout the day. It seems to me that whatever is in season is usually on sale. You just have to try some things and see what you like.
I've heard some people add baby food to soups, like a jar of carrots, thickens the soup and gives you vegs. Some people like baby foods, you could probably mix baby food fruit in plain or vanilla yogurt...
Rachel Ray has a recipe if you go on her website for cauliflour and whole wheat pasta, you chop the cauliflour and then cook it down, it makes a sauce, with her usual onion, garlic, chicken stock. I've made it a couple times, it's pretty good.
I googled "sneaking in veggies" and there's a bunch of websites/articles with ideas, a couple of them talk about pureeing veggies and adding them to whatever, apparently that's the idea in a recent book, if you google what I did, you'll see what I mean. They also say if you don't feel like pureeing, to use baby food. They were mixing veggies in hamburgers, and all kinds of stuff, so check it out. They talk about chickpeas in chocolate chip cookies, so I googled that, too and found a recipe, sounds interesting.
Green banana or apple in the morning, with breakfast
2-3 tangerines (Cuties) with lunch
!!! I've discovered that if I eat my fruit BEFORE the actual breakfast/lunch/dinner I need less of that!!!!
Roasted veggies in the evening (many times I eat just that)
~~~ 1 small bunch of asparagus brushed with 1/4 of olive oil baked at 400-450 until the little leaves turn crunchy;
~~~ 4-5 broccoli or cauliflower florets lightly steamed/boiled and then roasted (I dip them in a "sauce" of yogurt, with a spoon of tahini - I like it - and crushed garlic)
~~~ biiig salad made of baby spinach with tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and green onions and anything else you like
Many evenings me and my husband watch a movie and eat just fruit - tangerines, sliced apples (with peel - that's where the vitamins and fiber are), cubed mango, fresh pineapple, orange slices, pear slices, strawberries, grapes. We "prepare dinner" together, put them in a bowl and eat in front of the TV - they are so filling but healthy
TANGERINES are in season! They are so easy to take with you and just pop 1-2 as a snack. I have 4 for lunch and a protein bar about 3 PM. This really keeps me going through the afternoon. A small one (cutie) has only 40 CAL!!!!
These are all awesome ideas! I am making a list for when I go grocery shopping tomorrow and am setting a goal of getting at least 4 of my 6 servings in every day this week (I'm lucky to get 2 in at the moment, so I'm not going to be TOO ambitious and burn out, but if I can keep this up for a week or two then I'll make more changes to get in six.)
Fruits for me are easy cuz I eat em raw and I mostly overeat them if anything, but here are some ideas:
-add fruit to smoothies
-dried fruits
-freeze dried fruits (my new favorite)
-mix with cottage cheese
Veggies:
-Squashes make excellent fries -- just cut them up in that shape, season and bake. YUM.
-spaghetti squash -- cook and mix with pasta sauce for an all veggie dinner or lunch.
-Costco has 5 pound bags of baby carrots, just preportion them and you're good to go with no cutting.
-just add extra veggies to your sandwiches and wraps
-fat free tortilla chips and fresh SALSA
-veggie soups
Remember too that a serving is only 1/2 a cup of fruits or veggies except for leafy veggies where it is 1 cup. You may be getting more than you think.
For example 1 cup of grapes is only 1 point but it is 2 veggie servings; 1 cup of green beans is 0 points but 2 veggie servings; that 2 cups of lettuce you had in your salad is 2 servings.
Even 100% juices are only 1/2 a cup for a serving.
I think spaghetti sauces are the easiest way to really pack in veggie servings... I'll take whatever's in the fridge, steam them till they're very tender, and then puree them. Add to regular spaghetti sauce, you'll never even know they're there! This is a good trick for if you're trying to hide veggies so you or family members don't know they're eating them.
I usually have a fruit for breakfast and during the winter I love to have navel oranges! They are so sweet and juicy. For mid morning snack I take a cucumber and cut it lengthwise and sprinklle with salt and pepper put it in a baggie and off i go. It is really delicious!! For lunch I often eat portobello mushrooms with melted cheese. I sprinkle a little salt and pepper and then cheese and put it in the oven. I also buy those fruit bars (fruit leather) and snack on those or craisins during the day.
Ideas for cramming those veggies in?
