Last night I
had the awesome privilege of speaking to and cooking for the biggest loser
group that I am a part of. The idea for the evening came about when one of our members
expressed her frustration about her dislike of fruits and vegetables she wanted
a healthy food redo. I am so glad that she spoke up and the idea for the night
was born. I have found that I love to give people (especially moms) tips and
tricks to healthy up their diets. So here are my ten ideas plus the recipes for
the things I made last night. My hope is that last night really helped that
member and maybe gave a few more some ideas! I know it made her son happy
because when he asked if he could take home a plate of the spaghetti squash and
veggie pasta sauce!
10 ideas for adding
more veggies to your diet:
1. Have vegetables with every meal
Breakfast:
Stir in some fresh tomatoes and mushrooms to your scrambled eggs
Make egg muffins loaded with your choice of veggies:
Spinach
Tomato
Kale
Aspargus
Spread Avocado onto toast
Breakfast burritos loaded with peppers, onions and
mushrooms
Zucchini bread made with unsweeted apple sauce
Snacks:
Celery and Carrot Sticks with Peanut Butter (All Natural
is best)
Sugar Snap Peas with Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip
Ham and Cheese roll up stuffed with Cucumber or radishes
Kale Chips
Lunch:
Instead of using Iceberg lettuce in your salad or wrap
start using other lettuces or even spinach. Others can include- Green leaf, Red
Leaf, Romaine, Arugula, Butter Lettuce
Always have carrot and celery sticks available
When out opt for a side salad instead of fries (watch the
dressing though)
Load sandwiches up with veggies, lettuce, and tomato are
great , but try adding cucumber, carrot, and radish as well.
Supper:
Shred zucchini into pasta
sauces
Roast veggies and puree
with broth and a splash of cream for a delicious soup.
Use grilled portabella
mushrooms as a “bun” for a sandwich
When making mashed
potatoes use half potatoes and half turnip or cauliflower
Shred carrot into meatloaf,
meatballs or hamburger patties
Top pizzas with extra
vegetables
2. Drink your veggies
Smoothies
are a great way to get vegetables as well as fruit into your diet. Mix any
combination of fruit and spinach or kale in a blender with plain Greek yogurt
and a splash of milk.
3. Make a goal to try one new vegetable per month
Have you
always wanted to give spaghetti squash a try or maybe Brussel sprouts? Just buy
one and give it a chance. If it isn’t a hit that’s ok try something else next
month. Mine for this month is bok choy!
4. Keep vegetables front and center in your fridge
If the first
thing you see when you open your fridge is healthier options you are more apt
to use them.
5. Double the amount of vegetables in recipes
A soup you
are making calls for 1 cup of carrots double it. A casserole calls for 1 can of
green beans try two. You see the trend…
6. Try a meat-free night per week
A vegetable
stir –fry or vegetable soup are great options. If your house is like mine and
meat free doesn’t work. I do a light
meat night, using ½ the amount of meat in recipes replacing it with vegetables.
7. If you don’t like the canned version of a vegetable try the fresh or
frozen
I cannot
stand canned asparagus, but will eat fresh by the pound. Broccoli is another
that I prefer fresh to frozen.
8. Try vegetables in a new way
Roast
broccoli, try cauliflower in soup, grill mushrooms, stuff spinach inside
chicken breasts, the possibilities are endless.
9. Have a vegetable/food prep hour per week
Set aside 1
hour per week for prep. I usually do this on Sunday evenings. Cut up carrot and
celery sticks, dice vegetables (peppers, zucchini, onions, mushrooms) roast on
a sheet tray this can be a quick side for all week, wash lettuces and chop for
quick salads, prepare your egg muffins. When doing these things make sure you
are making enough for the entire week. It will set you out for a better week.
10.
Cut pasta amount in half and replace
with vegetables cut into long strips
Zucchini,
carrots, and yellow squash all can be cut into thin ribbons. You will still
have the pasta but you will be consuming vegetables with each bite.
Here are some of the recipes I made for the group last night hope you will give them a try!
Spaghetti Squash
1 spaghetti squash
3 tbsp EVOO
1 clove garlic
Dash red pepper flakes
Salt and peper to taste
Pre-heat oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scrape out all the seeds and center
membrane. Drizzle with ½ tbsp EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Place each
half cut side down on baking sheet and roast for 35-45 minutes. Allow squash to
cool a bit, and scrape out the “noodles” into a bowl with a fork. (This can be done during your weekly meal prep
time)
In a large non-stick skillet heat 2 TBSP of EVOO add garlic
and red pepper. Sauté squash for a few minutes to coat in the mixture. Top with your favorite sauce.
Veggie packed
marinara sauce
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 small zucchini shredded
1 carrot shredded
6-8 mushrooms shredded
3 TBSP EVOO
3 cloves garlic
Dash red pepper flakes
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot heat
oil pepper flakes and garlic over medium heat until garlic is browned. Remove
garlic. Add remaining ingredients to the pot and all to simmer for 30 minutes.
Season to your tastes and puree for a smooth texture.
Egg Muffins (12
muffins)
9 eggs
Splash of milk
Several dashes of tabasco
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetables of your choice
Cheese of your choice
Pre-heat oven to 350. Spray a muffin tin with Pam. In the
bottom of the tin place vegetables of your choice. In a large bowl whip eggs
together with milk, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Pour over vegetables; only fill
tins between ½ and ¾ of the way top with cheese of choice. Bake for 40 minutes.
I find it is easier to get these out of the pan if they cool completely first.
Carrot and Kale Chips
3 carrots
1 bunch of kale
EVOO
Salt and Pepper
Heat oven to 400. Slice carrots thin, the thicker you slice
the chewier the chips are. Tear kale in to small pieces. On a lined cookie
sheet spread out the carrots and kale you may need more than one sheet. They
need space to crisp up. Drizzle with EVOO and season. Bake for 10 minutes stir
and return oven to crisp.
Green Smoothie
1 cup of Strawberries
1 cup of Blueberries
1 Handful Spinach
½ cup plain Greek Yogurt
Splash of milk
Ice
Add fruit and veggie in the blender with yogurt and milk.
Fill the remainder of the blender with ice. Blitz until smooth.
Potato Turnip Mash
1 Large Yukon gold potato peeled
1 large turnip peeled
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP Plain Greek Yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste
You can increase this recipe by adding more of each just remember
a 1 to 1 ratio. Cut potato into larger chunks than the turnip into. Put your
turnip and potato into a pot and cover with water. Boil until tender then
drain. Add butter and yogurt. Season and mash. I use a hand mixer because I like
a smoother consistency. If your mixture is too thick you can add more yogurt,
if the mix gets too thin stick it in a hot oven for several minutes to draw out
some of the moisture. Serve warm
Ranch Veggie Dip
1 large container of Plain Lowfat Greek Yogurt
1 packet Ranch Dressing Mix
1 Packet Green Onion Ranch Dressing Mix
Mix all ingredients together and chill. Serve with veggies
or thin with milk and use as a salad dressing.
