how do you get your veggies?

cds2327

after having my food diary reviewed by a friend, they pointed out that i do not eat enough veggies. sure i have the occasional salad for lunch, and i eat veggies with dinner each night......but i need more.
how do you get yours??

HappyJamese17

V-8 Fusion light is a good way to get in 1 or 2. 50 calories per serving and it's good too

jillybeanruns

Eat 'em 2 clementines/tangerines, red pepper, carrots, banana and an apple every day for me. If I eat salad, then that's my just extra. But 80% of my daily snacks come from fruits and veggies.

jermee

I eat about a cup of broccoli, 1/4 cup snap peas and about 1/4 cup of baby carrots before lunch. Appetizer I guess. All Raw. If helps fill my stomach and keeps me fuller for longer also. Plus I do like veggies so its easy for me.

suejonestx

Salads with tons of veggies make up a good part of my veggie diet. We also grill assorted veggies with a touch of olive oil and spices...the usual players: zuccini, squash, peppers, onion, mushroom, corn, tomato, broccoli (that's right, we tried grilling broccoli and it was deelish!). Snacks can include celery, carrots, etc. Sometimes, I make a tuna salad and eat it on a wedge of red pepper. And (finally), last night I had a large sweet potato for dinner, which was very filling, delicious, and low-cal (about 160). You could also add more veggies than usual to a sandwich, like cucumbers (or is that a fruit?), sprouts, peppers or anything else you can think up! They say fresh veggies are better than frozen, and frozen is better than canned (from a nutrient-rich viewpoint). Hope this helps!

Chenoachem

Dipped in hummus as a snack.

sweetbn

I eat them as a part of my meals. Like the Birds eye steam fresh or green giant steam in the bag (yes, frozen). But they usually have GREAT flavor (as opposed to boring) and so I look forward to them.

This however is not for those of you watching sodium intake.

fitterpam

I try to make an omelet with a serving of veggies most mornings. I also make a morning juice with 2 fruit and 1 veggie for hubbie and I to split. I figure that's 3 servings before I'm even out of the house.

Lunch is usually includes a salad - I try to get at least 3 different types of veggies in there....right now I'm on a coleslaw with Asian dressing kick...mmmm...So now I'm up to about 5-7 servings depending on the type of salad. If I don't do a salad, I like a good soup, just to make sure I'm getting enough veggies.

Mid afternoon snack is usually a veggie/protein combo (i.e. peanut butter and celery)

Dinner plate always has 2 servings of veggies. Dessert is usually a fruit.

Overall, I figure daily I'm getting between 8-12 servings of fruits/veggies. Because I'm constantly eating, I'm not hungry and they are low cal/fat foods that are easy to snack on. I also try to make sure I pick at least 1 red, 1 orange, 1 yellow veggie every day I figure the colours must mean something....

Also, I know juicing isn't as good as eating the whole foods, because of the loss of fibre, etc. but I figure if I can get in 8 servings of f/v a day, then I can afford to splurge on the drink which is where I hide the veggies I don't like to eat.....LOL...but they're good for me, so I eat them anyway

willywonka

I eat a salad with my dinner every night and usually fix some sort of steamfresh. i love them and they are so easy!!!
asparagus is super yummy too!!!

sssrip

We also grill assorted veggies with a touch of olive oil and spices...the usual players: zuccini, squash, peppers, onion, mushroom, corn, tomato, broccoli (that's right, we tried grilling broccoli and it was deelish!).

How do you grill them? In a basket or on foil?

bksteve26

Salads with tons of veggies make up a good part of my veggie diet. We also grill assorted veggies with a touch of olive oil and spices...the usual players: zuccini, squash, peppers, onion, mushroom, corn, tomato, broccoli (that's right, we tried grilling broccoli and it was deelish!). Snacks can include celery, carrots, etc. Sometimes, I make a tuna salad and eat it on a wedge of red pepper. And (finally), last night I had a large sweet potato for dinner, which was very filling, delicious, and low-cal (about 160). You could also add more veggies than usual to a sandwich, like cucumbers (or is that a fruit?), sprouts, peppers or anything else you can think up! They say fresh veggies are better than frozen, and frozen is better than canned (from a nutrient-rich viewpoint). Hope this helps!

Great idea on the tuna with the pepper! That is so going to be my lunch today...yummm!

WendiMac2Be

I start off my day with 8 oz of Spicy V-8, and snack on crunck paks of apples, and I love those Green Giant trays for one (broccoli and cheese is my fave). Also, I blend my fruits into plain yogurt with OJ for smoothies.

LittleSpy

I buy a lot of frozen veggies (unsauced!). They have the same nutrition (or better) as fresh, they're super easy to prepare (pop 'em in the microwave for a couple of minutes), and they don't spoil in a week if you don't use them. They're also cheaper than fresh (I can get a pound of spinach for like $2 frozen, but that would cost me along the lines of $10 fresh... and my understanding is your body can get more nutrition out of cooked spinach, anyway). Today I have 1.5 cups of steamed broccoli with my chicken & black beans for lunch. I have strawberries for a mid-morning snack, and I'll have another couple of servings with whatever I decide to do for dinner. I'm on a reduced calorie diet, so I'm not aiming for as many servings as I would eat on maintenance calories, but I still like to get somewhere in the ballpark of 3-6 servings of veggies per day.

Also, special side note, try to make your veggies count. Vegetables like lettuce and cucumbers and mushrooms don't have a huge amount of nutrition. While I like those vegetables (and LOVE mushrooms) and I do eat them a lot, I don't really count them as a serving of vegetables... because I'm not getting very much out of them, you know? And, like someone else pointed out, I guess a cucumber is fruit. And mushroom is fungus, so I don't know exactly where that puts it. :laugh:

erickirb

Salads with tons of veggies make up a good part of my veggie diet. We also grill assorted veggies with a touch of olive oil and spices...the usual players: zuccini, squash, peppers, onion, mushroom, corn, tomato, broccoli (that's right, we tried grilling broccoli and it was deelish!). Snacks can include celery, carrots, etc. Sometimes, I make a tuna salad and eat it on a wedge of red pepper. And (finally), last night I had a large sweet potato for dinner, which was very filling, delicious, and low-cal (about 160). You could also add more veggies than usual to a sandwich, like cucumbers (or is that a fruit?), sprouts, peppers or anything else you can think up! They say fresh veggies are better than frozen, and frozen is better than canned (from a nutrient-rich viewpoint). Hope this helps!

Great idea on the tuna with the pepper! That is so going to be my lunch today...yummm!

I grill my veggies directly on the grill itself, I brush them with a mix of olive oil salad dressing and BBQ sauce.

cds2327

thanks everyone! these are some great idea!!
I think i'll go make myself a omelet with bell peppers in it right now!!

leavinglasvegas

I'm a vegetarian so getting my veggies is easy for me.

A good way to make sure your getting plenty of veggies is to do what Dr. Oz recommends. Fill your plate in four sections. Half of the plate should be veggies, 1/4 healthy carbs and the last 1/4 protien or meat.

Juicing veggies in the AM is a really good way to get in some veggies. The green smoothie, looks like sewage, but tastes like a fantastic treat!

Salads are great, just use more than lettuce. Get adventerous!

When you hit up the market each week, plan to have enough time afterwards so that you can wash all your fresh produce. Cut up peppers into strips, slice carrot sticks and celery, seperate them into baggies for quick on the go snacks. Hommus makes a great nutritious dip.

Many experts recommend having one vegetarian meal per week. If you are daring, try one vegan meal per week.

MrsFlotron

I used to have a juicer but left it in Cali I need a new one. You could get a whole days worth of veggies in a juice cocktail.
Glad you pointed out the need for veggies, thanx!

jw17695

I like veggies but my fiance doesn't. I have to sneak them in for him. If we have a pasta meal, I take out a bunch of noodles and add a can of greenbeans, If we do burgers, I take off the top bread layer and add eggplant instead. I always eat a sandwhich with multiple layers of spinach. We do lots of stir-fry type meals. Instead of putting it on top of rice I use cooked veggies. Hope this helps.

bethinagain

I NEVER use to eat veggies, now that I started this new way of eating (diet) I double my grocery of veggies so that I can prepare one of them as soon as I get home. 2 bags of carrots, 2 bunches of brocolli, 2 of eveything. I steam and/or roast 1 and leave the other for later cooking. Once I have all my steamed veggies or roasted, I put them in tupperware in the fridge and all day I snack on them. Just a minute in the microwave and spray butter (0 cal.) You can sprinkle salt lightly. I eat veggies now at everymeal and snacks because I have them prepared in the fridge already.

My late night snack tonight was:

3 oz. carrots
1/2 c Zuccini
1/2 c yellow Squash
1/2 c brocolli

Total cal. 93:happy:

pinbotchick

I like to snack on raw veges - carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, celery. These are always better with something to dip them in such as ranch dressing, hummus, peanut butter.

For dinner I steam frozen veges. The mixed variety bags are my favorite. I try to avoid canned veges due to salt.

I put lots of dif fruits/veges on my salads - mushroom, avocado, peppers, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, spinach, apple chunks, etc. Dif toppings and dif dressings keep them from getting boring.

I make soup with fresh veges.

Try baking Kale. Great tasting snack.

I also stir-fry fresh or frozen veges as main course with tofu or chicken. I look for recipes with lots of veges -

leelu

I have a tupperware container that i fill every morning before work with a mix of raw fruit and veg and snack on it between breakfast and lunch

in it usually is carrot, green beans, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and grapes, i some times add apple, pear, mushrooms, snow peas, capsicum.... what ever is in the fridge

kwardklinck

Salad or carrot sticks with lunch and veggies with dinner. I too should probably eat more but it's hard to get everything in with my calorie alottment. I just try to find very low calorie vegetables to squeeze in to my daily plan. They really do help fill you up.

Fieldsy

my girlfriend hides them in my food

epoeraven

Low sodium V-8 Juice - but I heat it up and eat like I would tomato soup.

epoeraven

my girlfriend hides them in my food

Giggle....My mom use to try this - it never worked for her.

godblessourhome

cantelope and honeydew melon keep for a long time (pre-cut), so does butternut and spagetti squash. the easiest way to get in your fruits and veggies is to have one of each with every meal

breakfast - banana, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries --> good in your cereal/oatmeal/yogurt
apple, pear, orange, grapefruit, grapes, cherries, cantelope, pineapple --> good on their own

lunch - add veggies to your salad or sandwich --> shredded carrots, cucumbers, tomatos, mushrooms, broccoli, avocado, red pepper, artichoke, corn (with black beans), jimaca, bean sprouts, potato, green beans, kiwi, papaya, dried fruit

supper - eat one of each on their own and add some to whatever you are making. for example, lasanga with hidden veggies in it (carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli celery, spinach) and a salad with apricots and broiled asparagus.

i plan out my meals each week so my fruits and veggies rotate around quite a bit. feel free to check out my menu blog if you are interested in ideas.
dawn

acakeforawife

I have a hard time with veggies because I have a hard time eating them raw (they make my stomach feel 'weird', I don't know how else to explain it! Ha ha!), and I don't always have time to cook. I've actually started microwaving my salads. BUT one awesome thing I've discovered is: Green Monsters! Also known as a smoothie with spinach! Sounds gross but you really have to try it, you CANNOT taste the spinach!

The basic recipe (that I use) is:
1 cup vanilla almond milk (or vanilla soy milk)
1 small or half large banana, (can be frozen)
2 -3 large handfuls of spinach (basically fill the blender)
ice

Blend away! It honestly just tastes like bananas and milk! And you've got two generous servings of green veggies in there. You can do a lot of variations on this too, any kind of fruit works well, and other greens like kale (though it tastes a bit stronger), I know some people add carrots, and you can mix it up with juice, yogurt, protein powder, flax meal, etc.

JennyVirginia

I too was in the same boat so I started doing small things and then it's just become a habit now. I love doing scrambled eggs or omlettes for breakfast using Egg Beaters & I always load it with veggies. Then for snacks I love doing carrot sticks or celery dipped in hummus or celery with peanut butter. Salads are my favorite for lunch so that takes care of a big chunk of my veggie intake because I load my salad with all kinds of veggies. If I don't do a salad for lunch I make sure to incorporate veggies somehow - lettuce, cucumbers & tomatoes on my sandwich; vegetable soup or just some carrot/celery sticks. I'm thinking about getting a juicer and that will help me get some good veggies. Good Luck to you - Keep up the good work!

gottalosesome2010

I ate mine mostly raw like baby carrots,cauliflower,cucumbers,sweet bell peppers and salads

sheiladderr

I love raw veggies like carrots, celery, cucumbers & green bell peppers so I usually have a small sandwich baggie of them with my lunch at work. I also love to cook fresh veggies (not frozen or canned) when I can. My favorites are broccoli and green beans. I just boil them and sprinkle lemon pepper on them. WAY YUM!

Nelski

my girlfriend hides them in my food

heyyyyy :laugh: