How do you add (Sneak) more fruits/veggies in your diet?

I have a goal of eating 5+ fruits/veggies per day. Naturally, I usually only get 3-4 in. I have found I can add fruit to my oatmeal and then I don't have to add any sugar. I make smoothies and I'm taking cool Tupperware snack cups to work and nibbling on blueberries and grapes mindlessly.

Do you have any easy/quick ways to get more fruits/veggies in your meal plan?

Thanks,
Shana
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Replies

  • BeUnique1207
    BeUnique1207 Posts: 60 Member
    I drink a fresh fruit/veggie smoothie/juice everyday for breakfast. I also, grind carrots or zucchini in the food processor and sneak that into meals. For example, I'll mix carrots into ground turkey/hamburger and you can't even taste it.
  • mygrl4meee
    mygrl4meee Posts: 943 Member
    This is the second week I am making myself buy a bag of salad mix and add tomatoes, brocolli and cuccumbers and hopefully as time goes on I will think of more veggies to add to it. have to eat it about 3 days in a row to keep the stuff fresh or throw it out.
  • ChangingAmanda
    ChangingAmanda Posts: 486 Member
    I'm still working on it. I strongly dislike the texture of almost all fruits and veggies. I'm thinking of starting to add spinach (in very small amounts) to my morning smoothie. the only successful way I've added veggies to my meals is to add a small bag of frozen veggies to my chicken & dumpling recipe. When I take the chicken out to shred, I grab the imersion blender and blend up the veggies into the broth.
  • kbeech06
    kbeech06 Posts: 328 Member
    I've never had a problem with veggies, but I'm not a fruit person unless its berries. I tend to only eat them when they're in season though. I roast a HUGE pan of assorted veggies once a week and then I either eat them cold (sounds gross I know but I really like them) or I heat them up. They're yummy in a wrap, on top of ryvita, on their own, or as a side to a main dish. Roasted veggies are my absolute favourite!
  • StrongAtLast
    StrongAtLast Posts: 137 Member
    I'm doing the "green smoothie" thing in the morning. That way if I dont' eat any other veggies all day long, I still got some in! I also make a lot of spaghetti squash...and eat it like spaghetti w/tomato sauce and Parmesan!
  • jessicawrites
    jessicawrites Posts: 235 Member
    Put spinach in pasta sauce. It loses a lot of volume when it wilts, so you can use a whole bag, and all you taste is sauce. If texture is a problem, slice it thinly. I also put spinach in meatloaf.
  • lewcompton
    lewcompton Posts: 881 Member
    I have avocado and pico de gallo on a breakfast taco to start the day... a low sodium 5.5 ounce V8 juice... salad at some point either lunch or dinner... fajitas or other stir-fry for dinner... fruit smoothie for dessert... Usually some snack of fruit or veggies during the day. I usually have three servings of fruits and three servings of veggies per day for a minimum.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    For lunch, I add a big handful of lettuce to my wrap, which is 1/2 to 1 serving. Then I have a whole banana for snack, which is 2 servings. With dinner I have a cup of green beans or broccoli or a big salad for 2 more servings. Some weeks I get an additional fruit in with an apple, orange, grapes or berries with lunch. That gets me at least 4 but sometimes 6 per day.
  • kristinlc88
    kristinlc88 Posts: 63 Member
    I put an apple or some peaches in my oatmeal every morning (I cook it in the rice cooker, so the apple gets nice and soft).
    For dinner I make some kind of "different" vegetable. For example, I've made both carrot fries and cauliflower fries in the oven, and those were really good. The boyfriend won't eat pretty much any veggie, so I have to find a way to get him to.

    I've gone so far as to grind up cauliflower and then mix it into ground turkey to make turkey burgers.

    You can also make mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes and it tastes very similar.
  • I'm having "meatloaf" muffins for lunch this week, each has a serving of zucchini it, and I serve with with a serving of spinach salad (in an oil and vinegar dressing) two veg. I am having egg salad with onion/celery, on romaine for breakfast, I have a cup of roasted veg for dinner, 2 veg.

    It is not hard to get 2-3 veg at dinner, a serving is 1/2 cup cooked, I eat the same ones all the time, roasted broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, romaine, avocado, zucchini, onion, mushrooms, and then I have a bag of frozen berries I toss into smoothies occasionally.

    What do you normally eat for dinner?
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    I have a goal of eating 5+ fruits/veggies per day. Naturally, I usually only get 3-4 in. I have found I can add fruit to my oatmeal and then I don't have to add any sugar. I make smoothies and I'm taking cool Tupperware snack cups to work and nibbling on blueberries and grapes mindlessly.

    Do you have any easy/quick ways to get more fruits/veggies in your meal plan?

    Thanks,
    Shana

    wrap them in bacon.

    done!

    :wink:
  • BlackKat75
    BlackKat75 Posts: 210 Member
    I like most fruits and veggies, but my husband is a little bit pickier. The key is finding things you like - try some things you may not have liked before - you may be surprised that your tastes have changed. Wilted spinach can easily be added to a lot of recipes, and it soaks up flavor from sauces, etc. Roasted vegetables are super easy to make and filled with flavor - I often roast peppers, carrots, parsnips, or brussel sprouts in olive oil and they're all delicious.
  • I usually make a green smoothie with kale, spinach, celery, Persian cucumber, zucchini and sweeten it with a banana, apple and a small lemon including the rind. It helps me eat a ton of veggies especially if I have a busy day and don't have time to cook and sit down and eat.
  • jilliew
    jilliew Posts: 255 Member
    I "saute" a lot of meat (without oil or with cooking spray, usually) and I find a really easy way to add some veggies is to dice an onion and some peppers and saute them with the meat. My best friend does a lot of pureeing of carrots, spinach, squash and cauliflower and adding it to sauces, soups, potatoes...whatever!
  • lodiloohoo64
    lodiloohoo64 Posts: 60 Member
    Put bits of fruit into your drinking water. I buy fresh spinach and throw the whole bag into the freezer as soon as I get home. After frozen, take out and break it up into small pieces. I put handfuls into pasta sauce or smoothies. You will not even taste it....really. I also eat cellery and carrot sticks with bean dip or peanut butter. Shred carrot into your salads and tiny bits of chopped zuccini. It makes a salad pretty and really doesn't taste bad. Also love lilc 110's idea.
  • SMK683
    SMK683 Posts: 31 Member
    Thanks for all the ideas! This should keep me busy.
  • These are two things I've done to add veggies: one, I add zucchini to tomato sauce for pasta; two, i eat a home made soup (not hard, just use store bough broth and frozen veggies and rice or noodles). oh, forgot the third thing! I saute various veggies in a little butter and olive oil, and season with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Hope that helps!
  • shaunap3
    shaunap3 Posts: 206 Member
    I started by eating veggies scrambles every morning. Zucchini, onion, tomato, mushrooms, asparagus, leeks, etc. Sauteed in a little olive oil with a TON of garlic powder and dry italian seasoning. Scramble in some eggs and YUM.
    You can add veggies to just about anything if you keep them correctly. Instead of mashed potatoes for example, make some sort of crazy sweet potato mash, or cauliflower! Top with sauteed mushrooms or onions.
    Fruits are a little harder for me. I don't care for a lot of the textures, but I try and add berries to cereal and oatmeal, all natural juice blends or fresh fruit to homemade smoothies and the occasional apple or banana for a snack in place or something else.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    Who needs to sneak them, they are delicious. Vegetarian cooking is amazing.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/848267-roasted-veggie-tacos?hl=roasted+veggie+tacos#posts-12811198
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    You could drink something like V8 vegetable juice. They make a low-sodium version.

    I like most fruits and vegetables, but that's never the first thing I think about when I'm hungry, so I'm trying to remember to do that.
  • Pick up apple, bite it, chew it, swallow it. Pick up banana, bite it, chew it, swallow it. Pick up carrot, bite it, chew it, swallow it. Pick up *fill in whatever veggie/fruit you like here*, bite it, chew it, swallow it.

    No sneaking necessary. Once you cut a lot of processed food and sugar from the diet - suddenly these foods tastes lovely raw. Or with a dash of salt (on veggies).
  • Chibea
    Chibea Posts: 363 Member
    I keep carrot slices and sugar snap peas in my fridge. If I don't have enough veggies at the end of the day, I sit myself down and eat them! Not sneaky, though. :tongue:
  • _granola
    _granola Posts: 326
    I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables because I love them, but they add up quickly when you just add them to whatever you are making. If you are eating a lot of pre-packaged food it's more difficult, but I think learning to cook your own healthy meals is a huge part of helping you stay focused and keep the weight off later.

    So, for example, if I am making scrambled eggs in the morning, I add veggies. Usually tomatoes, mushrooms, and greens (spinach, chard, or kale). Other veggies like peppers are good too. If you are making a smoothie, add fruit and greens. If you want a sandwich for lunch, add veggies (doesn't have to be just lettuce and tomato - you can add any veggies really). I even add greens, mushrooms, onions and avocado to my grilled cheese sandwiches.
  • My hubby packs me little baggies of carrots and/or fruit in the morning. It's so sweet that I have to bring them with me and eat them. Over the weekend I made some low fat banana pear muffins because I had fruit that was a tad too ripe (170 calories for 2), but everyone liked them so much they were gone by Sunday afternoon. I've also become fond of the frozen single serve veggie dishes. I leave one or two in the freezer at work and eat them when I need a serious snack.
  • ShannonECTD
    ShannonECTD Posts: 203 Member
    I <3 veggies but some days i don't eat enough of them.

    So i usually have a green smoothie for breakfast with 4 cups spinach and 4 cups romaine or 1-2Cups Kale + 1-2 cups frozen fruit and 1 frozen banana

    I love broccoli and asparagus so i usually have that for dinner and or with lunch.

    I grate up zucchini bell peppers and spinach and put that into turkey burgers or turkey muffins.
  • Green smoothies
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    I have about 3 or 4 servings of fruit in my morning smoothies, and I bring about that much fruit to work with me. For instance, in my smoothie today I had about a cup of blueberries and a cup of blackberries. In my lunch I have (had) 4 tangerines. I have 3 left, for about 5 more minutes!
  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
    I'm not great with fruits, I have an apple everyday, usually with peanut butter. And I'll eat strawberries and blueberries too, but I don't like them mixed with anything.

    But I love veggies! If you don't like them raw on their own....Add broccoli to cheese omelets. Put lettuce and tomato on turkey sandwiches or hamburgers. Add chopped celery to tuna salad. Put potatoes and carrots in stews. Add chopped red bell pepper with pasta dishes. Mix corn in with mashed potatoes -- that's a 2-in-1 right there. There are so many ways to sneak extra veggies in :)
  • litatura
    litatura Posts: 569 Member
    For me, fruits and veggies come first before the junk. I get 9 servings every day. My AM and PM snack every single day consists of a piece of fruit (2 servings), lunch is always accompanied by a container full of baby carrots, English cucumber slices, and celery sticks (3 servings), and supper is always accompanied by a mixed greens salad with berries added (3 cups of mixed green = 3 servings and plus 1 serving fruit). It's really not hard to fit into your daily diet and all that food only makes up probably about 400 calories.
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    And for veggies, when I make beans, I will put 2 onions and a bunch or 2 of garlic in them as well as a bell pepper or some jalapenos. And, in my wild rice I will put a couple tomatos, tomato puree, an onion, a bell and a bunch of garlic as well as some chipotle peppers. I used to juice regularly, but it has been a while. I am getting closer and closer to talking myself into doing it every day again...