More fruits & veggies...but how?!!

How about smoothies?

I love fruit smoothies but you can also have veggie smoothies.

Fruit Salad

soups!


oh and this!

My daughter makes this with cranberries , i swap the cranberries for prunes either way it good! even the meat eaters in our house love this recipe..


http://heavling.blogspot.com/search/label/Butternut squash


Butternut Squash and Lentil Casserole

Ok, this is one of my absolute favourites. It has a great balance of protein to carbs, and is low in fat and - even better - low in calories. I should add that I lost weight through a combination of educating myself about nutrition and the phenomenon of calorie counting. The way our body works is far too complicated to ignorantly assume that even accurate calorie counting is a sure-fire method of ensuring that we lose weight, but it is a fantastic guideline to ensure you are eating at a defecit.

I found this recipe on CC and it sounded crazy! Butternut squash, garlic and cranberries!? But I was curious so I had to try it. Sure enough, with a little tweaking, it was a taste-bud sensation!

Butternut Squash and Lentil Casserole
Serves: 6
500g Butternut Squash
1 1/2 cups green lentils
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cloves garlic
3g thyme
400g tomatoes, tinned
100g dried cranberries
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion
1 chicken stock cube
400 ml water

Boil the lentils in the chicken stock cube and water for 1 hour.
Roast the squash in chunks in the oven for 30 mins.
Warm the oil and add finely chopped garlic and coarsley chopped onion.
Add the squash and any fluids which may have come off during roasting.
Drain the lentils, reserving the stock and adding it to the pan.
When the squash begings to break up a little, add the lentils and tin of tomatoes.
Simmer for 20 mins then add cinnamon,nutmeg, thyme & cranberries.
Mix well and leave to simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until the squash has almost completely broken down and the sauce has thickened.

227 calories per serving, 0.2g F, 0.0g SF, 44.2g C, 6.9g S, 10.1g Fb, 11.9g P

This freezes well and refridgerates for up to 3 days. I know the combination of flavours sounds crazy, I was skeptical too, but it really tastes delicious! I eat it on its own, its quite a large portion. Would perhaps go well with a small green salad, and maybe some bulgur wheat or brown rice if you fancy some starchy carbs/grains.

Opr did a show with Jerry Seinfeilds wife.. and she was showing how to cook "normal foods" but sneak in veggies. Such as making mashed potatos by adding half mashsed cauliflower - and the tasters couldnt taste the difference between the two.
When I make tacos, I always add in a large can of crushed ittalian totamatos and a large can of tom paste to my meat to get it to strecth longer and add in more veggies.
Id say check out the cookbook.

I try to precut my veggies ahead of time-- I find that I will use them more if I can get to them quickly.
I try to that on a day that isn't busy, like a Sunday afternoon/evening or Saturday morning. Also a lot of the frozen veggies work great also, as long as you check the lables and make sure there is nothing added to them (I don't buy the ones with seasonings or butters or anything like that).

I try to precut fruits also but a lot of them you have to use right away after you cut them but it works great with apples (add a little lemon juice to them and it prevents them from browning). I am interested to hear what ppl say about fruits since I have trouble getting a lot of fruit in my diet.

HOpe that helps, and good luck!

Clementines are great this time of year--I tend to have a few of them a day when they are in season. Also, I found these bare fruit apple chips that are organic, and only apples--no other ingredient--and they are awesome as a snack. You could get Wyman's frozen blueberries, or any fruit for that matter and put them on top of yogurt---a few of those a day are really good for you and really easy to just pop out of the freezer.

As for veggies--butternut squash is awesome. You can just drizzle olive oil and sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar on it, course salt and pepper and bake it. delicious. You can also squeeze veggies in when you make an egg or omelet--I usually throw mushrooms, onions and baby spinach into a scramble. Cauliflower is really good and easy too--you can just steam it, drizzle a little olive oil, and grate a small amount of fresh Parmesan on top. And then of course salads--I tend to put fruit on salads (clementines, strawberries, pear, dried fruit) and then a measured amount of cheese and sunflower seeds. A small amount doesn't add up to many calories and makes it more interesting.

Good luck!

^ I do something similar with sweet potatoes. Skinny wedges, tossed in olive oil and some smoked paprika, and baked for half an hour. Delicious!

Have you tried steaming vegetables? I used to boil them and invariably overcooked them and ended up with piles of tasteless smush on my plate. Not particularly appealing! Turns out it was the texture that I found most offputting because I really enjoy plain, steamed veg and think they taste great.

Failing that, throw them in a curry and spice the bejesus out of them

Build a better salad!

Try adding a variety of new crisp & crunchy veges to your salad. I recently started to purchase the mini bell peppers, because they're easy to add to salad and great for a snack. Same with grape tomatoes and sugar snap peas.

I didn't realize that I liked raw shredded beets and jicama, in my salad until tried them. Start out with things you can buy a small quantity of and don't add too many at one time. Choose 1 or 2 items to add to you staples. Also, when it comes to fruit, choose the smaller the sized pieces, bananas, apples, oranges, etc. Put 1-2 hard fruits, as they last longer and one berry , as they don't, on your weekly shopping list. If it looks like your berries or bananas are going to go bad before you use them, peel the banana and freeze, along with the berries, for a future smoothie.

There's nothing wrong with the chicken or feta cheese, as our bodies need the protein for our muscles and a little fat to help us absorb the vitamins in the veges.

Make snack bags filled with broccoli & baby carrots and a single serve portion of Hummus.

The Feb issue of "Real Simple" has some recipes for smoothies.

Recently, I've begun to plate my protein entree on top of a bed of mixed salad greens, instead of having a side salad and placing my carbs on the side.

1) Fruits: Eat a piece of fruit (or two) raw with every meal. Apples, oranges, bananas, pears, and berries are all relatively available all year and can be eaten raw for low calorie, high fiber ending to any meal. Try mixing berries in oatmeal, bananas with cold cereal, or sliced applies with a bit of cinnamon for breakfast.

2) Veggies: Veggies are where people struggle. In truth, for optimum health, veggies should be the centerpiece of any lunch or dinner. The problem is that, as you have discovered, there are only so many times in a week you can eat stir fried bell peppers, onions, and broccoli. Here are a few ideas for winter:
a) Soups & Stews. The crockpot is your friend. Slice up a mix of hearty root vegetables (carrots, turnips, parsnips, celery, sweet potato, etc) and throw them in the crockpot with a few cups of vegetable stock, canned beans, diced tomato, a bit of tomato paste, a dash or Worcestershire and spices. You can even go heavy on the liquid and throw in a grain of your choice (barley, bulgur, quinoa, wild rice, etc). Cook on high for a couple of hours, then low for a few more. The slow-cooker does all the work and you're left with a fantastic, hearty soup/stew packed with tender veggies.
b) Squash. Winter is a great time to capitalize on the amazing breadth of squash. There are so many creative preparations that are easily accessed online. Some of my favorites include baked spaghetti squash with a bit of low-fat cheese and Italian tomato sauce. Mix some diced tomatoes with tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, oregano, garlic, and sliced olives. Once the squash is baked, scrape out the inside and place in a baking dish. Cover with sauce and a bit of cheese and you have an amazing veggie dish packed with vitamins and fiber. Other hearty squashes are great simply baked with a few spices and/or butter (or substitute), such as acorn squash, butternut squash, or any heavy hearty variety. Simply slice in half, scoop out the guts, and bake until tender. It can be eaten as is or mixed into a variety of recipes. Also, grated zucchini makes a great addition to any pasta sauce to go over whole wheat pasta or baked polenta.

Hopefully that inspires some ideas. Enjoy the produce sections!!!