I need to eat more vegetables,,,,,any suggestions?

raw carrots and celery with low fat ranch dip. boiled asparagus. i think i end up eating more fruits than veggies though....:ohwell:

my fav cooked veggies are broccoli, squash, zuccini, cauliflower, brussels sprouts. I don't really eat that many raw ones. I will eat a salad a couple of times a week, but it is not my favorite. Salad just SCREAMS "diet" to me. I guess I have had too many years of eating salad to try to lose weight. :grumble:

I eat them all but onions. More than 1/2 your food intake should come from veggies, you can't over eat the non-starchy ones. So yum them up!

I love baby carrots, and celery. I eat them with laughing cow cheese wedges or salsa.. it's a great way to have my salsa and crunch. (use to love chips and salsa) replaced the chips with celery and they are perfect dippers.... good luck!

Shoot for 9 fruit/veggies servings a day. I make smoothies to get mine in - use the milder veggies and greens for the base and add one to two servings of fruit and blend.

This week is 3 cups spinach, 1 kiwi, about 6 strawberries blend for me. And I try to make sure to have a veggie with every meal. Right now coleslaw is a favorite since it gets in good high fiber cabbage!

Vegetables are my favorite food group. But despite my bias, I suggest playing with spices. They make things taste great and are pretty much calorie free. For squash and zucchini, I add garlic powder and onion powder. For broccoli, lemon juice and black pepper. They always taste great and never get boring. Just avoid salt! Also, try mixing any veggies you do enjoy with those you don't. A great snack is cucumbers and tomatoes drizzled in light balsamic vinaigrette.

A great snack is cucumbers and tomatoes drizzled in light balsamic vinaigrette.

-This sounds good!!

Raw veggies make a nice replacement for potato chips etc... whenever I am craving something with a little crunch, I grab a bag of carrot sticks... I probably have about 2 servings of carrots a day!

Corn on the cob (not really a veggie - its a cereal grain... but yum!)
Green Pepper
Cucumber
Snow Peas
Salads
Beans
Mushrooms
Zuchini
Chick Peas
etc, etc....

So many choices...


When I sit down to eat, I try to fill my plate with veggies first... 2/3rds of the plate should be vegetables, 1/4 starches and the rest lean proteins. A serving of lean proteins should only be about the size of a deck of playing cards.

I also occasionally will grab a low sodium V8 which counts as a serving of veggies.

I try to get a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. It's not really all that hard when you consider the varieties available.... it's more a question of finding ones you like.

I sneak veggies in to sooooo many foods - when my kids are in their own homes and all grown up, and ask me for recipes, I'm gonna love the looks on their faces ;o)

I cook and puree them and put them in soups (makes the soup seem richer/thicker/heartier) or even gravies

I chop them in the blender and add them to meatloaf (carrots, bell peppers, onions, zucchini, squash, oats, turkey or ground beef....) and to meatballs

I LOAD spaghetti sauce with veggies, finely chopped...... and make it in the crock pot for 8 hours..... again, finely chopped carrots, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, squash, fresh tomatoes)

I do the same with chicken or tuna salad - use the finest grater and then peel/grate carrots to add to the mix with the mayo..... for the longest time, my kids thought it was cheese?????

Sneak it in - buy tons of veggies when they're on sale, and prep/freeze them..... carrots, onions, zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, squash, peas, beans, and so many other things freeze really well, and are handy to pull out and add to things as needed. Fruit is too, but we tend to eat those fresh (though strawberries, bananas, melons, apples, etc freeze well and make great smoothie or yogurt dress-ups, too!)

I love me a mountain of raw baby spinach.

Most summers I have a zucchini plant in my yard, but then when I cook it I ruin it with tons of butter!

I've only had them as rare treats, but I also love spaghetti squash and leeks.

I sneak veggies in to sooooo many foods - when my kids are in their own homes and all grown up, and ask me for recipes, I'm gonna love the looks on their faces ;o)

I cook and puree them and put them in soups (makes the soup seem richer/thicker/heartier) or even gravies

I chop them in the blender and add them to meatloaf (carrots, bell peppers, onions, zucchini, squash, oats, turkey or ground beef....) and to meatballs

I LOAD spaghetti sauce with veggies, finely chopped...... and make it in the crock pot for 8 hours..... again, finely chopped carrots, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, squash, fresh tomatoes)

I do the same with chicken or tuna salad - use the finest grater and then peel/grate carrots to add to the mix with the mayo..... for the longest time, my kids thought it was cheese?????

I do the same thing... AWESOME little trick!

I also will toss frozen peas or corn into chicken or tuna salad... nice little addition.

My fav recipe for grilled veggies: Into one of those pans with holes in it that you can put on the BBQ grill, I toss

thickly sliced zuccini
thickly sliced yellow squash
sliced bell peppers of any color
fresh mushrooms - any type
thickly sliced onion

Spray the veggies with a little non-stick spray, a tiny drizzle of sesame oil & sprinkle with garlic powder, black pepper & sea salt!
Grill until just slightly tender... delish!!

I've never met a veggie I didn't like. I serve salads with dinner most every night and have me a good helping of that to curb my appetite before digging into the main dish. I keep raw veggies cut up in a large ziplock in the fridge to snack on with hummus during the day and my kids down them like crazy too. I like to try different vegetables or new ways to prepare them...I might roast cauliflower one week and mash it another...If I'm eating a sandwich, I like to spread hummus on with maybe a slice of deli turkey and a handful of spinach, tomatoes, onions, avacado. It's like a salad sandwich:).

I make a big batch of quinoa salad and keep it in the fridge for lunch that week. Cook quinoa according to package directions, drain and rinse with cold water. Cut up any vegetables you have on hand; tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, summer squash, carrots, radishes, celery, bell peppers, blanched green beans, frozen peas-thawed or fresh, baby spinach leaves...Make a vinnegrette with lemon, olive oil, dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Drizzle a little of your dressing over the veggies and quinoa and toss. This is even better when it is leftover and the dressing really soaks in.

Put carrots, celery, onion, and spinach into the food processor and chop VERY fine to add to meatloaf, meatballs, hamburgers, or pasta sauce. It keeps your meatloaf super moist, great texture, pretty, and adds some extra veg to your diet.

I also want to suggest buying one veggie a month you've never tried. The other day, there was a squash on sale for like .39/lb so I said "I'll try it". It's called Mexican Squash (the name actually starts with a C and is long... I can't remember it) and it is green and dark green stripes. Really good.

So if it is on sale and you've never tried it... what's the harm! Look it up on the internet and you'll find so many ways to cook it you won't know which to choose.

Hugs... Happy Veggie-ing!