Are you struggling to get your veggies down? Finding it hard to please your family with any vegetable? You are not alone, & to be honest, every vegetable isn’t going to be a “winner” for you… & that’s okay! Instead, branching out & experimenting with new veggies, new cooking methods, new sauces or toppings, & new products can be eye-opening. Keep reading to find some new ways to make veggies FUN again for you & your family…
- ADD MARINARA OR SALSA: These two sauces, which are typically veggie-loaded themselves, are great ways to enrich your veggies. Check for “no sugar added” options & then use them as a dressing for your steamed or baked veggies. I love marinara drizzled over a bag of cooked bell peppers & onions or a steamed broccoli, cauliflower, & carrot mix. Salsa also works well with Mexican dishes, but it pairs nicely with cauliflower rice & green beans too. Add a dash of sprinkled cheese like Parmesan to make it NEXT LEVEL!
- USE THE AIR FRYER: Veggies in the air fryer come together in half the time as the oven, & they tend to caramelize a little better. Other reasons to air fry vegetables? You don’t need as much oil as you would to roast, they tend to have more flavor due to the better caramelization, & also any veggie can be fried up. Depending on the size of your air fryer, try to get the veggies in a single layer… they’ll be tender & crisp!
- THROW IT IN A STIR FRY: Adding veggies into dishes you already love is a perfect strategy. Take a basic beef stir fry. Instead of just onions & mushrooms, try adding broccoli & carrots too. Double the amount of veggies you typically use in your shrimp fried rice, & load up on extra spinach… it cooks down a ton & you’ll easily get your dark green veggies in. Literally, any veggie can be added to a noodle or rice stir fry, so experiment with what you enjoy & try out something new.
- MAKE A BLENDED SOUP: If you don’t have a handheld immersion blender yet, invest in one! We make homemade soups all the time, which is a great way to add in tons of veggies (especially for the kids), and the immersion blender makes it SUPER EASY to make steamed veggies into a creamy creation. It is also safer than trying to transfer hot soup to a blender & potentially splattering it everywhere. Tomato-based soups are always a win, & we enjoy making creamy broccoli & carrot soup too (with extra lentils for protein).
- EXPERIMENT WITH VEGGIE NOODLES & RICE: No, these shouldn’t replace regular pasta & rice, which are GREAT ways to get quality carbohydrates in, but they are fun textures, shapes & sizes, which can be exciting for mealtime. Do you have kids that LOVE pasta night?… then serve up some zucchini noodles to pair with spaghetti & sauce. Make a batch of cauliflower rice to go with taco night. Cook up some spiralized carrots to add to your dinner salad. The veggies are still veggies, just in different forms, which can sometimes be eye-opening for adults & kids alike. Instead of making these yourself, lots of these products are sold “pre-riced & pre-noodled” in the produce or frozen sections. Hello, timesaver!!
Eating vegetables doesn’t have to be boring. Take what you know & love… then start ADDING in extra veggies. Try new frozen varieties you find in the store. Buy convenience if that means you’ll eat more. Flavor with different sauces & seasonings. Add veggies into family-favorite meals for some familiarity.
Remember, small successes build-up to sustainable habits which lead to lasting success. What vegetable tip are you going to start implementing this month?! Hit REPLY to share!
