I will admit. I was in a rut.
Between work and family life my meals were starting to look blander and blander. I was cooking out of necessity and convenience. Unfortunately, the items that were being consistently left out of my meals were the vegetables.
As a dietitian, I know that vegetables are important and excellent sources of fibre (the stuff that helps not just to poop but also to stabilize your blood sugars) but also vitamins, minerals, and other anti-inflammatory and antioxidant phytochemicals. Yet, day after day I found myself preparing meals with little to no vegetables.
So this is how I got back on track to not only eating more vegetables but actually looking forward to them.
1/ Consciously planning the vegetables for each meal
Who is guilty of last-minute panic grocery shopping for dinner that is due in 15 minutes?
Meal planning is by far the most important step in not only consistently preparing nourishing home-cooked meals but also ensuring that they are balanced with all the food groups, vegetables included.
TIP: Take one day of the week to sit down, and map out the meals for at least 5 days. Follow the balanced meal plate guide to keep track that all food groups are being accounted for. Making up your grocery list from your 5 meals will make you 10/10 more likely to purchase said vegetables at the grocery store.
TIP: If you lack inspiration, look at what is in season or what is on sale at the grocery store.
2/ Opt for some frozen or quick/no-prep vegetables
Life gets hectic and sometimes (especially that lunchtime rush), I find I can only handle easy no-prep vegetables, literally the grab-it and plate-it kind.
TIP: Keep on hand some little to no effort vegetables:
Boxed salads like spring mix or arugula make it super quick to add a side salad to a meal
Cherry tomatoes (quick rinse and you are good)
Little cucumbers (wash and chomp)
Frozen vegetables (washed, peeled and chopped! These are great for cooked meals and can offer you an inexpensive way to get more variety, especially in the winter months).
3/ Prep the vegetables the day you buy them
Worse than forgetting to buy vegetables, is actually letting them go bad because you were too lazy to wash and peel them for supper. This was literally my main problem. So, knowing the prep was my main obstacle in actually using the ingredient, I decided to tackle the issue at the beginning. This step became the biggest game changer in getting me to actually eat more vegetables.
TIP: Wash and chop all the vegetables that will be used within the week. Place in individual containers or store in humid towels (ex: for herbs or greens) to keep them fresh until it's time to use them up.
TIP: Keep an assortment of “crudité” vegetables like cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and peppers in a dish. This can encourage more vegetable snacking.
4/ Batch-cook vegetables
Do I need to reiterate my laziness? The more I can consolidate steps together the more time I have for the things I really enjoy. Batch-cooking is a great way to get multiple meals cooked at once.
TIP: If the oven is already on, put another tray of vegetables to roast. This can save you time if later in the week you have a recipe that can benefit from pre-cooked vegetables. Common staples can be soup, roasted vegetables for a quiche or pasta dish, or simply a quick side dish for a more mezze /tapas style supper.
I hope these tips can help you start getting more of your “greens” in! I would love to hear from you to see if you have tried any of these tips above. Until next time!
Natalia