No matter your age or walk of life, just about everyone knows that we need veggies to maintain good health. But when I take a look at people’s plates around me just being nosy, whether I’m eating out or having lunch at work, I noticed that the absence of veggies is a real thing! Well I inquired about this, and one person shared with me that she’s simply not a fan of vegetables. Another person said that he’s looking to gain weight so he can work out and build muscle, and the veggies would just be taking up space. Oh my! And as for others, in my observation, they focus on the protein or carb on their plates, which they pile on, leaving no room for multi-colored or vibrant green goodness. I’m not about living that super strict life where I can never have a meal without veggies. But, if we’re talking about creating a lifestyle of healthy habits, the more frequent veggies appear on our plates, the closer to our healthy lifestyle goals we will get. So if you’re looking to make greens and other vegetables go from just a good goal to have, to a goal that you actually achieve during your workweek—and by the way, crush it(!), then follow these tips!
Satisfy Your Taste Buds
I always say, if you don’t like the food, don’t eat the food. There’s no sense in preparing food that you don’t enjoy, because food is meant to be enjoyed. So choose veggies that you like the taste of, and cook it in a delicious way! If you force yourself to eat veggies that you don’t enjoy, 1. You likely won’t stick with it as a lifestyle and 2. You’ll have this mental block where you’ll start to associate vegetables with dread, pain and disdain. So buy the veggies you like, and try out different preparation methods, using various herbs and spices to make them delicious. Try Pinterest for ideas!
Stay On Your Toes
When we get too used to a certain type of food, perhaps due to repetition, you could get bored with it and stop eating it altogether. I recommend buying produce that you haven’t tried before or haven’t had in a long while. Explore! If you haven’t had bok choy, artichoke, parsnips, broccolini, fennel, etc. Hey then why not? Try it! Also consider shopping in-season produce so you can ensure that you’re switching things up at least every season. Keep things fresh, new and exciting with your veggies.
Sign Up for a CSA
CSA’s are Community Supported Agriculture organizations that can send you a package of fresh local produce right to your door. You pay a certain amount for membership and they automatically mail the product to you as frequently as agreed when you signed up. Some CSAs deliver once a week, twice a month or even once a month. It all depends on the type of service your CSA provides. Go to LocalHarvest.org/CSA to find more information about how it works and discover the closest ones near you.
Make It The Star
When you open your fridge, what do you see? Really, what’s the first few things that you notice? Is it the tons of condiments on your door? Is it the milk on the top shelf, or the stacks of yogurt off to the side? What is the star of your fridge? Whatever hogs up the spotlight, it’s time for an up and comer to take the shine! Place your vegetables in a more prominent place where you can see them as soon as you open the fridge. The more you see your veggies, the more you’ll eat your veggies. If you pack them away in your produce draws, you’re going to forget about them, which is so common. They’ll develop mold and even that nasty liquid in its clear plastic produce bag, and you’ll have to throw them away. Instead, treat your vegetables well and make them the star of your fridge—smack dab front and center stage!
Cook A Ton
If you have already cooked vegetables in your fridge, it makes it that much easier to pop them on the stove or microwave to warm them up and plate. So do just that. Make at least 3 to 5 servings of different vegetables, then put them in Tupperware, storing half of it in the freezer and the other half in the fridge. If you know that you won’t go through them so fast, have more in the freezer than in the fridge. The idea is to always have some cooked vegetables on hand for easy access.
Add a Double Portion
If you can fit another portion of veggies onto one of your workweek meals and one less big ole scoop of the carb or extra piece of the protein, that is ideal. This helps you kill two birds with one stone, in one sitting. Say you didn’t have veggies in your breakfast that day, you can add that breakfast portion of greens to another meal. You’re essentially making up for one of the servings that you didn’t get from earlier by adding a double portion to another meal!
In this breakfast, the rice was a leftover portion of a dish from a previous day. I like repurposing leftovers if I can. One of the ways I do that with breakfast is by warming up the leftovers and plating it, then adding plenty of freshly sautéed greens along with a fried herbed egg (parsley and basil). In this case, I had rice pilaf, a fried egg, and wonderfully sautéed kale. And voila, breakfast is serviced! What ways do you incorporate greens and other veggies to your meals during the workweek? I’d love to know so comment below.
To powerful workweeks and good morning eats!
Love,
Yardley
Great content. I have had to throw out so many not so fresh greens because I forgot about them in the produce container of my refrigerator. Putting them in a more prominent position in the refrigerator definitely works. I have also been guilty of having a dinner plate without vegetables because I warmed up leftovers and didn’t want to cook a vegetable. Cooking several portions of vegetables is also an excellent idea. In the future, I will cook several servings and freeze them. Thanks for your insight.
Thank you so much Deirdre! Isn’t it so disheartening to see food go to waste? I’ve watched it happen too many times in my fridge–I’m so over it! lol! Yes, freezing is the way to go for sure! And when you do, be sure to store them in a tight lidded container keeping the air out so it lasts longer in the freezer. i.e. no freezer burn crystals. Thanks for sharing!