Most of us know that we have to eat seven to thirteen servings of fruits and vegetable everyday, but knowing and doing is the challenge here. We are all so busy and consistently tempted by convenience and junk food all around us.
If your family would rather fill up on a bag of chips or junk food instead of trying an apple or a plate of steamed broccoli, then it's time to get creative. Here are a few ways to "sneak" in some extra fruit and vegetable into your family's diet.
1. Start the day with a smoothie for breakfast. Throw in some fruits and maybe spinach with some organic whole milk Greek yogurt (has more nutrients than low fat or fat free) and ice into a blender. You can also add a scoop of vegan protein powder for extra vitamins and minerals. It takes seconds to blend and is quick and simple to do that the whole family can help make. Great for families that are busy and need something on the go.
2. Cut up fruit and vegetables as a snack. This is great for anytime of the day. If you dice it up the night before and leave it in the fridge it's quick, convenient and healthy as a grab and go and at home snack. You can add fruit to your cereal or yogurt in the morning or pack it as part of your child's lunch. For a snack you can serve vegetables with a dip like hummus, ranch, peanut butter. Ants on a log is a fun snack for kids when you spread some peanut butter on the inside of the celery and sprinkle some raisins on top. You get both fruit and vegetable in one snack.
3. Add fruit and vegetables to your family's sandwiches. You can cut up some bananas or strawberries and add it in to a peanut butter sandwich. Top a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, cucumbere and anything else they might eat.
4. Have a salad bar at dinner. Set out a variety of chopped vegetables, fruits, cheeses and several choices of salad dressings and let each person create their own salad.
5. Try this for dessert. Put a small scoop of ice cream or froozen yogurt in a bowl and top with lots of fresh or froozen fruit.
6. Make a pot of vegetable soup that's heavy on the vegetables and light on meat. Great comfort food when the weather gets cold.
7. Try some new fruits or vegetables. Pick something exotic to get your family's curiosity. With a little luck their curiostiy will outweight the initial apprehension to try something new.
Now that every in the family has gotten a taste for it, make sure you have plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables on hand for the whole family.