13 Shortcuts to Meet Your 5-a-Day Quota

I love veggies, but not so much fruit. Except for fresh berries. I love those added to fat/sugar free yogurt. What I really love is roasted veggies, even in the hot summer! I roast most anything, such as my faves....yellow & zuchinni squash, red, yellow, orange peppers, lots of onion, w/only a few red potatoes cut up. Some times I'll add cut up pcs of fresh green beans. I always stir the veggies up w/a tiny bit of olive oil and layer them on a cookie sheet that's been sprayed w/olive oil to prevent sticking & then roast in oven. I'm not a big soup fan, so this is how I get my daily veggies. And if I roast alot of veggies, that means easy leftovers in the fridge for the following day! Hubby, who is steak & tators type guy, loves the roasted veggies. And in hot summer, make foil packets of veggies/olive oil and put on the grill! Major yums! My biggest issue is food allergies though. I'm allergic to most fruits, even watermelon! So I have to stay away from those. And some veggies, such as broccoli, carrots and even lettuce and greens make me sick when I eat them. I love boiled cabbage, but only on days when hubby is at work as he hates the smell, lol. Even boiled yellow squash & onions are good to have in the fridge! Just reheat in the microwave. I wish I liked humus, but have never developed a taste for it. Though the recipe below for sprouted humus sounds great! - 2/26/2013 7:57:04 AM

I love carrots and hummus as well as broccoli with fresh squeezed lemon. So far, I am not tired of eating either veggie, so getting my day quota is easy! - 2/25/2013 10:44:10 AM

I also make lots of veggie soup - based on the cabbage soup diet recipe. Any cruciferous vegetable and tomato mixed together seems to be the secret to that recipe. I buy veggies on sale as much as possible, checking the produce department for clearance items, then freeze them right away until needed. I make a full pot of it, but then as I start to get tired of it that way, I'll add some instant rice or ramen noodles or add more tomatoes and turn what's left into a pot of chili, etc. For some strange reason, the ramen noodles turn this into a magical dish and is a favourite treat of mine. I'm not so worried about the lack of fibre in the noodles as the veggies more than make up for it. :D - 1/28/2013 3:12:27 AM

When I do resort to a can of soup, I'll add some frozen veggies while it heats up. I'll cook them first if they're the kind that don't cook as quickly.

One other thing I do a lot is I'll cook and chill some frozen veggies to add to bean salad. I try to keep bean salad in the fridge at all times as it's handy in a hurry or even to take on the road. Trouble is, it disappears too quickly! :D BTW, if all that fibre is more than your tummy can handle, some peppermint works wonders. Peppermint tea won't have any added sugar and if you're like me, don't care for hot tea, I make a pot of tea, mix it with a batch of lemonade and drink it chilled. I go through gallons of the stuff! :D - 1/28/2013 3:03:42 AM

Veges and Hummus: yum! I make hummus from raw, sprouted garbanzo beans. I sprout the raw garbanzo beans (per sprouting instructions from sproutpeople.org)
. I rinse and drain for 3 days, till they just begin to sprout. then make my hummus for dipping veges or using as a spread on sandwiches. I didnt realize how easy and inexpensive it is to do your own sprouts...another great way to get in your 5-a-day.
1 cup Sprouted garbanzo beans
1 Tbs. tahini
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic (more or less - to taste)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
Hot Sauce of your choosing (optional)
Mix all ingredients to desired consistency using a food processor. (Add more Olive Oil, more Tahini or hot H2O for smoother hummus)-[I personally use hot H2O] Serve.
Spread hummus on serving platter drizzle olive oil + sprinkle paprika over top. Slice cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, etc. and place around hummus or Spread Hummus on flour tortilla, top with Leafy Sprouts. Roll it up. Serve whole or sliced
- 1/24/2013 2:04:13 PM

NJC8985: I bought great green bags at Bed Bath and Beyond that are reusable and we extend the shelf life of my veggies as long as I dry them first. They are by Debbie someone I think.

As for me I get my veggies in each morning with my vitamix. It has made a huge change in my life.

The links in this article were very interesting. - 1/24/2013 12:28:50 PM

Great article I will have to fav this one! - 1/24/2013 9:54:59 AM

Stir fry is the best way I get my veggies. Uses up a lot of food in my fridge too - no more throwing rotten food out! - 1/24/2013 9:01:12 AM

I make a wonderful soup to get my veggies in! It is so easy and adaptable to anyones preferences! I use chicken thighs, simmer 4 in large pot of water til falling off the bone. Debone, strain broth. You should end up with 4-6 cups of broth. In a large stock pot saute large diced onion, celery (3-4 stalks w/ leaves), garlic (1-3 cloves to your taste). Add sliced to your style, 2-4 large carrots, 2 medium potatoes, zucchini, summer squash, fresh green beans (cut in smaller bites) and about a 1/4 of cabbage cut in bite sized peices. . Then when that all has a chance to tenderize a bit, I add one can of diced tomatoes (sometimes spicy ones like rotel) and even sometimes a can of corn. Than add the broth back into the pot. If I am adding potatoes I don't add pasta. If not I may add some pasta for body, but honestly I don't even miss the pasta when I don't have it. Love this soop! I take it for lunch and everyone always wants the receipe. (I don't always make it with the chicken either). Just let the veggies flavor it! Please feel free to make the receipe your own! - 12/14/2012 5:10:18 PM

All great ideas... - 12/14/2012 11:48:07 AM

It would be nice if the daily food tracker had a way of tracking how many servings of vegetables we have eaten each day. - 12/14/2012 9:49:36 AM

I like spinach spagetti. I take spegetti sauce that I made for the family, just a little bit of noodles (if any at all) and put in fresh spinach in place of the majority of the noodles..... Yummy - 12/12/2012 11:46:50 AM

My daughter is not a vegetable fan, she purees cooked vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, etc.) and makes a sauce, seasoned to her tastes to pour over other vegetables like cauliflower or cabbage (2 veggies she will eat), green beans, veg. spaghetti, etc. and it can also be used as topping for brown rice or chicken. - 12/11/2012 2:12:12 PM

One tip from me: I like vegetables well enough, but don't always like them plain. I cut up bite size pieces of radishes, cucumber, green pepper, onion, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, celery, etc. in a bowl and add a light vinaigrette dressing. (mine is made with a vinegar solution drained from pickled peppers, salt, pepper, herbs, onion powder, minced garlic and a low or no calorie sweeteners such as agave or honey.) You could even add flax seed or other supplements to the dressing. I also make a creamy dressing from Greek Yogurt (with similar seasonings) from time to time. Use as a dip or a dressing. I make up only what I think I can eat in a day since the vinegar solution breaks down the vegetables crunchiness over time. I have even added this mixture to my salads for lunch (I sometimes use any leftovers from the day before) or dinner and have put it into pitas or wraps and have added quinoa or rice or chicken for a full meal. It is always ready and flavored when I want or need a quick snack. I make these 'snack packs' up 1 - 3 times a week, but could be made everyday if you like. - 12/11/2012 2:03:31 PM

NJC, I have the same problem! I want to buy at the farmer's market but things are sold in bulk so some of it invariably goes bad before I can eat it ... especially if I don't want an apple or sweet potatoes at every meal. It looks like the article they linked to for storage ideas might help. - 12/11/2012 11:12:39 AM