With bikini season approaching, we all feel like we should start eating healthier or turn to some sort of health kick. However, many of us aren't sure where or how to start healthier habits. For me, eating nutritious foods is a lifestyle and incredibly important for feeling healthier and happier. In order to do so, here are some ways to sneak more veggies into your diet.
Although, many people hate the taste (or thought) of eating vegetables, they are essential for healthy living. Lucky for us, there are many ways to mask the green look and taste by incorporating them into some of the tastiest and easiest recipes.
Smoothies
The most obvious and, in my opinion, delicious way to pack veggies into your diet is by adding them to smoothies. Not only are they super refreshing, but they also can provide you with multiple servings of fruits and vegetables. Although many think smoothies are only made of fruit, adding vegetables (especially frozen) can really step up the flavor, consistency, and nutritional content.
My favorite way to add more green is a handful or two of spinach. Even though you won't be able to taste this leafy green, it's a significant ingredient that adds tons of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, without sparing any calories. Adding frozen veggies such as sweet potatoes or any kind of squash gives a new level of sweetness and texture to smoothies. They provide a taste that mixes well with the fruit and offers even more nutritional benefits.
As weird as it sounds, frozen cauliflower is a perfect way to pack more fatty acids and vitamins in. The flavor is hidden by the sweetness of added fruits and, when frozen, thicken up the smoothie.
Veggie Noodles
My absolute favorite way to eat my serving of vegetables is in noodle form. There's something so amazing to me about spiraled veggies - they offer a perfect sub for any carb-overloaded dish. If you're not prepared to ditch the pasta completely and go full-veggie, it is totally acceptable to cut the carbs in half and add in zoodles for a 50/50 mix.
Last Christmas I was given the gift of a lifetime: The Veggetti. Yes, this "As Seen On TV" product seems like an odd gift to give to a dessert-loving college girl, but I embraced the health freak from within me and tried it out that night. Not only does it exceed all expectations by perfectly turning any vegetable into a perfectly twisted noodle, but it turned me into a zoodle loving and making pro.
Online, you'll see that zucchini is definitely the most popular option, but there are many other veggies you can use. Other options are sweet potatoes, beets and even carrots. Just sauté the spiraled noodles in a pan with some oil, adding sauce, cheese, or anything you desire, and they will loosen up and resemble normal pasta.
Oatmeal
When finding more ways to add veggies in your diet, oats can be the best way to start off your morning. Simply grate half a zucchini into your morning oats, microwave or cook on the stove as usual, and watch the zucchini absorb the flavor and mix right in. There's no trail of the veggie taste, so you're left with your normal and even creamier oats. It's the perfect way to add more nutrition to your morning without even noticing. Sweeten up your #zoats with honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar, then add some fruit and healthy fats like nuts or nut butter, and now you have yourself one hardy, day-starting meal.
Desserts
As ironic as it seems, some of the best dessert recipes can contain vegetables and legumes. The last time I tried out a recipe, my mom unknowingly ate black bean brownies without tasting the difference. The blended beans offer a texture similar to brownie batter and taste almost identical once sweetened and baked.
My favorite healthy brownie recipe is made from sweet potatoes and tastes just as fudgey as the real thing. Another substitute for sweets is using chickpeas to make the newest dessert trend, edible cookie dough. The garbanzo beans replace eggs and flour and provide the perfect texture for the treat when pulsed in a blender or food processor.
Other great and equally delicious options are cauliflower rice, zucchini fries and red velvet (beet root) cupcakes.
A healthy lifestyle starts with healthy eating. Finding delicious ways to eat veggies seems like a hard task, but they definitely have more versatility than many think and can act as the perfect replacement to all kinds of unhealthy foods. Remember to grate in some greens next time you find yourself making your morning bowl of oats.