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Tag: nutrition

Not Your Ordinary Veggie Tray

Written by novagiant on . Posted in Wellness.

When you’re asked to bring an appetizer or specifically a vegetable tray to your next gathering considering adding in a few different bright colored veggies. A typically line up for snack veggies is carrots, celery, cherries tomatoes, and broccoli. While these are very nutritious and great options for a snack, there are also some other colorful foods you could add to the selection.

• Consider thinly sliced beets. Spring beets come in many different varieties. When you cut a raw beet in thin pieces it can provide a crunchy option for dips and hummus.

• Jicama is a slightly sweet unique vegetable that has a celery-like consistency.

• Heirloom cherry tomatoes are a great summer option. They come in different shapes and multiple colors to liven up a vegetable platter.

• Asparagus often gets overlooked when it comes to veggies that can be eaten raw. However thin asparagus stalks are a perfect anytime snack choice.

• Endive leaves are a delightful crunchy option for creamy dips and scooping guacamole.

Don’t limit yourself to a store-bought veggie tray. Selecting your own produce allows your offering to be more nutritious, colorful and fresh.

Eat More Vegetables

Written by novagiant on . Posted in Wellness.

The world of nutrition and fitness has multiple different approaches and opinions, but one thing everyone can agree on is vegetables are a vital part of living well. Veggies can improve your health if you incorporate them into your meal plan on a daily bases. However, that is part of the challenge. Many people find vegetables hard to cook and lacking in flavor. So when you hear that you need to eat vegetables everyday and we need to add more of these super foods to our diet we start to dread what that might involve.

Here are a few easy ways to eat more veggies.

  1. Try a new vegetable based recipe. Scan the web for appealing photos of vegetables, and test out a new way to prepare a veggie you enjoy.
  2. Add extra vegetables to an existing recipe. It’s easy to add extra veggies to a soup or hot dish. Also try adding vegetables to a non traditional recipe like homemade meatballs or meatloaf. You can add minced carrots, cauliflower or broccoli to these recipes.
  3. Try a veggie smoothie. You know you need more greens but the thought of eating another salad is nauseating? Try a spinach, frozen berries and almond milk smoothie.
  4. Make a veggie bag. The prep work for vegetables is usually what keeps people from eating them. If you can set aside one day to wash, chop and prep your veggies you’re far more likely to get your needed 5 plus veggies servings each day.