How to Increase the Amount of Veggies You Eat Everyday

I find it very hard to consume an adequate amount of vegetables when my life is very busy. Being a full-time mom who is starting her own business and studying for a certification all at the same time makes my life feel a tad chaotic some days. In order to maintain my healthy eating habits I need to use a few strategies. This is especially true when it comes to veggie consumption.

I have two main strategies to make sure I keep eating enough vegetables. The first is blending vegetables in my protein shakes. I started this practice a number of years ago. At first the only thing I added in my shakes was spinach. And trust me when I say it really doesn't add much flavor. Cucumber can also be added without too much flavor. When I first started adding veggies I used a Magic Bullet. And it worked just fine for the easily blended spinach or other greens. Today, however, I add a lot of stuff to my shakes and my palate has adjusted to all the flavor "boosts". In fact, I CRAVE these shakes. I add all sorts of greens including kale, spinach, collards, and chard. I add small bits of beet, celery, cucumber, and carrots. Today I have a Vitamix and it was one of the best investments that I have ever made. Every smoothie is SMOOTH. (By the way, be sure to add fat into your smoothies. It has a lot of health benefits but the purpose here is for your body to absorb those antioxidants in the veggies (and fruit) more easily.)

My second strategy for increased/adequate veggie consumption is chopping up a huge batch of salad veggies and eating at least one salad every day. Today I chopped up cabbage, carrots, red bell pepper, cucumber, and celery. I've chopped enough for about 5 days. It doesn't take that much time to chop the vegetables. You can spend 30-45 minutes (depending on your knife skills) and you've got an easy meal for almost a week. I add avocado or nuts and a homemade salad dressing and I'm ready. Sometimes I also add precooked chicken strips that I get at Costco or some other protein. (True Story organic roasted chicken breast is delicious. And quick!)

Eating healthily does not have to be hard or laborious. Just find a few strategies that help you easily consume healthy foods. Veggie Up!