Happy New Year!
I’m right in the middle of Sarah Klein’s 30-Day Health Challenge and, knowing that improving health is a common focus this time of year, I decided to share 5 easy ways that I personally get more veggies into my family on a regular basis.
First, though, let me make one thing clear. In my experience, my kids are about as interested in veggies as I am. If I’m lovin’ them and eating them up with total pleasure, it rubs off on my kids.
How my love for veggies has rubbed off on my kids
Recently, I began eating veggies for breakfast and snacks. This morning, I had steamed cabbage topped with coconut oil, ground flax seeds, and two kinds of sprouts that I sprouted at home. It was delicious!
And, you know what, my three-year-old asked for sprouts and grabbed a little fist full of them and ate them all up! And she loved the cabbage, too. Awesome!
Last year I discovered that I love cucumbers. Yes, they usually taste good, but I found that they make me feel wonderful! So, I often try to eat a cucumber a day. And I talk about how much I love them and how great I feel when I eat them, and … now my 10-year-old requests cucumbers for snacks very regularly. And the other girls love them, too.
No manipulation involved, just pure love for my veggies rubbing of on my kiddos.
Now for the tips!
Tina’s Tips for Vegifying the Family
1 – Put out veggies and dip for appetizers. When people are hungry and something is out, as long as it’s not revolting, they’ll probably eat it! And there’s something about dip that makes eating veggies fun. I try to eat whole foods as much as possible, but since the dip gets my kids to happily eat more veggies, I make good use of it. My favorite easy and pretty healthy dip is organic mayo and Mrs. Dash seasoned salt. I just stir them together and put them out with the veggies and let the family go at it while I finish up dinner.
2 – Eat veggies for snacks. As I mentioned, cucumbers are a well-loved snack at our house, and my kids are getting known for them at school, too. My oldest girl regularly takes a cucumber to eat between school and her after-school running group. She was spontaneously voted as “the person with the healthiest snacks”, which was really fun for her.
My kids participated in a summer camp led by a yoga teacher and health coach and she was so impressed that my daughters brought whole cucumbers for their snacks. She asked me how I “got them” to eat cucumbers, and I was caught off guard. I didn’t “get them” to do it. They do it because I do it and they found that they loved cucumbers, too!
Other great veggie snacks are veggies and dip, bell peppers, carrots, celery, or any veggie dipped in homemade spinach-almond pesto. Here’s the basic recipe I started with and my personalized recipe is at the end of this post. It is SOOO good! Sauerkraut is also a great snack, though I admit, it took me some getting used to before I really liked it. Now I love it and eat it almost daily. Yum!
3 – Sneak in veggies by blending them and adding them to soups and stew and thick sauces. I blend cauliflower, peeled zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, peas, and spinach, and add them to stuff. They all go in chili bean-type soups really well. I put the lighter colored ones in curry, homemade soups, and canned soups. Basically, anywhere I can add them in easily, I do it. I sometimes steam and blend a bunch of squash and then freeze them in ice cubes for later. Then I just pop a cube or two in some soup when it’s time. I love sneaking in veggies, and my family never even notices! If you want more info on this technique, I recommend checking out Missy Chase Lapine, the Sneaky Chef.
4 – Sprouts! Sprouting is fun and easy. The kids love to watch them grow. And as they watch me happily eat them, they want some, too. I put sprouts on salads, steamed vegetables, sandwiches … and I sometimes just eat them straight. My favorites at this point are alfalfa and lentils.
Here’s how I do it in a nutshell: I have a wide-mouth pint jar and a plastic sprouting lid that has holes in it for air circulation. I dump 1/4 cup of seeds in the jar, cover them with warm water and let them sit all day or overnight. I put them by my kitchen sink so I remember to drain the water after they’ve soaked for at least 8 hours. Then I rinse them 3-4 times a day and lay the jar on its side after draining all the water each time. I watch for the sprouts to get about as long as the width of the seed for lentils and about 3/4 – 1 inch long for alfalfa sprouts. In 3-5 days, they’re ready to eat. I love them on salads or just as snacks. And my family loves them, too!
5 – Make salads ahead of time. I LOVE to make salads in a jar. I generally prep my meals once a week and just make either one huge salad that I eat all week or several salads in a jar if I want variety. It makes eating veggies simple and easy when the time comes. Just put the heaviest things in the jar first – nuts, carrots, celery – and then add the lighter things and, if there’s still room in the jar, add the greens. If not, when you’re ready to eat the salad, put the greens on a plate and then dump the toppings on the greens. Add a little dressing and enjoy your seriously healthy faster-than-fast food.
Pseudo Pesto Recipe for Dip or Salad Dressing
1 cup olive oil, highest quality possible- 4 cups spinach (or half and half spinach and another green like kale, basil, or cilantro)
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup almonds or whole-ground almond meal
- 1 – 2 cloves whole garlic
- 6-8 drops doTERRA lemon oil (or the juice of one lemon)
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
Blend all but the nutritional yeast until well blended. Add the nutritional yeast until the consistency is very thick. Makes 2-3 cups.
Health and Family Home Evening
What does this have to do with family home evening? Well, for lots of moms, watching their kids eat healthy foods gives them peace of mind and reduces their stress. And less stress always contributes to …
Happy Home Evenings!
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