Getting all your veggies in can be a challenge. Here are 5 creative ways to add more veggies to your meal plans!
I would say it is common knowledge that increasing nutrient dense vegetables into your diet is pretty important.
But, I know from personal experience, incorporating 2 cups of vegetables at both lunch and dinner (my daily goal!), can be a challenge.
A person can only eat cut up raw veggies and lettuce salads so much, right?!
Here are some of the creative ways that I have managed to successfully add more veggies into my weekly meal plans for me and my family!
Swapping traditional rice for veggie rice.
Veggie rices are vegetables cooked to mimic rice!
I am seeing that vegetable rices are becoming more popular and they are popping up in little bags in the produce section at grocery stores!
I will prep my own cauliflower rice (using this method) in a food processor, but I also use my spiralizer to turn veggies into noodles, and then pulse them into rices. Here is how I do that (with rutabaga as and example).
Interested in giving veggie rices a chance? Here is some more inspiration for putting vegetable rices on your weekly meal plan:
- Chili Garlic Cauliflower Fried Rice
- 10 Minute Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Butternut Squash Rice with Bacon
- Mexican Sweet Potato Rice
Veggie Noodles
Getting a spiralizer to turn veggies into noodles was easily one of the best decisions I have made!
Did you know you can spiralize TWENTY types of produce into noodles. I have a whole post plus a printable here on this topic!
It is amazing how easy it is to incorporate so many more vegetables (and reduce your starchy carb intake) when you get a spiralizer!
Ready to get spiralizing? Check out my favorite ways to swap in veggies noodles:
Hide them in all the things!
I am known do to this all.the.time.
It's sneaky this, and sneaky that to get veggies into anything I can.
I sneak veggies into meatballs and meat sauce and lasagna every time I make them!
Wrap and Roll Em!
The easiest way to use veggies as a wrap is to use lettuce... but I have also seen collard greens as a wrap.
You can get even fancier like me and get a veggie sheet cutter and turn veggies into sheets and use them as a swap for tortillas, like I did here with my Sweet Potato Breakfast Roll Ups or Carrot wraps.
To make veggies into sheets, you do need this Kitchen Aid Veggie Sheet Cutter Attachment.
Feeling ready to wrap and roll...your veggies... here is some more inspiration for you!
Switch your thinking to - veggies with a side of protein, not vice versa
When thinking of my meal plans, I will often start with the veggie as the main, and the protein as the side.
This can be a tough thing to shift into.
But, doing this makes the veggies the star of the show, all while getting your proteins in too!
To do this, I will often check out vegetarian recipes, and then add 6oz meat as a side.
So there you have it, 5 ways to switch it up and be creative in adding more veggies into your meal plans!
Have you tried any of these ways in your meal plans yet?
Cayley says
These are phenomenal ideas! I'm crazy about the genious behind how to make veggie rice!!