It can be a challenge to meet the recommended servings of vegetables each day – especially when you’re planning on one thing that specifically doesn’t include veggies in its recipe.
Try these ideas:
- Add greens to a breakfast smoothie. (Spinach and kale taste great in a fruit smoothie.)
- Use a spiralizer or julienne tool to experiment with veggie noodles.
- Substitute avocado-based pudding for your chocolate pudding.
- Add minced broccoli and/or cauliflower into your scrambled eggs dish!
- Puréed carrots or peppers and onions can make basic tomato sauce have more than one vegetable.
- Instead of munching on potato chips, make your own kale chips and lightly coat them in oil and sprinkle them with salt for additional flavor.
- Zucchini bread is a go-to for many for a reason – it helps your sweet tooth while fulfilling a daily veggie requirement.
- Veggie fries work! Slice zucchini, carrot, green beans, or avocado, and bake them until crispy.
- Grab some celery sticks, and treat yourself with almond butter and sweetener.
- Blend water, celery, and bananas for a post-workout drink (or raw Gatorade).
- Marinate vegetables with your favorite ingredients – olive oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, or all of the above!
Lastly, here’s one recipe that you’ll only be upset that you didn’t try sooner!
Sweet potato brownies use a puréed vegetable for the base, but you would never question their taste.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder (I use aluminum-free)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup organic cane sugar
2/3 cup sweet-potato puree (or one skinned, boiled sweet potato, pureed)
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square pan; set aside.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Remove pan from heat, and stir in cocoa. Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in sugar and sweet-potato puree, then egg.
Add vanilla to cocoa mixture. Then add flour mixture to cocoa mixture and stir until no traces of flour remain. Spoon into prepared pan; smooth the top. Bake until surface of brownies looks barely dry and an inserted knife comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature before serving.
You can find this recipe on its original blog “Food Loves Writing.”
