English: veggies (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
There are so many things to love about June and here at Fill Your Plate, one of our favorite things is National Eat Your Veggies Day which is celebrated on June 17th. There is no question that we love vegetables, especially those grown on local farms by our Arizona famers. Veggies are low in calories and packed with nutrition. They support a healthy lifestyle, protect against diseases like cancer and heart disease, and fill us up with vitamins and minerals. Eating locally grown veggies also supports our local economy and the farmers right here in Arizona that help ensure we have access to low-cost, high quality food.
There are so many great reasons to eat at least the minimum number of recommended servings each day, we think every day should be Eat Your Vegetables Day. Here are 8 great ways that you can celebrate National Eat Your Veggies Day any day.
1. Dress Up Your Salad
Salad is a great way to get a ton of veggies into your day. By adding color, texture, and crunch, veggies can turn a bowl of lettuce into a delicious, nutritious, visually appealing meal. Chopped, sliced, slivered, or even sautéed, veggies are what make salad more than just food for rabbits.
2. Grill Them Up Good
You can cook almost any veggie out on the grill. Whether you choose to wrap them in foil or roast them right on the rack, grilling makes everything better, even veggies.
3. Eat them Raw
One of the best things about veggies is their versatility. Many veggies are just as good raw as they are cooked. Slice them up with some veggie dip or hummus for a quick, crunchy treat.
4. Do Dessert Differently
When you think of dessert, it is unlikely veggies are at the top of your list of ingredients, but you would be surprised at how good veggies can be when paired with something sweet on a dessert plate.
5. Add Them in All Over
One great way to get more veggies in your day is to add them to anything you can. This means mixing in some chopped ones with egg whites for a breakfast omelet, adding them to your sandwich, burger or salad at lunch, and filling your dinner plate with as many as will fit.
6. Be Sneaky
You can add pureed veggies to all kinds of places and no one will know the difference. From pasta sauce to brownies, look for any opportunity to sneak some veggies into meals your family already loves.
7. Get in the Garden
There is nothing better than fresh grown tomatoes with a little mozzarella cheese or the flavor of peas that you grew yourself. Get everyone in a veggie state of mind by creating a little kitchen garden where you grow some of your family’s favorite veggies all year round.
To implement these steps into your daily diet, check out our fabulous list of recipes made with delicious veggies on Fill Your Plate’s recipe section.
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