10 Genius Ways to Make Everyday Fruit & Vegetables Extraordinary

Featured Article, Healthy Meal Ideas, Healthy Recipes and Nutrition, Nutrition
on June 7, 2016
cooking with fruit and vegetables
HelloFresh
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What’s the best way to eat heathier? The familiar childhood mantra likely echoes in your mind: “Eat your fruits and veggies!” However, taking in those healthy fruits and vegetables is easier said than done. After all, if it were a cinch, everyone would get in their recommended daily servings, and the research alone states that this is not the case.

“With less than 14% of Americans eating the recommended servings of 2 fruits and 3 vegetables daily*, we should think beyond the typical salad bowl to incorporate more fresh produce into our diets,” says Rebecca Lewis, in-house RD at HelloFresh, a leading meal kit delivery brand. “With so many delicious foods in season during the summer, it’s the perfect time to get creative in adding more color, nutrients and flavor to our meals.”

Rebecca’s shares her top 10 tips for incorporating more fruits and veggies into your diet below, so you can embrace healthy, easy and flavorful meals without the struggle of planning your meals around traditional cold salads. To get started, put her advice to the test with some of our favorite fruit- and veggie-packed recipes—your body (and your taste buds) will thank you!

 

10 Tastier Ways to Get in Your Fruits & Veggies

  1. Use the Grill: Summer BBQs are not just for burgers and dogs. Hardy summer squash, zucchini, and eggplant all taste delicious when infused with the smoky flavor of the grill. There’s no better (and easier) dessert than grilled peaches, nectarines, or plums to caramelize the sugars and create a frenzy of sweetness!
  2. Make Kebabs: Whether you’re baking or firing up the grill, adding bell pepper, onion or pineapple to your shrimp, chicken or beef skewers makes for a beautiful and delicious kid-friendly feast.
  3. Roast Them: Nothing’s easier than chopping your favorite veggies, tossing them with olive oil and herbs, and simply letting them roast in the oven for 20 minutes for a flavorful dinner without the hassle. An added bonus, your home will smell amazing!
  4. Make Noodles: Spiralize zucchini, carrots, beets, cucumbers or sweet potatoes into noodles for a healthy and easy pasta swap. Not only are they delicious, they also make for a gorgeous Instagram!
  5. Mix it Up: It’s easy to eat spinach when it’s blended with fruit, like half a banana or piece mango, and a touch of plain yogurt or milk. Perfect for after a sweat-inducing workout, green smoothies provide you with healthy carbs and loads of nutrients.
  6. Freeze Them: Buy fruits & veggies at their peak of freshness and freeze them for later. They retain all their nutrients and save you money by buying in season. My favorite is to blend frozen bananas with almond milk for a healthy twist on ice cream!
  7. Bake with Them: While baking, swap a ½ tablespoon of avocado for 1 tablespoon of butter or swap applesauce, mashed banana or pumpkin puree for oils to reduce the amount of fat. Also, try adding black beans to your next brownie batch for some added protein—no one will ever know!
  8. Be Sneaky: If you have a picky eater, grate up veggies like zucchini or carrots to add to your meatballs, tomato sauce or even muffins—you won’t see or taste them! You can also make hummus a pretty pink with some beets, or add kale to your next batch of pesto.
  9. Make it Easy: Make eating fruits and veggies easy by also keeping some washed, sliced and ready-to-go for an easy snack. Even better, pair berries, bananas, apples, carrots or celery with your favorite nut butter for a fiber- and protein-filled snack!
  10. Still struggling? Try a meal kit delivery service like HelloFresh! With 40-60 different types of produce and 20-30 herb and spice varieties each month, HelloFresh is an easy way to try different fruits and veggies with easy-to-follow recipes that will make them delicious.

 

Now, put these expert tips to use and get your nutrition fix with this mouthwatering recipe from the pros at HelloFresh:

Blistered Corn & Salmon Salad

Blistered Corn and Salmon Salad | Spryliving.com

HelloFresh

Charred peaches, feta and a cumin-coriander vinaigrette marry beautifully in this bright, warm-weather salad. Get the recipe here!

 

Zany for Zoodles: Trending Zucchini Noodle Recipes

Spry Living|Trending Zucchini Noodle Recipes

Joyful Healthy Eats

Break out that spiralizer—zucchini noodles are a fresh and nutrition-packed supplement to traditional pasta dishes. Get the recipes here!

 

10 Cucumber Salad Recipes for Summer

Top Cucumber Salads for a Healthy Alternative

These light takes on bright cucumber salad ditch the traditional mayo without sacrificing a smidgen of the flavor you love. Get the recipe here.

 

*CDC.gov State-Specific Trends in Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Adults United States, 2000-2009