Fruits and vegetables are the fountain of youth. Some might say, anyways. I know I do. I remember this guy came and gave a BYU devotional a few years ago and he was like in his 90’s and he looked maybe 50. I wish i could remember his name…but I can’t. However, his devotional was all about staying healthy, exercising, and eating right. It was awesome. The best part about it? He was living proof of what he was preaching. He said he eats something like 15-20 servings of fruits and vegetables every single day; some awesomely ridiculous number. I would definitely agree that there is a correlation between your diet and your quality and longevity of life, it’s been scientifically proven.
As I have mentioned before, my mom has always been a great advocate for healthy eating and always provided a lot of veggies and fruits for us to eat growing up. I remember one time my family was at dinner a year or two ago, and my mom made THIS Italian Vegetable Bake. My brother-in-law was dying because he counted like 14 different vegetables in the dish. He kept commenting on how not many people can’t even manage to get one serving of vegetables in at a meal, let alone combine 14 vegetables. The best part about it was, everyone, (even the little kiddies), loved the veggies. It’s become a favorite dish of my family’s. Vegetables don’t have to be gross if you take the time to find ones you like, and find ways to prepare them so you enjoy them. Don’t give up on them after the first try!
Vegetables are low calorie, full of fiber, filling, and chalked full of tons of vitamins and minerals that will increase your overall health. So, my challenge for you today is to see how many vegetables you can fit into one meal! I know some of you eat like PRO’s and I want to see it! What are your best ways of getting veggies in? Your suggestions might be beneficial to helping others become veggie lovers too!
Here is my example for today…
For lunch I made a salad:
The salad had
1. romaine lettuce
2. spinach
3. green peppers
4. cucumbers
5. broccoli
6. beets *my mom will DIE when she see’s I actually chose to eat these. They are a new love.
7. carrots
I also added some garbanzo beans, mandarin orange segments, and 1/4 cup of cottage cheese on top. It was SO good. I also ate a cinnamon sweet potato muffin with it, so I’m counting that as a veggie as well. That puts me at 8 total for the meal. Not bad, but I’m sure I can do better. I’m sure you probably already DO better. So show me. PROVE IT. Leave a comment about your favorite ways to get veggies in or feel free to email me a picture. (megolina21@gmail.com) I want to use your fabulous suggestions to help out other readers. We’re all in this together folks.
I had a vegetable soup that I made a huge batch of on Saturday with stuff I had on hand with turkey stock I made with leftover turkey. It had celery, tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, cannelini beans, spinach, red and white onion, and cauliflower. I tossed in some bulgur after it cooked.
My 2 favorite ways though are giant stir fries and random “clean out the fridge” salads.
I remember that devotional! Seriously, amazing. Your salad looks so good. I love throwing all my produce i a bowl and calling it salad. When do I get to see you??
green smoothies. i just put everything in a blender and drink
Good suggestions! Megan, I am so proud of you! Your salad looks amazing! I love beets, and especially in salads or salad bars!
Awesome post. Really enjoyed reading your blog posts.