The other week I was visiting a friend, and she was throwing together this delicious minestrone (today’s recipe). I realised I’d totally forgotten about soups in my repertoire of recipes. If you’re anything like me, you’ll know how easy it is to get into a rut, cooking the same dishes week in and week out.

So the next day, I got to it. I went and bought all my ingredients, threw on my pinnie on and got cooking. The result was yummy and healthy and at the same time made a serious dent in my daily veg target.

It reminded me just how easy it can be to increase my vegetable intake. So I got researching and wanted to share with you 9 ways to sneak more veggies into your daily diet in an easy, stress-free, and fun way. Is this do-able? Absolutely.

Let’s dive straight in …

1. Juices & Smoothies

I’m a huge advocate of a daily greens drink as a quick way to up your veg intake in one single shot.

If you’re short on time, remember you’ve got your Pea Protein. So no excuses.

Now I do get that some folks don’t relish the taste of 100% fresh greens. So if you need a little extra sweetness and something to cut through that earthy grassy taste try the following:

• Use coconut water instead of water
• Add a dash of freshly squeezed lemon and/or lime
• Add sweeter vegetables such as carrots and beetroot
• Add freshly chopped mint
• Water it down more
• Use ice to make it extra cold

2. Lettuce Wraps

It sounds weird I know, but trust me it’s delicious and again another easy way to get extra greens.

It’s so much better for you than processed wraps, pitas, and bread. I also love the contrast of the soft filling and the crunchiness of the lettuce. And if the filling is warm then you get that delightful contrast of warm and cold.

Simply add your filling to a big lettuce leaf, wrap up and get munching.

3. Wilted Spinach

If you’re like me and find cooked spinach mushy and slimy then, you’ll love this tip.

We all know when we cook spinach it disintegrates right? And because it wilts so much that means you get a serious portion size in too.

If you’re making say a soup, casserole or sauce what’s to stop you chucking in a handful of spinach and letting it wilt down in the pot? Can’t get any easier than that.

The dish you’ve added it to will mask it, and you get your alkaline spinach in as well. It’s a win-win.

4. Soups

You can pack loads of veg into soup with zero effort. Even less effort if you use one of those prepared soup pulse mixes.

The other great thing about soup is you can make a batch, so it’s super for getting ahead and saving time.

Make sure you check out today’s recipe for Minestrone. Click here.

5. Grated Broccoli

Ok I know, another slightly odd one, but hear me out. I love this idea as it’s dead simple. Who can’t grate broccoli over a dish? You don’t need to be exactly Raymond Blanc here.

Seriously, that’s all you do i.e. grate the little midget tree pieces over curries, soups, casseroles, and salads. Voila!

6. Omelettes & Scrambles

I love my eggs first thing in the morning. Scrambled, omelettes, poached, shallow fried, and boiled with soldiers. I love them all.

Another way to increase the nutritional value of eggs is to add vegetables especially to the scrambled and omelette versions such as spinach, peppers and kale. The choices are endless.

7. Cauli Rice

Ever heard of cauli rice? I didn’t until quite recently when I was wandering through the aisles of my local supermarket. What a gem of a find 🙂

It’s a great way to replace gluten laden, processed grains, but also a great way to get the often overlooked, and over cooked poor Mr Cauli into our diets.

It’s super easy to make at home too. Simply break a cauliflower into smaller pieces and pulse it in a food processor to your desired size.

8. Side Salad

This is a classic and more obvious way to add more greens alongside your main meals. It’s simple, quick and nutritious.

You can do fancy if you want, but it doesn’t have to be that way. A wonderful rocket salad dressed with a lemon and olive oil dressing tastes wonderful.

9. Stir Frys

The choice is endless – mushroom medley, mixed peppers and Chinese-style vegetables. A cautionary note though – stay away from the sauces. Too many nasties and often full of sugar and soy. Instead, try spices, herbs, coconut oil and so on.

Stir frys have been a real lifesaver for me in my personal quest to increase my veg intake. I hope it is for you too.

So there you have it – 9 easy ways to sneak more vegetables into your diet.

If you’ve got questions or suggestions of your own, ping me an email to gaynor@www.b-fit.uk.com

I hope you’ve found this blog useful and it makes a huge difference in your health.

Love Gaynor x