What are tasty ways to add in veggies?
Great question! Vegetables are an important tool for weight management. The plate method calls to make at least half your plate vegetables at both lunch and dinner. Aside from the fact that they are full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, they are also abundant in fiber while low in calories. This is ideal because in order to lose weight one must eat fewer calories than they are using for energy. Easier said than done! When we cut out calories, hunger comes on pretty easily. Often when we get too hungry, we make food choices that are less than ideal for overall health, and we tend to overeat. But with veggies as the bulk of our meals, we can fill up on low calories and get away with a smaller portion of starch and protein for an overall calorie and nutritional balance. So in other words, vegetables add a low-calorie bulk to meals and snacks. They make you feel like you’re eating more, rather than the feeling of eating less.
Here are some tasty ways to cram in vegetables and control calories at meals and snacks.
When enjoying a pasta dish, keep pasta portion to ¾ cup cooked and add equal parts, if not more, of veggies. By doing so you will double the volume of your dish, but only add approximately 25-50 calories (whereas doubling the pasta would add up to 250 calories). You can turn any pasta dish into a primavera or cacciatore by throwing mushrooms, onions, peppers, peas, and tomatoes into marinara sauce and tossing with whole grain pasta.
Turn your wrap or deli sandwich into a salad by throwing the contents onto a big bed of lettuce. Chicken and tuna salad go great with greens. A BBQ chicken sandwich converts well to a southwestern-style salad. Chop up tomato, onion, carrot, corn and peppers and throw on top of a bed of greens then drizzle with BBQ sauce and light ranch dressing.
Stay well-stocked when it comes to vegetables in the house. Keep the freezer stocked with steamable vegetable blends. Choose varieties that are plain, rather than those in a sauce to keep calories in check. For flavor, sprinkle with your favorite salt-free seasoning blend, or drizzle with fresh lemon juice and 1-2 tsp of olive oil. For a snack, steam up a bag of California blend veggies and melt natural, reduced fat cheddar cheese on top. Plant vegetables in an outdoor garden for the gift that keeps on giving all summer long. Keep a few canned veggie options in the pantry for a pinch such as mushrooms and asparagus. A quick tip is to drain and rinse before preparing to remove sodium that was added in the canning process.
Eggs go well with veggies too! Omelets, frittatas, and quiches can increase in volume by adding tomatoes, spinach, kale, peppers, broccoli, carrots and onion. Not to mention, add to flavor and taste. A make-ahead option is to use a muffin pan to pour egg batter into. Create different options by doing a different blend of chopped vegetables into every row of cups, for example make a few spinach and mushroom blends, then some kale and sun dried tomato blends. Bake in oven and then freeze or keep in refrigerator as a grab-and-go egg muffin as part of a healthy breakfast- balanced out with a slice of whole wheat toast and fruit.
How can you increase the vegetables in your meal plan this week? Aim to include veggies at 2 meals and 1 snack per day to get the best benefits!