Eat Your Fruits & Veggies Daily Motivator
January 01, 2011
Join us in our year-long Healthy Habits program. January's goal: Add 3 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
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New Year, New You
Are you inspired to start the year off right but don't know where to begin? Remember that small changes can make a difference: Double the amount of veggies in your New Year's Day stew. In this recipe you can double the amount of kale or add chopped carrots, celery, or red pepper for more flavor and more nutritional mojo.
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Plan Ahead
Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
Pick one day a week to plan your meals and make sure to account for your vegetable and fruit servings. This adaptable broccoli recipe is a nice addition to your list: As is, it's perfect with Mediterranean-inspired pasta dishes. Swap out sesame oil for olive oil and serve with teriyaki-glazed pork or chicken thighs. The best part: it's ready in just 4 minutes.
View Recipe: Broccoli with Red Pepper Flakes and Toasted Garlic
- Find more: Superfast Side-Dish Recipes
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Back-at-Work Snack Attack
All that marathon holiday eating may have you a little spoiled. Use snacks as a way to work in fruits. Best choice: whole fresh fruit. Good choice: 1/2 cup raisins or 1/2 cup 100% fruit juice (each offers 1 serving of fruit). Not-so-good choice: Fruit-flavored pastry-only 2% of its weight is actually made up of fruit.
Read more: Where's the Fruit in Fruit Products?
Don't miss: Fruit and Vegetable Serving Sizes
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Are You Cooking for Picky Eaters?
Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
If so, meet Robin Bashinsky, Cooking Light staffer who is working hard to get his kids to eat more veggies. Our advice to him: Involve the kids in shopping. Each child picks an item for the family to try. Let them grab funny red bananas, warty celeriac, and let them experiment with new flavors.
Find more: Tips on getting the whole family to eat their veggies
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Delicious Winter Produce
Just because some farmers' markets are closed for winter doesn't mean fresh produce is out. In Carrot-Parsnip Soup with Parsnip Chips, winter root vegetables lend their complementary, slightly sweet flavors to a hearty bowl of soup. A topping of crunchy parsnip chips is an unexpected-and delicious-twist.
See more: Best Recipes for Winter Vegetables and Fruit
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How Much Is a Serving?
We all want to eat more fruits and veggies, but how much is a serving? Here are some basic guidelines: 1 small apple, 1 large orange, 1 banana, 1/2 cup raw fruits or vegetables, 1 cup of leafy greens, 1 small bell pepper, 1/2 cup berries or grapes each = 1 serving.
Read more: Serving Sizes of Fruit and Vegetables
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Don't Skip Dessert
Fruit-based dessert has the ability to offer a naturally-sweet ending to a satisfying meal, with the added bonus of an extra fruit serving. Take plain bananas and grapes and freeze for a satisfying, pop-able delight. Or dip half a banana or fresh strawberries in a small amount of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate.
Read more: Healthy Fruit-based Desserts
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Persimmons: In Season & Worth Trying
Available October through February, persimmons are sometimes compared to apricots or plums in flavor and texture, and when fully ripe have cinnamon, clove, and sweet undertones. Choose persimmons that are heavy for their size and look for fruit with glossy, firm, brightly-colored skin.
Read more: All About PersimmonsÂ
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Have Your Steak and Veggies, Too
This dish combines the best parts of a steak house dinner—the simple salad with creamy dressing and the steak—into one 5-ingredient meal. Pile on more vegetables such as celery, carrot, and bell pepper to up your daily intake even more.
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Make Today Meatless Monday
Choose a day convenient to you to leave meat out of your diet. It's a great way to eat more fruit and veggies. By eliminating meat once a week, you may reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease, support sustainability, and even come out saving a buck. These superfast Chipotle Nachos prove that meatless has come a long way.
Read more: Meatless Monday Tips
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Does Eating Out Ruin Your Diet?
Cooking Light Sales Manager, Margaret Barnhart, travels constantly and eats meals out with clients most days of the week. Our advice: Search for ethnic restaurants, if your clients are willing to try them. Chinese, Thai, Indian, and Mexican places offer lots of vegetable-based entrées and side dishes.
Read more: Meet Margaret, "The Restaurant-Goer"
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Boost Your Breakfast
Stir berries (fresh or frozen), dried fruit, or banana slices into yogurt, cereal, or oatmeal. Our Banana, Wheat Germ, and Oats recipe boasts a full serving of fruit plus the benefits of wheat germ. Every 1/2 cup of fruit you add is a serving.
Read more: Breakfast Boosting Tips
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Say Yes to Salads
Pack in the veggies by starting one meal a day with a small salad. Get creative. One cup of leafy greens + 1/2 cup of fruit or veggie toppings = 2 servings. Alternate your greens from the normal Romaine or iceberg. The darker the greens the more nutrient-rich they are.
Read more: Tips to Eat More Salads
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Dining Out Tips
Restaurant menu items aren't carved in stone. Ask and you'll probably receive. Build a pizza with more vegetables and less cheese. Add extra veggies—cucumbers, sprouts, and roasted bell peppers—to a sandwich. Substitute steamed broccoli for the fries. Don't be afraid to ask for more veggies.
Read more: 9 Ways to Dine Out on More Veggies
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Saturday Morning Brunch
Shredded carrots or zucchini visible in prepared muffins amounts to about 2 tablespoons per slice. That's nothing to celebrate. A better bet is to make your own veggie-packaged treat, like these Carrot Cake Pancakes. The vegetable serving isn't huge, but making it yourself ensures you use heart-healthier fats like canola oil, plus you're getting a little veggie bonus.
Read more: Get the low-down on vegetable-flavored baked goods
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Cram Veggies Into Casseroles
Cooking up a Mexican casserole? Add some extra peppers, mushrooms, and squash. Don't be shy with topping with tomato- and veggie-heavy salsa, either. Eggplant Parmesan? Double the eggplant. Chicken Pot Pie? Double those peas and carrots. You've got the idea.
Read more: Double the Veggies
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Love the Lettuce Wrap
Instead of bread or tortillas, make your next sandwich or wrap inside a leafy green. Stack 2 or 3 large, leafy greens such as Bibb lettuce, romaine, red lettuce, cabbage, or radicchio and pile on the fixings. Enjoy the added crunch factor.
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The Busy Mom Dilemma
Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
"I eat breakfast and lunch at my desk, dinner on the fly," says Kristi Hart, Cooking Light staffer. Sound familiar? Our advice: Make it a weekend project to prep 1 or 2 freezable vegetable dishes. Sauté extra vegetables one night, and toss leftovers into pasta dishes, soups, sandwiches, and salads during the week.
Read more: Meet Kristi, "The Busy Mom"
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Grate Your Way to Goodness
Shred or grate fruits and vegetables down, or puree them up and see how creative you can get with your favorite recipes. Grated zucchini and carrots do wonders for turkey burgers, meatloaf (like our Classic Meatloaf shown here), and meatballs, adding both moisture and nutrients to the dish.
Read more: Sneak Veggies into Recipes
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Feature a New Veggie Each Week
Try to experiment with a new seasonal vegetable (or fruit) each week. Get the whole family involved. Allow a family member to choose a new item from the produce section and add it to your meal. Cooking for one? Invite a friend or two over to try the new dish with you.
Read more: Best Recipes for Winter Produce
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Smoothie Break
Whirl up some low-fat milk or yogurt, 1/2 cup frozen fruit, and a banana for a delicious smoothie, and 2 entire fruit servings. Or try our Cucumber, Apple, and Mint Cooler for a refreshing, low-calorie smoothie that banks 1 serving of vegetables.
Read more: Healthy Smoothie Tips
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Cut Out the Crust
Our favorite fruit pie recipes get placed on the "special occasions" list for one reason: the buttery crust. The solution? Place the filling of your favorite fruit (or pumpkin, as shown) pie recipe in individual ramekins. Bake until set and enjoy a serving of warm, satisfying fruit pie without the rich crust.
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Be a Sneaky Chef
Make a mean marinara that's loaded with vegetables such as mushrooms, eggplant, onions, peppers, squash, and carrots. This versatile sauce can be used in a variety of ways to add both flavor, as well as a serving of vegetables to your day. Spoon over noodles, mix it into lasagna, spread it over pizza crust, or use it as a dipping sauce.
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Make-Ahead Meatless Mondays
As your main meatless Monday dish, make a couscous, wild rice, or other grain salad like this Quinoa Salad with Vegetables packed with seasonal vegetables. Enjoy throughout the week in wraps, over a bed of spinach, or heated into omelets.
Read more: Make-Ahead Meatless Monday Tips
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Make Your Meals Count
Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
Fernande Bondarenko, Cooking Light Art Director, admits she counts a handful of cashews and an avocado dinner some nights. Our advice: Use those ingredients to enhance a more nutritious quick dinner like chicken and broccoli slaw stir-fry sprinkled with cashews, or a black bean, bell pepper, and onion burrito with avocado.
Read more: Meet Fernande, "The Uneven Eater"
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Good Dressing = Good Veggies
A lot of the fat-free and low-fat dressings out there are full of sugar and sodium and are completely deprived on flavor. A few splashes of a good, heart-healthy canola- or olive-oil based dressings can do wonders to that bed of greens. Try making your own with our Easy Herb Vinaigrette. Make a batch to keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Read more: How to Make a Basic Vinaigrette
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Breakfast Pointers
Add peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, or onions to your eggs for a delicious omelet (every 1/2 cup is a serving), or pile the whole scramble on your favorite bread, tortilla, or bagel for a booster breakfast sandwich. Drink a 1/2 cup of 100% fruit juice with it for another fruit serving.
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On a Budget?
Check the weekly specials at your local grocery store and choose one of the items on special-they often reflect the abundance of certain seasonal produce. Find budget recipes to put seasonal produce to good use in our Feed 4 for $10 recipe collection.
View Recipe: Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Butternut Squash
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Nix the Noodles
Try spaghetti squash. The name says it all with this veggie varietal. Once baked, spaghetti squash can be flaked with a fork to reveal spaghetti like strands to offer the perfect bed for your favorite pasta sauce. Try this technique in our Spaghetti Squash Gratins with Chunky Tomato Sauce.
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Recreate the Chip
Don't deny yourself; instead, make them yourself. We've made over a classic here. Use a mandoline to cut the potato for best results; hand-cutting is less likely to produce sufficiently thin and uniform slices. If you have any leftover chips, store them in an airtight container for up to a week.
View Recipe: Potato Chips with Blue Cheese Dip
Read more: Â Make Your Own Veggie Chips
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Dig the Dip
You've taken the time to cut and pre-portion your dip-able veggies, but we don't all have time to make everything from scratch. There are some great lightened-up store-bought dips that pair perfectly with our crunchy crudités. Check the produce and deli selections of your local grocery store for available selections.