We know why we need to eat our veggies. We try. We buy all the veggies, but they just sit in the fridge until they spoil. But we want to be healthier, too, so we keep trying. Here are 12 ways to sneak them in each day – even if you aren’t a fan.

We know that we should be eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

But knowing and doing are two different things, aren’t they? So let’s get creative!

Use smoothies.

All you have to do is throw some fruits, some mild tasting greens, low fat yogurt or protein powder in a blender, add ice if you want. Blend for a few seconds and you a breakfast ready to go.

Combos that I like are frozen berries with beets, or spinach, cucumber, kiwi and protein powder.

Add to eggs.

If you like scrambled eggs or omelets, stir fry some veggies
first and then add them to the eggs – tomatoes, onions,
greens, asparagus, peppers. Or make a quiche! Have melon,
berries, or sliced cucumbers on the side.

Add some fruits and vegetables to sandwiches.

You can add some bananas, sliced apples or strawberry slices to a peanut butter sandwich, top of turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato or cucumber.

Have a salad bar at dinner.

Set out a variety of chopped vegetables, cheese, some croutons, and several choices of salad dressing. And then
just let everybody create their own perfect salad.

Drink fruits and vegetables.

Keep an assortment of fruit and vegetable juices
in the fridge and encourage everyone to drink them as a snack.

Eat dessert!

Try this for dessert. Put a small scoop of ice cream or frozen
yogurt in a bowl and top it with lots of fresh or frozen fruit.

Use fruits and vegetables as snacks.

You can cut apples into slices and then top them with peanut butter or cheese, cube cheese and serve it with grapes. Cut up some fresh vegetables and serve them with ranch dip. And of course there’s ants on a log! Spread some cream cheese or peanut butter on the inside of a stick of celery and sprinkle with raisins.

Try some new fruits and vegetables.

Pick something exotic. You could try artichokes, plantains, papaya, mango, starfruit, or anything else you can find in the produce department at your local store.

Make a pot of vegetable soup or a stew that’s heavy on veggies.

If you don’t like the texture of the vegetables, blend them and make it creamy.

Buy sliced.

If the part you really hate is the prep, spend a little bit more
and buy sliced versions of the fruits and vegetables in your
store.

Spice it up!

Use dressings, sauces or spices that you like with your cooked veggies. Some people are going to say that adds extra calories and that’s true. But if you’re getting the vegetables in, you’re still getting all of the micronutrients with those extra calories. Over time you can learn how to make these same dishes with a little bit less of the sauce.

Stir fry or kabab.

Make veggies a little less boring by using more stir fries
or making kababs.

BONUS TIP

For a bonus tip, this is a lifesaver for me. I avoid prep altogether on busy weeks and I buy bags of frozen vegetables. There are tons of variety of combinations when you cruise that frozen food section. I like the fiesta blends that mixes veggies with beans.