In yesterday’s post, I mentioned how I’m following a certain meal plan to shed a few pounds. In that post, I gave a glimpse into my breakfast, but failed to mention what the meal plan consists of for lunch and dinner. In a nutshell, it’s basically protein and vegetables. And, after having so many salads, I am bored and am in need of some more creative ways to eat more vegetables and swap out those salads.
So, if you are anything like me and need a little more inspiration, I’ve went back through all the past ways I have been creative with vegetables to share with you below.
#1) Vegetable Noodles
Vegetable noodles are one of my favorites. Zucchini, carrots, sweet potato and butternut squash can all be spiralized into beautiful, tasty noodles. You can buy your own spiralizer, like I did quite easily from retailers such as Amazon, or if you don’t have the prep time to spare then you’ll find ready spiralized vegetables in many food stores.
If the thought of swapping your usual pasta or noodles for vegetables is quite frankly unappealing then try swapping them in slowly, starting with a 75:25 split and then slowly adding more vegetables to your regular pasta or noodles until you are eating closer to 25:75.
#2) Veggie Kabobs
Roasted veggies, although delicious, can sometimes get a little boring, so spice things up a bit by making them into veggie kabobs! Veggie kabobs pairs beautifully with roasted chicken and are also always a hit for the grill.
Simply skewer your vegetables of choice, brush them with a little seasoned oil and either grill or roast until tender. Who knew that simply adding a skewer could make vegetables taste so much better?
#3) Zucchini Lasagna
Zucchini is a very versatile vegetable because it takes on the flavor of whatever it is you put with it. It also has a similar texture to soft pasta. Therefore, a great dish to try with zucchini is lasagna.
Simply swap out some of the pasta sheets for thin slices of zucchini. Once again, don’t feel like you need to make a 100% swap, start by doing a layer of pasta and then a layer of zucchini, and if you like it then slowly swap out the pasta sheets. This is also a great way to make lasagna gluten-free for those with food allergies!
#4) Veggie Foil Packs
Veggie foil packs, just like veggie kabobs are an easy go-to for a quick way to prepare vegetables. It’s also one of my favorite ways to prepare veggies when we are camping or cabin camping.
All you have to do it cut up the veggies that you would like to include, add your favorite seasonings, and a little butter or oil, wrap them in foil, and toss them on the grill. Viola!
You may also enjoy reading about our cabin camping adventure.
#5) Sneaky Vegetable Sauces
If the reason you aren’t eating more veggies is because you have a fussy eater in the house then try making sneaky vegetable sauces. For example, you can add blended carrots or sweet potato to a tomato sauce for a beautiful sweetness without any evidence, or consider adding in some blended broccoli to a herby pesto dish.
On the other hand, you may consider cauliflower for creamy sauces. No one will hardly even notice that it’s cauliflower. The trick is to blend up whatever the vegetable is so that it can easily be disguised.
Final Thoughts
After compiling all of these creative ways to add more vegetables to meals, I’m getting a bit hungry. What about you? Of all the creative ways listed above, which are your favorite?
