Tips for Eating More Veggies (And a Produce Basket Giveaway!)

We know: you wish this was a post with tips for eating more chocolate! But it’s green beans, not cocoa beans, we need more of! Today Pam from Family Farm Fresh is sharing her tips for eating more veggies and giving one lucky reader two hand-delivered baskets of farm fresh produce!

Pam: When I started working at Family Farm Fresh nearly 8 years ago, I had little experience with vegetables. Everything I grew up eating came from a can. Customers were asking me questions: How do I cook that? How do I store that? What does it taste like? 

Some veggies I had never even heard of before! I had to set aside some pre-conceived ideas about certain veggies and learn as much as I could, fast. I quickly learned fresh vegetables are delicious and are actually easy to prepare.

Here’s my list of tips for those who are trying to eat more veggies:

1. Put your produce where you’ll see it. This is not the veggie bin on the bottom of the fridge where it will become a mushy mess. Put them on the top shelves where they’ll be visible and serve as a constant reminder to eat your greens.
2. Pre-chop as often as possible and store in grab-n-go containers. You’ll be more likely to toss them into your lunch box, salad, stew, etc. I’m a working mom, so I know busy!, but spending an hour cleaning and chopping to prepare for the week’s meals is totally worth it. You can even buy them already chopped if you  must. This works for fruit too! My kids won’t take the time to open a kiwi, but if I leave one peeled and sliced out for them to eat, it will disappear in no time.
3. Try new things and be willing to try things again. Fava beans, kohlrabi, pea tendrils, and kale were all new to me, yet they are currently some of my favorite veggies! Just because you think beets are gross after being forced to eat them every supper for an entire summer after your mother made 50 jars of pickled beets, doesn’t mean you won’t like them now. I have found that many foods I did not enjoy at a younger age are actually very delicious.
4. Try veggies more than one way. In most cases, you can try eating vegetables in their raw form first, like in a salad or wrap. If it’s not palatable, you can broil, stir-fry, steam, sauté, or grill any vegetable. And I do mean any. (Pinterest has lots of grilled lettuce and cabbage recipes.) I like to steam my veggies because it’s a quick and easy way to prepare them. My youngest likes most veggies raw with a bit of Ranch dressing.
5. Adapt recipes you already use. Look for ways you can incorporate vegetables into your everyday cooking. If you like Swiss Chard Gratin, you will more than likely enjoy the same recipe using bok choy, kale or spinach. Do you make Chicken Alfredo on a weekly basis? Toss in some chopped broccoli or cauliflower. Spaghetti,  which is on our weekly menu, is my personal go-to for using up leftover veggies.

These are great tips, Pam! Thanks for sharing!

Family Farm Fresh is offering two weeks of delivered mini baskets! Simply enter below! And don’t forget that you can still have your membership fee waived simply by mentioning Citrus and Cream! (Giveaway has ended.)

How about you, friends? Do you have any tips for eating more veggies? Please share!