What tips, tricks, or strategies do you use in order to make sure you are getting in at least 5 fruits and veggies daily?
My favorite summer time meal!
*BONUS*
Who's in it to win it? Well, here's a fun, yummy, bonus challenge that has an extra 25-50 points up for grabs. What do you have to do? I'm so glad you asked. :)
To earn a bonus 25 points by the end of this week, I want you to find your favorite summertime recipe, make it, and take a picture of it, then submit both the recipe and the picture to me by Saturday at midnight.
I will then post them all on Sunday and we will put it up for a vote for the winners. Top winners from each category will receive an extra 25 bonus points. The only guideline I give is that whatever you choose to make must have at least 1 fruit or vegetable in the recipe. Categories include: appetizer, salad, side dish, and main dish. You may only submit 1 recipe/photo, but if each member of your team wants to participate, it may bode well to have each person choose a different category.
Leave your comments here for both the question of the week AND if you have any questions regarding this bonus challenge. Kinda makes me hungry just thinking about it. :)
To get your veggies and fruits, all you have to do is work out enough so you are constantly hungry and in your daily feeding frenzies those innocent, packed full of awesome goodness, treats happen to always end up in the swirling vortex of calorie consumption. Easy Right.
ReplyDeleteBanana in my protein drink. My snacks are fruits and veggie with every meal.
ReplyDeleteI plan ahead, I try to keep the kitchen stocked, and I write them down in my food journal. I carry an apple and a cheese stick with me when ever I leave the house so I'll snack on that and not something else I come across.
ReplyDelete1/2 grapefruit before workout green smoothie after. In as possible just in case the day gets busy and you can't go out to eat :0).
ReplyDeleteI pack everything with spinach. It's mild tasting, and packed with antioxidants and fiber. I saute some up with some onion and garlic and top it on eggs for breakfast, it's good in salads, sandwiches, smoothies, in soups, etc. Baby kale is amazing too, and it's also mild in taste... goes great with fruit salads, as well as green salads. So we stock up spinach and kale, it's those essential food items we keep in our fridge... always!
ReplyDelete1/2 a banana and 1 cup spinach in a smoothie everyday..can't even taste the spinach, so that knocks out 2 just in a mid morning snack. Then I put as many vegetables as I can fit in my sandwich - cucumbers, arugala, tomatoes, spinach, avocado, and sprouts.
ReplyDeleteIf I have yogurt for breakfast I always add fruit to it, if I make a frittata, it's packed with veggies. I like to get them in as early in the day as possible. I still believe an apple a day keeps the doctor away so I eat an apple almost everyday as a snack. I also try to keep fresh berries and cut up veggies in my fridge at eye level ready to go so it's the first thing I see when Im looking for something to snack on.
ReplyDeleteI took your advice and put the veggies at eye level on the fridge, so I'd be sure to remember...unfortunately, eye level for me is actually on top of my fridge....room temp doesn't work for veggies. ;-)
DeleteI think of you every time I put things at eye level.....you may want to get on your knees and try it ;)
DeletePrep, prep, prep. I try to set aside my Sunday afternoon to prep fruits and veggies for the week. I put them in clear containers, at eye level in the fridge. Lately before the kids get home, I try to set out a bowl of cut up melon, grapes and berries so they hit that first before attacking the pantry.
ReplyDeleteI make sure I eat a fruit with breakfast and my morning snack. Pack as many veggies as I can with whatever I have for lunch; always have veggies with dinner! Summer is easy because we eat whatever is in our garden and I always double or triple my green salads so they make a quick lunch or fast dinner - you can add beans or meat to a green salad and make it a meal!
ReplyDeleteI cut every Sunday!!! A watermelon. A pineapple!!! AND lots of veggies!! I keep them in little containers so I can just grab and go!!! Super easy!!!!
ReplyDeleteKindra preps all the fruits and veggies so they are ready to go. Green smoothies, spinach kale and grip load of brocoli!
ReplyDeleteDido to my lovey wife Kim who keeps us fed
ReplyDeleteI try to remember to have a fruit for breakfast, two servings for lunch and two for dinner. That way I can offer five a day to my family and then anything extra is a bonus. Shannon
ReplyDeleteI try to buy pre-packaged, individual serving fruits and veggies, or make my own grab bags for quick on he go snacks. I also try to pack as many fruit and veggies into my smoothies.
ReplyDeleteTo get my fruits and veggies I drink a smoothie pretty much everyday. Then for my snacks I do fruit and for my dinner I eat veggies.
ReplyDeleteStacey
I actually started doing this with the last challenge so it's become somewhat of a habit now. I just make sure that whenever I eat a meal I have a serving or 2. I also make a point of making sure that one or more of my snacks is a fruit or veggie. Thanks Miki for helping me adopt healthier habits like this one!
ReplyDeleteI usually drink a Smoothie every day. I also make sure I wash my fruits and veggies first thing when I bring them from the farmer's market, garden or grocery store. I keep them on my counter or in the fridge within eye level so they are quick to grab and enjoy :)
ReplyDeleteI eat all my fruits for breakfast and work the rest of the day on the veggies!
ReplyDelete-Mitch
I drink a green smoothie every day that provides me with 8+ veggie servings and 2 fruit servings. On days that I miss it, I find my energy dragging. It's also my insurance policy. I know I get my veggies in and then extra veggies I get all day are a bonus.
ReplyDeleteI typically make a green smoothie for breakfast with a variety of fruit, kale, spinach, flax seed, yogurt, etc. If it's eggs for breakfast, I usually sautee squash, red pepper, onion, mushrooms, etc. and make a "scrambled egg bowl". I love salad for lunch, and always include a veggie with dinner.
ReplyDeleteMiki's nutrition class last December also gave me a new habit. When I want a snack, I think of the Hunger Scale, and if I'm not super hungry, then carrots, apples, and fresh veggies are my snack of choice.
I drink a quart of green smoothie every day, typically 10 servings of vegetables and 3 fruits a day.
ReplyDeleteOkay show off! You Blendtec techie. =]
DeleteGreen smoothies, and ziplock baggies of yummy veggie and fruity goodness every day for work.....the veggies and fruit at lunch and dinner are for good measure. :)
ReplyDeleteDid you actuall say "yummy" and "fruity goodness" in the same sentence? I'm gonna try to do that 5 times today!
DeleteYou should! It's easy to do, if you don't mind weird looks. ;-)
DeleteI cut up everything when I get home from the grocery store. I try to make premade salads for lunches/dinners to just grab so we don't eat out. I try to make it as convenient as possible. Crystal
ReplyDeleteLori: I make a green smoothie every morning with spinach and fruit and usually have another later in the day. And we try to have fruits and veggies with every dinner so we are good to go!
ReplyDeleteGreen smoothies. Ty
ReplyDeleteLarry: Easiest part of the challenge so far. Banana before workout. Fruit, kale, broccoli and protein smoothie after. Apples, oranges , celery and broccoli for snacks. At least one meal a day is a salad.
ReplyDeleteI bake my favorite veggies on Sunday, add a protein, and then freeze them in serving size containers. Quick and easy lunch from the freezer. I love cucumbers for snacking.
ReplyDeleteOn the weekend I prep my fruits and veggies for next week's snacks and meals. I've also started drinking green smoothies the past few weeks.
ReplyDeleteI'm boring, I eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and snacks Monday through Friday. My variety comes at supper and I generally have 5 servings in already. I struggle more on the weekends when things are less predictable and I can't schedule my meals as tightly.
ReplyDeleteNathan
Since we are eating every 3-4 hours, that's typically about 5 meals a day. I try to have a fruit or veggie each time I eat. Ifnive slacked for the day I eat a banana and avacoda and that about covers the 5.
ReplyDelete-Becky
Wash, cut, and ready to go in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most. A green smoothie for sure gets in at least 2 veggies and 2 fruits. Then usually a salad at dinner and another fruit for snack.
ReplyDelete