A few years ago, my idea of eating vegetables was having a leaf of lettuce and a tomato on my daily sandwich. Like many people, I had no idea where to start when preparing vegetables and, quite frankly, they never sounded very appetizing to me.

This changed when I moved into my first apartment and taught myself how to cook. Each week I went to the grocery store I would pick out some new vegetable to try. I used google and an old recipe book I picked up at a bargain bookstore to figure out different ways to prepare what I had purchased. Gradually, my repertoire of vegetables expanded. I even found dishes that I really loved to cook and tasted great.

These days, vegetables make up the bulk of my daily eating. I have incorporated vegetables into all of my regular meals and even miss them when I travel and don’t eat them for a few days. In this article, I want to share some of the strategies I have used for eating more vegetables. My two basic approaches are to simplify preparation and add more vegetables into meals you already eat.

Salads

Salads are an obvious way to include more vegetables in your diet. Salads allow you to cram loads of vegetables into a single meal while providing enough flexibility with flavors and textures to prevent food boredom. If you get bored with salads, you probably haven’t spent enough time experimenting to find a few combinations you truly enjoy. You can add just about anything to a salad. Different types of greens, leftover vegetables from last night’s dinner, canned vegetables, and chopped raw vegetables all work well.

Salads are a great option for healthy weekday lunches. Add a protein source to make a complete meal. If you are worried about your greens getting wilted, store your dressing in a separate container and add it to your salad just before you eat. You can also make a side salad with just veggies to go with dinner.

Use Templates to Make Vegetable Sides

When I want a quick vegetable side dish for dinner, I turn to one of three templates. I love meal templates because they allow you to keep the steps of a recipe the same while still providing room to change up the flavor or feature different ingredients. Once you master these simple techniques, it will be much easier for you to throw together a healthy side.

Template 1: Steamed Vegetables

This is the easiest template of the three, but also the most plain. To steam vegetables, simply chop them up into smaller pieces, place them in a pot or steamer basket with an inch of water, and cook on high until desired softness. My favorite veggies for steaming are broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, brussels sprouts, and asparagus. Add plenty of seasonings or a bit of fat to the finished veggies if you want some extra flavor. This article from The Kitchn gives more detailed information on how to steam individual vegetables.

Template 2: Veggie Medley

A medley is made by chopping up veggies and sautéing them to desired doneness. My medleys usually feature zucchini or another summer squash with onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers. You can also saute dark leafy greens like spinach or kale. Cook them in some butter or oil or use an olive oil spray if you are watching your calories.  Add plenty of seasoning.

Template 3: Roasted Veggies

Roasted veggies are the perfect healthy comfort food for cold winter months. Roasting is a great way to soften up heartier veggies and starches such as broccoli or cauliflower, potatoes, squash, carrots, onions, and other roots and tubers. Cut the veggies into even pieces (softer veggies like zucchini should be a bit bigger), distribute evenly on a sheet pan, coat with oil and spices, and cook at around 425 degrees for 30-60 minutes. Check out this great article from The Kitchn for more information on how to roast any vegetable.

 

Snacks

Raw vegetables are a low-calorie, healthy snack that won’t go bad when left out of the fridge for a few hours. Carrots, tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, radishes, broccoli, and cauliflower all make great snacks.

If you have a weekend meal prep day, you can chop up raw veggies and distribute them into bags to take to work. Leave these in your office fridge or at your desk to help you out if you get unexpectedly hungry in the afternoon. You can also munch on veggies while you are cooking dinner or watching tv at home.

Smoothies and Greens Powders

If you are already making smoothies on a regular basis, you can easily add in some extra servings of vegetables. Consider trying a smoothie recipe that features more vegetables, such as this one. Celery, cucumber, fresh herbs, and spinach are vegetables that work in smoothies. Be sure to add in a scoop of protein powder (vanilla flavor works best for veggie smoothies).

You can also add frozen spinach to just about any smoothie. I used to make post-workout chocolate cherry protein smoothies and I always added a heaping cup of frozen spinach. I liked the thicker consistency I got from using more frozen ingredients and I couldn’t taste the spinach at all.

You can also add a scoop of powdered greens to your daily smoothie. There are lots of greens products on the market. Greens powders are a great way to get your daily dose of veggies in when you are on the road and don’t have access to fresh food. You can also take a daily serving of greens powder during the winter months or other times when you are particularly vulnerable to illness. This isn’t a substitute for whole food, but it can help you cover your nutritional bases.

Sneak More Veggies into Other Meals

One of the easiest ways to eat more vegetables is to find ways to add them into meals you already like. The possibilities here are endless. Making pasta? Add a can of diced tomatoes and some fresh mushrooms, spinach, and bell peppers. Scrambled eggs? Add in some leftovers from the veggie medley you made the other night or chop up some onions, mushrooms, and spinach. If a recipe already includes vegetables, double or triple the suggested quantity.

Some meals work especially well with lots of veggies. Anything you cook for a long time, such as a stew, soup, or chili, allows you to add in loads of veggies. Other one pot meals such as stir-frys, curries, and casseroles rely on veggies for a lot of their bulk. I’ve found that using frozen or canned vegetables works well with these kinds of meals. You don’t always have to have fresh produce on hand to make healthy choices and get in your daily dose of veggies.

Be a Little Adventurous

Eating more vegetables may require you to get out of your comfort zone. Ease into this process by choosing one new vegetable to try every week. Do a quick google search of the easiest way to prepare the vegetable on its own or add it into a dish you already make. This article from Precision Nutrition offers some great advice on the best ways to prepare common vegetables. If you like what you make, add it into your regular meal rotation. You can also give a vegetable a couple tries to see if you prefer it prepared a certain way. After several months of doing this, you will have expanded the number of vegetables you like to eat and know how to prepare.

It’s not always easy figuring out how to make healthier choices. That’s why I created Eleven Easy Meal Templates, a free PDF guide to help take the guesswork out of healthy home cooking. Sign up using the box below.