Fruits and veggies should make up half your plate, and the USDA recommends getting a 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit each day. Eating cooked veggies or drinking vegetable juice counts, but there are lots of other easy ways to incorporate more of the good stuff into your meals.
Private chef, holistic nutritionist and Food Matters NYC founder Tricia Williams uses frozen fruits to whip up breakfast smoothies, for instance. Even a staple food like rice can be full of added veggies like red and yellow peppers, carrots and scallions, according to Williams. Check out her sample menu, below.
(MORE: Are Your Fruits and Veggies Bursting with Flavor? Thank the Drought)
Breakfast
• Oat Smoothie
Ingredients
½ cup ice
½ cup frozen strawberries
½ cup oat milk
½ banana
3 leaves kale
½ cup steel-cut oats, cooked and cooled
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 cup coconut water (or other liquid like juice)
Lunch
• Roasted chicken breast
• Melon and berries
• Forbidden rice salad
Recipe: Forbidden Rice Salad
Ingredients
¾ cup forbidden rice
¾ cup short grain brown rice
2 medium carrots, julienne
½ cup sow peas, julienne
1 red pepper, julienne
1 yellow pepper, julienne
3 scallions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oi
½ tablespoon grated ginger
1/3 cup lime juice
Cook forbidden rice and brown rice separately. Start by rinsing rice in a colander. Place each rice in a medium size saucepan and cover each with 1 ½ cups of water. Place both pans over medium heat. Bring to a boil and let simmer until ready, about 18 minutes. Let the two varieties of rice cool. In a mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and lime juice. Add carrots, snow peas, peppers and scallions. Mix well and add the rice. Served immediately or store up to one day.
Dinner
• Sautéed spinach
• Pomegranate and blueberries
• BBQ turkey quinoa Meatloaf
Recipe: BBQ Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf
Ingredients
1 ½ tablespoons safflower oil
½ cup white onion, finely diced
½ cup carrots, finely diced
½ cup celery, finely diced
½ cup red pepper, finely diced
½ cup yellow pepper, finely diced
½ cup orange pepper, finely diced
1 cup kale, blanched, shocked and finely dice
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 package ground white meat turkey
2 cups quinoa, cooked
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 cup BBQ sauce
Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large sauté pan, sweat onions in safflower oil until translucent. Add carrots, celery and peppers and continue cooking until soft. Set aside and let cool. In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, quinoa, cooked vegetables, kale and parsley. Season with sea salt and pepper. Mix well by hand until thoroughly combined. Shape mixture into two loaves, 9-in.-by-4-in. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with your favorite BBQ sauce and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool.