Like many children across the world, I did not like eating vegetables when I was a child. I would pick out every carrot and onion in my meal until the food became plain and almost bland. Even my mum’s staple vegetable soup was not free from my ‘pickiness’, as I would pick out all the ugu, water leaf and dried fish in the soup. By the time I was done, the bowl of steaming vegetables became a dish of coloured water and meat, all to the consternation of my mother.
Thankfully, I have outgrown that extreme dislike for vegetables. But far too many adults still struggle with eating enough ‘veggies’ as a lifestyle. These days, with the help of many fitness and healthy living trends, we appreciate how great vegetables are for our health. Still, many of us struggle with finding the motivation to eat them. You hear statements like ‘am I a goat who should be eating grass?’ to others who tirelessly complain about how bland they lack in variety.
So, because we love you so much, The Lady’s Room decided to share ten fun ways to mix up and eat more vegetables without getting tired of them. Here goes:
Salads/Snacks
Eat a lot of salads. You can snack on carrots and cucumbers in between meals. Tomatoes and lettuces are also great for salads or handy snacks. They are filling and easy enough to carry around in Ziploc bags.
Smoothies
Mix your fruit smoothies with vegetables to help you eat and enjoy less tasty veggies like beetroot and spinach. Just wash them properly, chop up, and toss into your blender or smoothie maker.
Powder and Sprinkles
Vegetable powders like Moringa can be sprinkled on your meals like salt or pepper. You can also use shredded and dried vegetables as sprinkled additions to your soups and salads.
Soups, Sauces, and Dips
You can chop your vegetables and add to your soups and sauces, or purée them for dips. Tomatoes and avocados are perfect for dips, and also provide a good base for many sauces.
Stir fry
Whether it’s in noodles, pasta, or rice; stir fry gives variety to all your favourite carb-heavy dishes while sneaking in all the healthy veggies.
Omelette
Eggs generally go well with veggies—from tomatoes and onions, to spinach and even ugu. Omelette is an easy way to make veggies more tolerable or even enjoyable.
Wraps
You can make vegetable stir fry as a filling for pancakes or pita wraps, or you can use vegetables such as lettuce to wrap whatever kind of fillings you like.
Baking
Carrot cakes are a staple for many families. You can also make pies, quiches, cakes, and even muffins using veggies.
Stuffing and Kebabs
You can try green peppers, peas, and sweet corn as a stuffing for your fish. Birds and fish go very well with vegetable stuffing. Kebabs also go nicely with veggies like green pepper and tomatoes.
Sandwiches and Burgers
Veggies like lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and onions are healthy and tasty additions to burgers and sandwiches.
So there they are. Feel free to experiment with more recipes and share with us.
Enjoy your yummy veggies.