One of the foundational nutrition habits I work on with my coaching clients is building up their vegetable intake. My clients come into coaching with me to learn how to eat well, to feel better mentally and physically and to realize their muscle definition goals. Spending time focusing on vegetable intake is one of the first areas we focus on because it helps to increase our fibre intake, helps to build up the amount of unprocessed food we’re eating and greatly increases our nutrient density.
But telling my clients to eat more vegetables and actually helping them figure out how to do that in their daily lives are two different things altogether.
What has truly helped me to consume more vegetables, more often is to have a strategy to go along with my intention. I created the infographic below because it’s exactly what has helped me eat more veggies with ease. When I have an idea of how I’m going to boost my vegetable intake, it actually happens. Here are 7 of my favourite veggie loaded meal ideas…
And because I’m not going to leave you hanging with ideas and no plan, let’s talk through how to craft up some of these veggie-loaded meal ideas along with a few of my favourite recipes:
Smoothies
This is one of the easiest meal ideas on the list. Simply toss a couple handfuls of spinach, kale or swiss chard into your morning or post-workout smoothie and you’ll be well on your way to boosting your daily vegetable intake.
Scrambles
The scramble is a breakfast, lunch and dinner staple in our house. I love this Rainbow Veggie Scramble because it’s so darn versatile. You can use bell peppers, greens, mushrooms, tomatoes or even asparagus in your scrambles.
Stuffed Vegetables
A winter time favourite when I’m looking for a hearty and filling, warm meal at the end of the day. You can do bell peppers stuffed with brown rice, quinoa, ground turkey, feta and sautéed veggies, or this Spicy Sausage + Spaghetti Squash recipe.
Sheet Pan Meals
Another dinner time staple in our house; I absolutely love sheet pan meals. You can roast your veggies on half of a baking sheet and some seasoned chicken thighs on the other half. The most popular sheet pan meal on my blog is this Winter Roasted Veggie Tray.
Soups + Stews
Whether homemade or store bought, soups and stews are a great way to increase your veggie intake. Cook up a veggie loaded chilli with kidney beans or ground beef, or make a soup in your vitamix with the leftover veggies in your fridge like this Brilliant Broccoli Soup.
Stir Fry
A fabulous way to combine veggies and protein in a one pan meal, making stir fry is a simple and family friendly strategy for getting veggies in for lunch or dinner. You can use fresh or frozen veggies and vary up your flavours to include garlic, ginger, onion, leeks, soy sauce, fish sauce and more.
Salads
Salads are what most people think of when they set out to increase their veggie intake. And salads are great, but make sure you load them up with tons of veggies and tasty toppings to make them filling and nutrient dense. This Romaine, Chickpea + Kalamata Olive salad is like a meal in itself!
I hope you love these meal ideas to help boost your veggie intake beyond boring snacks and lifeless salads. Keep me posted on how you do with your veggie intake!
Until next time,
Lana
