Eat Your Vegetables!

So I've been thinking this over the past few days and I have really liked the ideas that have been posted. So, I thought I should share some things our family does to make sure we get our veggies. A long while ago, I got a handout from the gym titled 55 ways to get 5 a day(fruits and veggies). Unfortunately, I can't say I've really put them all into practice, but some of my favorites that I do regulary are:

1. Keep cut up veggies in water in the front of the fridge. Although it cost a little more to buy precut veggies, it is worth it us - we eat them a lot more, we pack them in our lunches, and it is a lot less work to throw them in whatever I'm cooking.
2. We have lots of frozen veggies on hand too, so I put veggies in everything - even if the recipe doesn't call for it. Or if a recipe calls for carrots, I add carrots and peas, or carrots plus something else.
3. Make veggie lasagna with ricotta cheese and mixed veggies.
4. Veggies can be found in sweet things too - zuchini bread, pumpkin muffins/pancakes, carrot cake, etc. (okay, I've never made carrot cake, but we really like zuchini bread and pumpkin pancakes!)
5. Keep 100% juice boxes in your car for a snack
6. Freeze unsweetened fruit juice into ice cubes or popcicles
7. Make smoothies with yogurt and fruit and a little milk or ice (We do this almost every Sunday, it is yummy and easy, and healthy! And it goes great with buttery, salted popcorn - hahahaha.... it really does....
8. Put veggies out while preparing dinner. (This one I can vouch for - it works. I'm horrible at eating and tasting everything while I'm cooking, so this really works for me to munch on something healthy)
9. In place of Teriyaki or Stir Fry sauce, top the veggies with 100% juice, like orange juice or Dole's Mountain Cherry juice. (I've tried the orange juice, it is really good)
10. Top any kind of cereal with raisins or other dried fruit
11. Make homemade veggie pizza - use a pita spread with spaghetti sauce, lowfat cheese, and all the veggies you can find
12. Put single serving raisin boxes in your cookie jar
13. Be experimental - try a new fruit or veggie each week, or try a new way of preparing a veggie each week. Our latest craze: green beans (cooked of course) tossed with roasted pine nuts and bacon, and then drizzle a little olive oil on it. It really is yummy!

This is only a few ideas, but maybe it will help some of you spark your imagination on helping your family eat their fruits and veggies. It motivates me everytime I read over it. I think the biggest help for us is having frozen veggies on hand. We buy big bags of corn, peas, broccoli, green beans, and stir fry veggies at Costco. Then I can cook with them or even just heat some up for Will when he needs some veggies. He loves the peas frozen!? Weird. But it works. I also like to add our stir fry veggies to rice when we are having any sort of Chinese food. Okay, sorry this is a long post... I'm signing off, but good luck everyone!!