Creative Ways to Eat Your Veggies!

Are you making sure you're getting your crucial 5-10 daily servings of organic non-starchy veggies??

You know the kale, spinach, romaine, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, radishes, watercress, tomatoes, zucchini, dandelion greens, onions, brussels sprouts (my personal favorite!), peppers, leeks and every other kind of veggie that you can eat RAW.

Because they are nutritional superstars and can truly make or break your results!

In fact, nonstarchy veggies are the one and ONLY food group that all experts (PALEOistas, vegans, and vegetarians!) agree are beneficial for health. They contain important vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytonutrients that cannot be replicated with supplementation. They'll also keep you full, provide TONS of fiber for healthy digestion and keep insulin levels steady which facilitates effortless fat loss.

So get loose on the non-starchy veggies, already!

And don't worry.

If you're like I was when I made my health transition, you're probably perplexed as to how to fit all THOSE veggies into your daily routine in delicious (and novel) ways. When I began my "daily veggies" included limp lettuce and watery tomatoes between two slices of bread. But today they account for the bulk of my diet!

My how things have changed. 😊

And even though I know our killer meal plans have got you off to a running start, I wanted to share some other excellent ways to get your daily dose. Because the more you eat, the better you'll feel and the faster you'll see results...

1. Morning green shake

If you're not drinking a morning green shake yet, start NOW. My body buzzes with energy minutes after I drink it. It also floods your body with nutrients and keeps cravings at bay.

Here's the recipe:

• Handful of spinach, kale, and romaine
• 1 celery stalk
• 1/5 cucumber
• 1/2 cup organic coconut milk
• 1/2 lemon (with the peel!)
• 1 strawberry

1. Sprinkle of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and sea salt (Colima!)
2. Blend and energize!

2. Crudités (Pronounced: Kroo-di-tay)

It sounds way fancier than it is. Just chop up all the vegetables you have in your fridge, arrange them in a beautiful bowl on a bed of ice and serve them with a delicious dressing. Here's a recipe for my favorite Italian dressing. You can make it in under 2 minutes:

Italian Dressing:

(Yields 1 cup)

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium tomato halved
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1/2 garlic clove, minced
• 1/8 dried basil
• 1/8 dried oregano
• Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Rub the cut sides of the tomato halves on a grater and discard the skins. Add the grated, inside portion of tomato to a mixing bowl.
2. Add the remaining ingredients into the mixing bowl. Mix well and serve aside your vegetables.

3. Refrigerator Salad Bar

When my veggies arrive on Wednesday morning from my CSA program I immediately chop them up and put each different kind in a different container. Then I have a salad bar in my refrigerator! No matter how tired I am at the end of the day, I can have a plethora of colorful veggies in a bowl in under one minute. Top it with a delicious homemade (or Primal Kitchen) dressing and some soaked organic cashews and almonds, maybe even a little-hardboiled egg or organic turkey and you've got yourself a sweet little meal in no time. (Thanks, Leanne Ely for this genius idea!)

4. Pastured-bacon veggie mix

In the morning when I make my pasture-raised bacon (my favorite!) I always ALWAYS save the grease in a bowl. Then I chop up onions, cabbage, kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts throw them in, top them with organic Italian seasoning or onion powder, sea salt and black pepper and enjoy! Bacon just makes everything delicious! I also highly encourage you to experiment with different organic spices until you find your favorites. I once tried cloves as an experiment. Don't try it. 😊

5. Veggie-Bomb Bone Broth

Take bone broth and add kale, onions, cabbage, celery, carrots, bok choy, leeks, water chestnuts, and other veggies as you bring your broth to a slow boil. You can also add coconut milk and a little ginger for some special flair. It tastes amazing and you'll get all the skin-hair-nail-joint-and gut-healing benefits of bone broth in addition to the wealth of nutrients from the veggies. Seriously powerful stuff.

6. Crockpot goodness.

This is an exceptional way to get lots of veggies into your body even when you're SUPER busy. Simply throw carrots, celery, onions, cauliflower, and broccoli into a crockpot on a low setting with some organic spices and pasture-raised chicken and you're in business.

7. Greens Powder

High-quality greens powders are an excellent way to get all your greens in. We have an organic superfood greens powder that's devoid of cereal-grasses (which humans aren't designed to eat!) you can grab a bag here! Not to mention the fact that it's minty and delicious! Just plop it in a glass of water and start your day with 19 nourishing superfoods! You can't beat it.

As you may have gathered, I am NOT a kitchen goddess. So if I can handle these simple tricks, you have NO excuse!

Here's hoping they make your life (and this challenge) just a little bit easier!

If you have more delicious tricks up your sleeve be sure to keep me in the loop so I can share them!