Do this ONE thing and watch the pounds fall off!

The Answer is NON-starchy veggies! 

I swear. Once people make a goal to include 5-10 servings of non-starchy veggies into their diet every day (like I hope you do today!), MAGIC happens.

• You'll feel fuller
• You'll cultivate gut health
• You'll eat less
• You'll have fewer cravings
• You'll have more energy

What's not to love?

What are non-starchy veggies?  Simply put, they are veggies with very little starch. They're the ones that typically grow above ground that you can eat raw. Think kale, spinach, romaine, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, radishes, watercress, dandelion greens, onions, brussels sprouts (my personal favorite!) and leeks.

Non-starchy veggies are revered by health experts because they contain a wealth of important vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytonutrients (plant compounds) that can't be replicated with synthetic supplements. AND phytochemicals with unique benefits we haven’t even discovered yet. They also provide TONS of fiber for healthy digestion and stable blood sugar levels.

These nutrient POWERHOUSES can truly make or break your results so here are my 7 favorites, delicious ways to fit them into your daily repertoire...

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
• Sprinkle with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and sea salt (Colimo!)

Blend and energize!

2. Greens Powder

High-quality greens powders are an excellent way to get all your greens in especially when they do NOT contain gut-damaging cereal grasses (which humans are not designed to eat)  like our Organic Superfood Greens Powder.  It’s minty, delicious and you can just plop it in a glass of water and start your day with 19 nourishing superfoods! Even kids love it. Try it here!

3. 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:

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. Add the remaining ingredients into the mixing bowl. Mix well and serve aside your vegetables.

4. Refrigerator Salad Bar

When my veggies arrive on Wednesday morning from my Community Supported Agriculture 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.

5. Pastured-bacon veggie mix

In the morning when I make my pasture-raised bacon (my favorite!) I 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. 😊

6. 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.

7. 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.

I am NOT a kitchen goddess so if I can handle these simple tricks, you have NO excuse!

Here's hoping you get the non-starchy veggie GLOW.