350/365 Plantz a-Make Her Dance: Tips for Getting More Vegetables into Your Diet

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

We know fruits and vegetables are great for us but are we eating them as often as we should? According to the USDA, we are supposed to consume 3-5 servings of vegetables a day. I know it can be hard to add them into your diet but here are a few techniques I use that may be helpful to you:

- If you eat salad, put all of your chopped romaine, spinach, Bibb/Boston, etc. lettuce in a container at the beginning of the week.I have been reusing the same giant, plastic container I got months ago when I bought Earthbound Organics's Spring Mix. Every weekend I go to the grocery store, chop up all my lettuce for the week, and store it in that container. It makes it so easy for me to put handfuls of salad into my container to take to work in the morning.

egg white omelette with broccoli, celery, onions, and mushrooms

- I've always loved omelettes but, never thought I'd ever have time to make them. Not so! My dad is a genius when it comes to working smarter and not harder. He stores all his chopped veggies in a container so he can just take a handful to fry (in grape seed oil, of course) when he's ready for breakfast. You can be so creative with these. This week I'm enjoying red bell peppers, onions, shitake mushrooms, and Chinese eggplant. Putting in that extra effort to chop everything ahead of time cuts down breakfast making by half. This meal also gets an A+ if you're paleo, more on that later.

- Though it's better to have fresh vegetables over frozen, I understand it's hard to take time to chop your vegetables every week. An easy way to prepare vegetables is to steam them either in the microwave or on the stove. If you're microwaving, pour your veggies in a bowl and fill the bottom with water. Microwave it for 3-4min. They should be vibrant and tender. If they aren't, microwave them a minute more at a time until they are.

- If you've got a little more time and want to be a little more ambitious, try roasting your vegetables. Set the oven to 350F. Get your vegetables together. I recommend broccoli, bell peppers, cauliflower, and potatoes to start. Chop them all about the same size and put them in a bowl. Pour oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder over the vegetables. Toss until they are evenly coated. Spread the vegetables onto a pan and bake them for about 25-30 minutes. Your veggies should be fragrant and a little brown but, not burnt, toasty on the outside and tender. Who knew vegetables could be so dynamic? Roasted vegetables are amazing. I love them. I could eat them literally every day AND since they shrink down and are so tasty you can scarf a whole mess of them down without even realizing it. Heck, you could easily get all 5 servings from roasted vegetables. Moving on...


Vegetables are not as grab-and-go as granola bars or yogurt cups but they are definitely great for you. If you're not convinced that vegetables are super cool or want more of a challenge, watch this video. Jose Andreas is just the coolest:

In health,
Lauren

65/365 Zucchini Chicken Bake/Paleo Meal

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I decided that I am not ready to commit to whole day of following the Paleo Diet. Instead, I decided to have a Paleo Meal using the zucchini I still had from the market and frozen chicken breast.

Half eaten, sorry! It just smelled so good!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp grape seed oil
1 clove of garlic, smashed
1 zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
1 yellow squash, sliced into thin rounds
1 bell pepper, sliced
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 c. diced tomatoes (the spice mix I used included dehydrated tomatoes)
1 frozen chicken breast

Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Heat oil in skillet until warm. Add garlic, cook until fragrant
3. Add zucchini, yellow squash, and bell pepper; saute until soft.
4. Place frozen chicken breast in baking dish. Drizzle oil on top, sprinkle seasonings of choice.
5. Top frozen chicken breast with sauteed vegetables.
6. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked through.

I thought this was fantastically simple and delicious. I made it up and it ended up turning out well, yay! And it's so healthy. Fresh veggies, skinless chicken breast, garlic? Mmm mmm yum!

In health,

Lauren