1. Have meat-free nights
Top tip: lentils, beans and chickpeas all count as vegetables. Go for yummy nachos using refried beans, lentil burgers or roasted chickpeas and vegetables – all great meals that are high in veggie goodness. Plus, having regular meat-free meals is good for the planet and lighter on your wallet.
2. Add side serves
When you’re making dinner, add an extra side serving of veggies. It doesn’t have to be fancy – think: steamed green beans or raw snow peas on the side to ensure you eat more vegetables with dinner.
3. Have a veggie breakfast
Sick of cereal or toast? Why not try poached eggs on toast with spinach and tomato? Or an omelette stuffed with mushroom, tomato and spinach? Baked beans on toast, maybe? (Yes, the humble baked bean is considered a vegetable!)
4. Make soups
It’s a great way to use up leftover veggies in the fridge, and making your own veggie soup will also give you lots of leftovers to freeze and reheat down the track when you’re too tired to cook dinner but want to eat more vegetables.
5. Cauliflower pizza
Cauliflower is versatile. you can make a healthy pizza base by finely chopping it, draining it, then mixing with eggs and flour plus seasonings.
6. Boost stews and curries
It couldn’t be easier – just throw spinach leaves or chunks of vegetables such as carrot and broccoli into your stews and curries, for extra flavour.
7. Hide in smoothies
Adding spinach and broccoli to your fruit smoothie will make it extra healthy without changing the taste.
8. Upgrade your lasagne
Increase the veggie power of your lasagne by using thin slices of eggplant and zucchini instead of lasagne sheets. You can also add a layer of mashed pumpkin to give your lasagne another veggie serving.
9. Stuff capsicums
Slice some large red capsicums in half (from the stem down), coat the outside with olive oil and stuff the capsicum with lentils, garlic, grated zucchini and anything else that takes your fancy. Sprinkle with cheese, then roast them in the oven. Absolutely delicious!
10. Sneak it into baking
From zucchini in muffins to beetroot in slices, there are tonnes of ideas online about ways to sneak veggies into home baking.
11. Make mash
Mashed potato is delicious on top of pies, and you can also add this topping to other meals, such as casseroles. For variety, try a topping of mashed sweet potato or pumpkin instead as a way to eat more vegetables.
12. Go big on the barbecue!
Next time you fire up the barbie, make veggies your priority. Veggie kebabs made of zucchini, mushroom, eggplant and capsicum on skewers are delicious, while corn cobs sprayed with olive oil and drizzled with paprika will also be popular with your family and friends.
13. Add to sauces
Luscious chunks of mushroom and zucchini make great additions to pasta sauces, especially if you’re making a classic meal like spag bol.
14. Snack on ’em
Instead of muesli bars or bags of chips, carry a container of veggies in your bag when you’re out and about. Try cherry tomatoes, snow peas and cucumber slices, or carrot and celery sticks. They all travel well.
At home, dip carrot sticks in hummus for an extra hit of protein, or add a smear of peanut butter to the celery.
15. Try carb substitutes
Veggies make excellent stand-ins for some of your favourite carbohydrate staples. Put zucchini through a spiraliser to make ‘zoodles’ instead of using noodles. Cut up cauliflower into small pieces and use it instead of traditional rice.
16. Add salad to sandwiches
Grab a bag of pre-washed salad or coleslaw from the supermarket and add a handful to your sangers. It’s a quick and easy way to really supercharge the nutritional value of your lunch. And it’s cheap!
