How do you incorporate fruit and vegetables into your meals?

[Jase]

I've been making a shift toward preparing more meals at home over the last several months and I've noticed that a lot of the items on the family menu are heavy on the meat and light on the fruit and vegetables. Examples:

Meatloaf
Sloppy joes
Spaghetti
Tacos

What are some meals you like that include more fruit and vegetables? We're by no means quitting meat but I have no problem with tasty vegetarian meals, either. What I'm not particularly interested in is, say, desserts or snacks that involve fruit or vegetables. I'm looking for meals. If you'd like to include the actual recipe that's great, but just the name or brief description of a dish is good enough for me.

Thanks!

[Jase]

I also feel compelled to mention that even though I'm trying to make healthier meals, I don't care at all whether or not a recipe is low fat, so bring on the fat.

[babetoo]

i try to only have 4 oz of meat. make a point to have a green and yellow veg. salads are a good place to add veggies to the mix. if making mexican try to use peppers , onions, they are veg. too. chinese food is huge on little meat and lots of good vegs. just have to think about them and have in freezer. i have learned to only cook two portions . just me and anymore than that gets tiresome, don't reject potatoes, good source of nutrition. and unless you add cream cheese etc. they are not all that fatting sometimes i make a meal of a large baked sweet potato. think green and yellow and go from there.

[kadesma]

We enjoy steak or chicken or shrimp salads we also love a pan full of grilled or roasted veggies
Try making some fish or chicken on the grill add some grilled corn on the cob
a big green salad A large fruit salad is great when it's hot along with a cibatta or foccacia roll split slathered in mayo with chopped olives of your choice or make a mustard with 2 tab. oil cured pitted olives, 2 tab pf chopped green stuffed olives and 2 tab of plain black olives mix with your choice of mustard I use Dijon put on the roll and fill with oil packed tuna with thin sliced sweet onion and spinach so yummy If you like zucchini thinly slice 4-5 med sized zucchini, sauted white or yellow onion that you've diced add some garlic fresh chopped parsley marjoram fresh is best so if you can get it take leaves off stem and give it a rough chop with the parsley a good grind or three of pepper and salt to taste I sasaute everything in evoo and add several Tablespoons of butter at the end. put your sliced zucchini in pan and salute tilsoft add some parmesan cheese when cheese has melted and everything taste good serve with rolls or bread of choice and a green spinach slaad with toasted almond and strawberries and a swett evoo or walnut oil dressing. I use some OJ and the zest in my dressing.Another great meal is stuffed artichokes EMMMMM
kadesma

[Andy M.]

Originally Posted by Jase

...Examples:

Meatloaf
Sloppy joes
Spaghetti
Tacos

...

Aren't you including veggies with the meals listed? Salads, green and yellow veggies as sides are appropriate for all the meals you listed. Cut up lettuce tomato and onion are toppings for tacos.

When you make a pasta sauce, you can add peppers and mushrooms to the tomato for a veggie heavy sauce.

[Selkie]

Salads and steamed vegetables are quite common. But my favorite is oven roasted vegetables of my choice (carrots, celery, potatoes, squash of all types, cauliflower and/or broccoli) as a side dish. (Sprinkled with olive oil and dusted with Italian seasoning mix.) They go with nearly all entrees.

Explore NEW vegetables. If you haven't already, try things such as canned beets, pickled beets, artichoke hearts, rutabagas, turnips, glazed carrots, homemade vegetable soup (it's really easy to make in under an hour!) chicken/tuna salad or cole slaw.

Fresh fruit for dessert for an evening snack is a no-brainer. Bananas and oranges (Cuties) are easy. Fresh or canned pears, pineapple and peaches, plain or mixed with cottage cheese is an old standby.

Courage with a little imagination will carry you a long way.

[luvs]

i serve them properly cooked, that being bright & crisp-tender,- maybe a 'lil butter, pepper & garlic. or i place them into casseroles. use babyfood & self-pureed foods when i can, & dip crudite into various dips.

[Janet H]

How about:

Monday: Pasta primavera and some sizzled up keilbasa, 3 bean salad on lettuce

Tuesday: Tostadas (beans) and all the toppings and a fruit salad

Wed: Baked potato w/ broccoli and cheese sauce, baked chicken, shredded cabbage salad (or coleslaw)

Thursday: Chili (add veggies) with salad and cornbread, watermelon

Friday: Minestrone soup, crusty bread and a salad

Saturday: Homemade subs w/ lots of veggies in the sandwhich, hummus w/ carrot and celery sticks

Sunday: Pork chops, baked acorn squash halves, apple sauce, cornmeal fried okra

[buckytom]

whay day would you like us to show up, janet?

[Bolas De Fraile]

Tom mate you shameless ligger, Janet I will need bibs for at least 2 meals as jet lag makes me dribble