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.]

...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

 

[buckytom]

oh well, age before beauty, i guess.

 

[jennirizzo]

Veggie answers

Fruit is still a problem for me...I haven't been able to really incorporate them into the meal...they're more of a side dish or snack afterwards. Veggies however, I love. Lately I've been making a lot of baked chicken with potatoes, green peppers (and red or yellow if I have them but usually not), carrots, broccoli. All I do is brush on some basil olive oil and bake for 1/2 hour at about 400-425. Easy and fairly quick. I also do simple salads with tomato and cucumber drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a touch of salt...again, easy and quick.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Fruit is still a problem for me...I haven't been able to really incorporate them into the meal...they're more of a side dish or snack afterwards. Veggies however, I love. Lately I've been making a lot of baked chicken with potatoes, green peppers (and red or yellow if I have them but usually not), carrots, broccoli. All I do is brush on some basil olive oil and bake for 1/2 hour at about 400-425. Easy and fairly quick. I also do simple salads with tomato and cucumber drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a touch of salt...again, easy and quick.

Fruit can be used to make many sauces to use with the meat. Cherries, apples, peaches, pears, and many berries, including cranberries make excellent sauces to go with ham, poultry, or pork. Cranberries can also be a great addition to stuffing. Jellies can be served with bread and butter, or added to various drinks, as can many fruits.

Example, take one carrot, peeled and cut into four pieces, add a washed and cored apple, a washed and cored pear, some fresh blueberries, or strawberries, blend until smooth, and serve this smoothie as an accompaniment to your meal.

For veggie rich meals, try pot roasts, with carrots, potatoes, and onions braised with the roast, or new England boiled dinner with carrots, rutabagas, potatoes, onions, cabbage, and garlic added to the meat. Teh meat can be corned beef, beef roast, ham, etc.

Make a rice pilaf with chopped carrot, onion, and snow peas added to the rice.

With your basic marinara sauce, add chopped onions, sweet peppers, mushrooms, minced garlic, and celery. Don't forget that the herbs and spices add nutritional value as well.

Or, you can take your marinara, add some ground beef, and remove the seeds from a large, halved summer squash, such as zucchini, and bake with the sauce placed into the valley left by the remove seeds. Spinkle a little Parmisano Regiano cheese on top.

That should give you a few ideas.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Simply include a nice green salad, along with added salad vegetables when they are in season such as toomatoes, bean sprouts, cucumbers, radishes, etc. at the end of the meal, European style. I think the idea of serving salad before the meal was introduced by restauranteurs, who wanted to keep you placated while your meal was being prepared, and wanted you already half full so they could serve smaller portions.

I add vegetables such as onions, bell peppers, celery, and tomato to my meat loaf, spaghetti and Sloppy Joes have a tomato based sauce that, depending on your generosity, provides at least one serving of vegetables, and tacos have lettuce and tomato on them, plus there is tomato in the hot sauce. No, I do not subscribe to the Ronald Reagan idea that ketchup is a vegetable!

 

[taxlady]

Fruit is still a problem for me...I haven't been able to really incorporate them into the meal...they're more of a side dish or snack afterwards. Veggies however, I love. Lately I've been making a lot of baked chicken with potatoes, green peppers (and red or yellow if I have them but usually not), carrots, broccoli. All I do is brush on some basil olive oil and bake for 1/2 hour at about 400-425. Easy and fairly quick. I also do simple salads with tomato and cucumber drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a touch of salt...again, easy and quick.

Don't forget that some vegis are actually fruit, e.g., tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, eggplant, and others.

 

[CWS4322]

I often add fruit (kiwi, strawberry, or clementine) to a tossed green salad, top with some slivered almonds, and a simple oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. Add dried fruit to your cereal. I juice a couple of oranges and drink that instead of "commercial" orange juice (I find homemade juice adds a LOT of veggies to the diet in one glass <g>). You can make virgin bloody marys, add a stalk of celery, and you've added veggies to the diet. If you keep prepared celery, carrot, and radishes in the fridge (in water, change it every day or so), you will eat them. I didn't think I would, but I do. Make a "munchy" mix of dried fruits and nuts...try and stay away from ones that have too much sugar added (or dehydrate your own fruit) and, my other suggestion is to only buy fruit you like. That way you are more likely to eat it.

Use veggies to "deliver" your main course--you can take zucchini and make zucchini boats, fill them with spaghetti sauce, top with some cheese, bake and you've added a veggie (and removed the pasta). Stuff tomatoes with chicken salad for a "too hot to cook" meal, add some additional fruits and veggies...fresh baking powder biscuits...

Use pureed veggies to thicken soup...

Start cooking your chicken with fruit...

Cranberry salsa is a nice side with chicken...

 

[Fabiabi]

If you don't enjoy eating fruit and veg then you can always make juices from them and just knock them back daily. You're not getting your roughage but at least you'll be getting your vitamins.

 

[sparrowgrass]

"Fried" apples were a standard side dish when I lived in KY. Slice your apples--peel if you want--and put the slices in a heavy frying pan with a hunk-o-butter. Cook over low heat til the apples are tender, sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar. I have never done pears or peaches this way, but I bet they would be good, too. Like applesauce, but chunky.

 

[pengyou]

You can also use dried fruits in your diet. I include raisins, dried cranberries, blueberries, pineapple or other veggies in my oatmeal. Dried sweet potato is also good but I have to nuke it first because it is tough, or dice it into really small pieces. Dried fruits are also a really good and convenient addition to fruit or veggie salads. I had an Indian (Asian country of India) dish that had raisins in with the mashed potatoes and other veggies - I have had some Thai dishes that also use fruit in ways that we do not usually do in western countries. I also have a smoothie in the morning and add a banana to that and other fruits that are in season. Are you interested in the nutritional value of fruits? Then be careful about adding heat to them because heat can quickly destroy some or all of the nutritional value of fruit, especially the water soluble vitamins. I am guessing that fruit sauces might taste great but might not be worth the calories because of the reduced nutrition. That said, you can also do kabobs with meat, veggies and fruit. I have not been very successful at getting a mixed kabob, i.e. one with meat, fruit and veggies on the same skewer, to be cook wonderfully. The Chinese split them up, do meat on separate skewers, each veggie on a separate skewer, and things come out just right - it all ends up in the same place you know I have often thought that a sweet potato casserole with raisins and bananas - probably put the bananas in 20-30 minutes before the end - might be very tasty. My friends mother was from the Caribbean. She used to put bananas in a variety of dishes. The Chinese stir fry squash and eat it without any meat or other veggies. I ordered a Hawaiian pizza here yesterday - usually comes with "Canadian bacon" (yeah, right!) and pineapple. This shop also put sliced bananas on it. It was NOT a good combo, in my opinion, but bring it up here to maybe spark ideas. How about a peanut butter and fruit or dried fruit sandwich - raisins, pineapple, etc? Google on "fruit teas" and see what you can find. Again, I am not sure how much nutrition there is left but the Asian herbalists still claim that there are powerful health benefits to some of these fruit teas, although you may have to dig around a bit because some of the "healthy" fruit teas have a couple of ingredients. I am also in search of ways to improve my health and energy by changing my diet. Right now I am looking into various kinds of cereals, i.e. bran, quinoa, that I can add to my diet and how to make tasty, high protein breads and other things to use them. My next venture is going to be in the "exciting world" of juicing I am single, and while I have seen a huge number of recipes for things that are both good and good for me, shopping for the ingredients and using them before they spoil is difficult. I can shop once a week to save time, but then a lot of food is wasted. I can shop more often but then I waste a lot of time. I am looking for good taste, nutrition and convenience.

 

[Fabiabi]

You can also use dried fruits in your diet. I include raisins, dried cranberries, blueberries, pineapple or other veggies in my oatmeal. Dried sweet potato is also good but I have to nuke it first because it is tough, or dice it into really small pieces. Dried fruits are also a really good and convenient addition to fruit or veggie salads. I had an Indian (Asian country of India) dish that had raisins in with the mashed potatoes and other veggies - I have had some Thai dishes that also use fruit in ways that we do not usually do in western countries. I also have a smoothie in the morning and add a banana to that and other fruits that are in season. Are you interested in the nutritional value of fruits? Then be careful about adding heat to them because heat can quickly destroy some or all of the nutritional value of fruit, especially the water soluble vitamins. I am guessing that fruit sauces might taste great but might not be worth the calories because of the reduced nutrition. That said, you can also do kabobs with meat, veggies and fruit. I have not been very successful at getting a mixed kabob, i.e. one with meat, fruit and veggies on the same skewer, to be cook wonderfully. The Chinese split them up, do meat on separate skewers, each veggie on a separate skewer, and things come out just right - it all ends up in the same place you know I have often thought that a sweet potato casserole with raisins and bananas - probably put the bananas in 20-30 minutes before the end - might be very tasty. My friends mother was from the Caribbean. She used to put bananas in a variety of dishes. The Chinese stir fry squash and eat it without any meat or other veggies. I ordered a Hawaiian pizza here yesterday - usually comes with "Canadian bacon" (yeah, right!) and pineapple. This shop also put sliced bananas on it. It was NOT a good combo, in my opinion, but bring it up here to maybe spark ideas. How about a peanut butter and fruit or dried fruit sandwich - raisins, pineapple, etc? Google on "fruit teas" and see what you can find. Again, I am not sure how much nutrition there is left but the Asian herbalists still claim that there are powerful health benefits to some of these fruit teas, although you may have to dig around a bit because some of the "healthy" fruit teas have a couple of ingredients. I am also in search of ways to improve my health and energy by changing my diet. Right now I am looking into various kinds of cereals, i.e. bran, quinoa, that I can add to my diet and how to make tasty, high protein breads and other things to use them. My next venture is going to be in the "exciting world" of juicing I am single, and while I have seen a huge number of recipes for things that are both good and good for me, shopping for the ingredients and using them before they spoil is difficult. I can shop once a week to save time, but then a lot of food is wasted. I can shop more often but then I waste a lot of time. I am looking for good taste, nutrition and convenience.

It is difficult to balance out healthy with good value if you are single. I lived alone for a couple of years and found that I didn't really take much care of myself. I would just grab convenient foods as and when because it was cheaper than buying food from the supermarket only to find that I couldn't get through it all before it went off and had to be thrown away.
I like your tips on how to get fruit and vegetables in your diet with using dried fruits and using them in savory dishes also.