Tag Archives: veggies

tricks to add to veggies to meals

Tricks to Add Veggies to Meals

Whether you have kids, or you hate veggies as much as kids do; it is still important to eat them.  Here are some tricks to add veggies to meals.  You’ll never miss out on your 9 servings a day again!

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Check out these recipes for some tricks to add veggies to meals!:

  1. Chicken Curry
  2. Zucchini Pizzas
  3. Chicken Stir Fry
  4. Slow Cooked Spicy Pepper Sausage Soup

 

tricks to add to veggies to meals

The sooner you learn the tricks to add veggies to meals, the sooner you can stick to your paleo food pyramid!

 

healthy spaghetti sauce

Healthy Spaghetti Sauce

healthy spaghetti sauce

Straight from the food processor! Love the greens!

Ingredients:

  • 2 Cans Diced Tomatoes
  • 1 Can Tomato Paste
  • 1 Onion
  • 2 Peppers
  • 2 Zuchinnis
  • 2 lbs Ground Beef 93%
  • 1 Tsp Cumin
  • 2 tbsp garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning

Preparation:

healthy spaghetti sauce

But it always turns red!

      • Open Cans and put in large sauce pan.
      • Mince Veggies using a food processor.  Add to Pan.
      • Brown Beef with cumin.  Add to Pan.
      • Add garlic and Italian Seasoning.
      • Sautee for a couple hours over low heat.
      • Serve with whole wheat pasta or over a veggie like Broccoli for a spaghetti fix without the carbs!

This is one of the healthiest spaghetti sauce recipes I know!  Especially if you serve it over broccoli rather than noodles!  It is the perfect way to sneak in veggies for kiddos!

Zucchini Chips

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Zucchini Chips

 

      (A Great Healthy Appetizer or Party Favorite!)

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 Large Zucchinis
  • 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 1/4 Cup Garlic Powder
  • 1 Tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 Tsp Everything Seasoning or Cajun Seasoning
  • 2 Egg Whites

 

Prep:

zucchini chips

I love my Kutsko Kitchen Chopping Rhombus. Get one at http://kutskokitchen.com/

 

Separate egg whites and mix in a bowl.

Mix Cheese, seasonings, pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl

Cut zucchini in 1/4 inch pieces.  Coat each piece with egg white then cheese mixture.  Lay flat on greased cookie tray.  (I like to use olive oil spray!)

Cook 7 min at 450 degrees.  Flip then cook 7 more min.

Serve warm or cooled!

1/2 Recipe = 95 Calories, 3.4g Fat, 4.1g Carbs, 1.2g Fiber, and 11.5g Protein

 

Cauliflower Pizza

 

 Cauliflower Pizzas

 

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Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Cauliflower Grated
  • 1/2 Cups Fat Free or Low Fat Mozzarella
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1 Tsp Seasoned Salt or Cajun Seasoning
  • 1 Tsp Oregano
  • 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
  • Your Choice of Pizza Toppings
  • Pizza Sauce

 

 Prep:

 

Make your “Cauliflower Flour” by grated a head of cauliflower as fine as possible.  (A food processor works great!)  Put in microwave safe bowl, cover with plastic, and cook on high for 7 minutes.   Let cool, then soak up excess liquid with with a tea cloth or paper towel.

 

 

Add egg, seasonings, and 1/4 cup Mozzerella cheese to the cauliflower flour.  Stir until the mixture forms a ball.  Then transfer to greased pizza tray.  (I like to use olive oil spray!)  Cook at 450 Degrees for 12-15 min.

 

 

While Pizza crust is cooking prepare toppings.  Sautee veggies and cook meat, because they won’t have time to fully cook.

 

 

 When crust is ready add pizza toppings and remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella.  Cook until Cheese Melts! (About 7-10min)
1/2 Pizza (with sausage, cheese, peppers, and onions)= 395 Calories, 18g Fat, 9g Carbs, 4.4g Fiber, and 37g Protein!

 

Quick and Easy Stir Fry

Part of the reason so many people eat out, is they think cooking has to be tough.  Here is a simple recipe for a stir fry that you can make in 30 minutes.

What You’ll Need:

  • Chicken
  • Green Pepper
  • Onion
  • Meat Rub
  • Coconut Oil
  • Carrots
  • Zucchini
  • Low Sodium Soy Sauce
  • Sriracha
Optional for side salad:
  • Romaine
  • Low Fat Feta
  • Tomato
  • Cucumber
  • Left Over Dressing from Greek Salads

 

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If you can marinate your chicken an hour or 2 before with melted coconut oil mixed with your meat rub.  Set aside and let sit in the refrigerator.

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Saute Carrots, Green Pepper, Onion in wok with a teaspoon of coconut oil.

Add the soy and sriarcha when the veggies start to soften.

Add Chicken and finally Zucchini.

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Chop Romaine, Tomato, Cucumber and place in bowl with low fat feta.

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Ta da, a dinner ready in less than thirty minutes!  Real food is always better than takeout!

Bored with your healthy meals?

Eating healthy often starts out fun, but after making proper choices for 2-3 weeks clients and I tend to have the following dialogue:

Client:  “I’m ‘bored’ with my healthy meals.”

Me: “What would you eat if you weren’t ‘on a diet?’

Client:  Some combination of pasta, pizza, cake, cookies, ect. and/or all of the above.  (If you didn’t realize those are all carbs.)

Me:  “How often would you eat pizza before we started working together?”

Client:  “At least once a week!  I would have pizza (or sub whatever carb heavy food they love) all the time.  I seriously could eat it for every meal!”

Me: “Wait, you could eat pizza for every meal, yet you are bored with the “healthy” meals you have been eating?”…..

Hmmm….no response to that one.  What it comes down to, is people do not get bored of healthy options, they just don’t take the time to create meals that they “crave.”  People think being on a diet means they have to eat bland food.  The trick is to come up with meals that you enjoy that are healthy, that way you crave those meals multiple times a week!

Here is one of my favorite healthy meals!

Chicken Taco Salads with Fresh Fruit Salsa

First start by slow boiling in a medium pot; diced chicken (I do a breast per person and that yields leftovers for lunch!) with a tomato, 1/2 a red onion, about half a cup of whatever salsa you like, garlic, hot sauce of your choice (I like sriracha!), and about 12 ounces of chicken broth (or for a few extra calories try throwing a beer in instead!)

You can really put in whatever seasonings, meats, and veggies you like.  If you like spice, throw in some Jalapeños or other spicy peppers!

healthy meals

This will take about an hour to cook down, so while you are waiting start chopping up some fresh fruit salsa.

I usually dice up 1/2 a sweet onion, a jalapeño, 2 beefsteak tomatoes or 4 roma tomatoes, and whatever fruit looks the freshest.  Today I chose to use strawberries.  Peaches and Mangoes are other good alternatives.

healthy meals

As you can see I also chopped up a good amount of Romaine lettuce.  You could choose to serve your meat with taco shells, but if you are watching carbs and working to stay within your ratios; a bed of lettuce is a great way to serve up your meal!

healthy meals

In about an hour the liquid will evaporate out, leaving you with soft meat that you can mash with a wooden spoon to make a jerked chicken!

healthy meals

Throw the chicken on top of your lettuce and then salsa on top of your chicken and dinner is served!

healthy meals

Even with the beer, this is a 306 Calorie dinner that packs in 30 grams of protein!  Now that is a meal I could eat over and over!