Just A Little Late - Challenge #12: Add More Fruit and Veggies

My apologies for being late this week.  I have a decent excuse in the form of an allergy induced cough that has kept me up all night for the better half of this week.  No worries, though, last night I finally got a full 8 hours of sleep in!  I feel like a whole new woman now.

For Challenge #12 lets try adding a fruit AND a veggie to each of our meals.  I'm thinking this sounds more difficult than it really is, so here's some brainstorming ideas on how to make it happen.  (This is also a great way to get a little creative in the kitchen, plus a great excuse to visit your local farmer's market.)

• Add onions and green peppers to all your meat. 
• Grill some fruit on the BBQ
• Check out your local smoothie shop.  There's some great options there to get an ENTIRE serving of fruits and veggies into your day.  Some smoothies are so filling they can even substitute for a meal.
• Bring out the blender and make your own juice and smoothies.  (I love doing this)
• Mash up some bananas, mix with peanut butter, then freeze.  When you're ready to eat it tastes just like ice cream.
• Make some zucchini bread, or sweet potato fries, or add cucumbers to your sandwiches, etc.
• A new secret of mine; when making spaghetti sauce add some grated sweet potatoes.  It's a nice sweet flavor that is really subtle and good for you!

The point is to be more conscious of what you are putting in your mouth, and body.  Pay attention to the fact that we all need to be getting more of these amazing foods from mother nature into us.  Believe it or not, your body really does crave those much needed vitamins and minerals that come from nature.  Did you know that most nutritionists believe that we are all chronically malnourished?   The reason is because most of us are neglecting to add the most essential and basic foods to our diets.

Take another step in the right direction to better health this week.  Eat your fruits and veggies!