Blend your veggies. Blending leafy greens, celery and other vegetables into your morning smoothie is an easy way to incorporate more veggies into your life. It’s a lot easier to drink a blended smoothie than to eat a big pile of veggies in the morning. Plus, blending makes it easier for your body to digest the fiber-rich foods and helps it absorb the maximum amount of nutrition. I suggest starting with my Glowing Green Smoothie®, which is packed with nutrient-dense ingredients like romaine, celery and spinach. It’s also naturally sweetened with fruit, so you won’t even notice it’s filled with vegetables!
Don’t forget the seeds. If you’re looking to get more healthy sources of protein in your diet, seeds are the way to go! These powerful little guys are Mother Nature’s energy food, loaded with filling protein, healthy fat and fiber. Some of my favorites are chia, hemp, pumpkin and flax seeds, which are so easy to add to a smoothie, toss on top of a salad or mix together to create your own energy bites. The nice thing is that a little bit goes a long way - just 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds contain a whopping 10 grams of protein - so you don’t need to overload on seeds to reap their benefits.
Do a little bit of prep work. Getting more vegetables in your diet is a lot easier when they’re accessible in your fridge and ready to eat. Taking a few minutes to wash and prepare your veggies when you get home from grocery shopping will save you lots of time throughout the week! That way, every time you open your fridge, you’ll have an arsenal of clean, prepped veggies that you can more easily throw into a smoothie, salad or recipe of your choice.
Find foods that do both. The amazing thing about vegetables is that most of them contain a surprising amount of healthy protein! For example, a serving of spinach has about 5 grams of protein, a cup of broccoli contains about 4 grams, and a cup of sprouts can contain almost 10 grams! So if you're looking to get more healthy, clean protein in your diet, load up on those veggies.
Get creative! Incorporating more protein and veggies in your life can be anything but boring. Challenge yourself to get creative in the kitchen by making your own avocado and kale-based pesto, zucchini hummus or butternut-based vegan mac-n-cheese. When you make healthier versions of your favorite classic dishes, you’ll realize how easy it is to enjoy a diet filled with veggies and healthy protein.
Plant-Based Recipes Mentioned in Tips:
Glowing Green Smoothie® : https://mysolluna.com/ggs/
Raw Energy Seed Bites: https://mysolluna.com/blog/2019/12/01/raw-energy-seed-bites/
Roasted Cauliflower Steak with Avocado Kale Pesto: https://mysolluna.com/blog/2020/02/11/roasted-cauliflower-steak-with-avocado-kale-vegan-pesto/
Raw Zucchini Hummus: https://mysolluna.com/blog/2016/06/28/raw-zucchini-hummus-recipe/
Vegan, Gluten-Free Mac-n-Cheese: https://mysolluna.com/blog/2015/03/25/early-recipe-release-beauty-food-paired-vegan-and-gluten-free-mac-n-cheese/