2 simple tips ANYBODY can do to get all their daily nutrition in and still enjoy the foods they love !
Every weekend, my family and I eat at a restaurant at least once. This is usually when I’m all about grabbing a big burger and sweet potato fries with jalapeño ketchup, or chowing down on some Fuzzy’s Nachos. What’s something you may notice about those meals? Not much in the veggie department , right?
I mean, the lettuce and tomatoes on the burger mayyyybe adds up to 1 serving of vegetable and the nachos only come with pico de Gallo (which is why I ask for them to ADD lettuce, extra lettuce, and extra pico). But even then, I’ve got to make up for the lost opportunity to give my body the adequate amount of veggies it needs for health and healing !
So, over time, I’ve adopted these 2 habits to help me do that.
The first habit is really straightforward: I have a big leafy salad with at least half to one whole cucumber or tomatoes added to it, among other goodies like olives or seeds, feta or avocado. I drizzle it with my favorite creamy ceasar and cut it with some vinegar of my choice ( either balsamic or rice or apple cider vinegar) for some zing!
This provides my body with lots of good vegetables I won’t get from m restaurant meal.. plus some healthy fats to help maintain some stable energy among other benefits.
The second habit is all about convenience. I blend up my daily superfoods shake with some ice and water , and I usually add in some fruit and veggies , too! So incredibly easy to drink it down and plus it’s packed with all the vitamins and minerals and pre/probiotics I’m wanting in a day, too. Not to mention a decent serving of protein for fullness and lean muscle. Sometimes I’ll drop some nuts or avocado or coconut oil, just for those healthy fats again. And sometimes some collagen for additional joint, gut, and skin health. But for the veggies…. besides the veggies already in the ingredients list for the shake itself, I’m usually dropping some Of my greens Supplement , some zucchini or spinach, some Cauliflower rice or carrots (yes…. carrots)!!
Sometimes I do one or the other, but usually I do both these habits to form a meal either earlier or later in the day around my family restaurant plans. Together, the shake usually leaves just enough room for that salad I’m making and is a full meal to balance out the lack of veggies I’ll get from the fast food or restaurant food I’ll have in the other part of my day.
The restaurant meal usually by default will give me some big servings of carbs and even more fats for the day, and usually a serving or two of protein. Beyond these 2 meals, I’ve still got plenty of wiggle room if I’m in the mood for another something to eat earlier in the day for breakfast like eggs and berries with bacon; or a little something in between meals for snacks like beef jerky and apple.
At the end of the day, I’ve usually got all my veggies, protein, fruit, and healthy fats accounted for, which helps me not just maintain my weight, but also keep a steady energy to fuel my job as a fitness instructor in addition to my personal workouts and daily job as mom!
Do you have some tips for making veggies happen each day? I’d love to hear them!
Angel Ballance 