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Having trouble getting those three to five servings of fruits and vegetables a day? I thought I was doing okay until I found out any form of deep fried potato doesn’t count! If you’re like me and you need some creative healthy ways to add vegetables to your daily diet, here are five ideas.


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Vegetables such as mushrooms, onions, and zucchinis can either make a major or minor impact on the taste of spaghetti and other pastas depending on how thinly the vegetables are sliced. Just add the vegetables to the sauce as it is cooking. If you don’t want to taste the vegetables, dice them extra small. If you want your vegetables to stand out, try roasting your favorite vegetables by putting them on aluminum foil; drizzling them with oil, salt, pepper, and any other herbs of your choosing; and baking them in the oven for about 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Toss the roasted veggies with cooked pasta and your favorite sauce. Top with mozzarella or parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven for another 25 minutes.

Blanching

Try blanching vegetables to avoid a strong vegetable taste. To blanch vegetables steam them for a few seconds, no more than a minute, and then dunk them in cold water. Other quick cook-methods, such as stir frying can also keep the taste of the vegetables from being too strong.


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Grilling

What better way to celebrate summer than to fire up the grill? This summer try throwing some vegetables on the grill instead of just burgers and hot dogs. Almost all vegetables can be grilled by putting your veggies of choice in aluminum foil, drizzling with olive oil and herbs to taste, and throwing the whole thing on the grill for 15-20 minutes. You can also cook vegetables directly on the grill by skewering them and spraying the food rack with cooking spray before putting the kabob on the grill. For a full meal look for kabob recipes that interweave steak or chicken with vegetables.

Salads make great snacks, appetizers, or full meals, and salads are a great way to get a mix of different types of veggies in one sitting. Keep from getting bored by playing with combinations of vegetables, fruits, dressings, and toppings.

If all else fails, you can always dip your vegetables in sauce of drizzle them in cheese. If you are on a diet, there are a number of delicious low fat veggie dips and cheese sauces. 

This article was written by the healthy lifestyle experts at CompressionStocking.co, the leader in compression stockings and other compression wear.