If you’re like us, you know you could eat healthier – but it’s tough, especially when the craving for tacos hits. Trust us when we say that you can have your cake and eat it, too. Here are a few simple and sneaky ways to add more nutrition to your breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.
Add Veggies to Your Favorite Comfort Meals
Whether you add squash to your mac and cheese, stuff your calzones with leafy greens like spinach or kale, or make fudge brownies with zucchini, there are veggie substitutes for just about any comfort food you can imagine.
Pizza My Artichoke Heart
Who doesn’t love a make-your-own pizza night? Next time, load your pizza with fresh herbs for a multitude of health benefits, onions for vitamin C, peppers for vitamin K, and artichoke hearts for fiber.
Don’t Skimp on Seasoning
Perfecting vegetables takes patience and practice, but having a fully stocked spice rack helps. Whether adding veggies to a recipe or swapping out a heavy protein for a vegetable substitute, your top priority should be flavor.
Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower Just Go Together
If you love mashed potatoes, make them by substituting half of the potatoes for cauliflower, then boil, mash, and season as you typically would. This way, you can enjoy the taste and texture of mashed potatoes while reducing your carb intake. If you’re not a fan of cauliflower, try sweet potatoes or parsnips as alternatives.
English Muffin Morning
Even when rushing around in the morning, you can toast an English muffin and spread your favorite nut butter for a quick and filling protein-packed breakfast.
Add Avocado Any Chance You Get
Whether you make a spread, a salad dressing, or a sandwich, adding avocado to your meal can improve cholesterol, meet your fiber requirements, and work wonders for your skin.
Bulk Up Your Sauces
The next time you make pasta sauce, don’t skimp on chopped onion, fresh herbs, garlic, chili peppers, olives, and anchovies (if you dare) for a sauce packed with healthy fats and tons of flavor.
Switch to High-Quality Olive Oil
Whether you’re sautéing, grilling, baking, or boiling, there is a chance you’ll need to use oil. So, switch to a high-quality olive oil with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, and healthy monounsaturated fats.
Meaty Meets Veggie
If you’re making a meat-based meal like a burger, meatloaf, or meatballs, you can easily add nutrients by finely chopping veggies and mixing them into the sauce. This is a genius way to sneak in veggies you don’t love to eat by themselves.
Wake and Bake
If you love baking but want to do so more nutritiously, flax can be substituted for eggs or oil in most recipes. You can also add flax to increase the amount of fiber in your baked goods.