Here’s how we will be loading up on vegetable servings in 2016. Try these delicious recipes to get your nutrients.
The USDA has recommended 5 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday. For those on a budget or with hardly enough time during the workday to grab a granola bar, thinking about that many servings can be daunting. While we find getting a banana, apple, or grapes into our diet on the go to be easy, it takes a solid plan to get at least five servings of vegetables a day. For 2016, we are challenging ourselves and you to increase our vegetable intake. Here’s how we are doing it!
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Breakfast
If you have time in the morning, it is easy to fry or scramble an egg and serve on a bed of kale or spinach. Better yet, throw those greens right in to make an omelet. To make things portable, throw the greens and eggs easily into a tortilla with avocado. Or, prep it all the night before as a breakfast bake by mixing in a skillet and baking. That way in the morning all you have to do is reheat a slice. Try this recipe.
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Wash and cut a variety of fruits and vegetables the night before, including carrots, kale, celery, or cucumber, and blend away in the morning. Get your dose of vegetables at breakfast in liquid form. Try this recipe for a carrot smoothie.
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Revamp your oatmeal to the savory side. Add tomatoes, scallions, spinach, onions, herbs and more! Try this recipe.
Lunch
The easiest way for us to have at least five servings of vegetables a day is to make sure we have two at lunch. The most common way for us to pack a lunch loaded with veggies is to make a salad and bring a side of carrot sticks. To make sure you lunch isn’t soggy, try this salad in a jar. The wet layers go on the bottom!
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Make a vegetable based soup that is easy to pack, reheat and enjoy. Loaded with greens, root vegetables, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers, it’s an easy lunch to make the night before. Try this soup.
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When you are tired of vegetables on a bed of greens, make a cold rice noodles salad loaded with immune-boosting spices, raw carrots, cucumbers, and herbs. Try this recipe.
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Pack yourself fruit and vegetable based snacks at the beginning of the day so you are more likely to reach for those choices over a bag of chips. Make a batch of a dip, like hummus, at the beginning of the week and keep it on hand with cucumbers, carrot sticks, celery, and raw cauliflower for a protein packed snack. Try this recipe. Keep a bag of frozen edamame in the pods on hand. When hunger strikes, microwave a bowl, sprinkle with chili flakes and sea salt and devour. The best way to make sure you are serving enough vegetables at dinner is to always serve two, one green vegetable and one of another color for variety. This can be in the form of two sides to one main protein or one side vegetables with the second incorporated in with the main dish. Try the pomegranate and beet salad pictured above. Add a black bean and corn salad to taco night. Try this recipe. Or load up your homemade pizza with an extra dose of greens and tomatoes. Rather than serving your protein over pasta or rice, serve on vegetables noodles, like spaghetti squash of spiraled zucchini noodles. Or, for another vessel, serve in boats. Think stuffed peppers, squash, zucchini, or event lettuce wraps. With one serving at breakfast, two at lunch, one snack, and two dinner vegetables, your total is up to six servings! 
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