Ten Ways to Boost Vegetable Intake

1. Add vegetables (onions, peppers, spinach, broccoli, etc.) to your eggs in the morning in an omelet or frittata!

2. Have a small salad each night as the start to your dinner - be sure to use dark green leafy lettuce and add some additional veggies beside just tomatoes and cucumber - add in any combo of broccoli florets, celery, peppers, shredded red cabbage, shredded carrots, etc.

3. Cut raw vegetables make a great snack! Broccoli florets, carrot sticks, celery, peppers, etc. all taste great raw with some dip.

4. Chilly night? Skip the salad and make a vegetable-rich soup to start dinner with!

5. Add vegetables in unlikely places - zucchini and summer squash and/or eggplant can be added as a layer to lasagna, reducing one layer of pasta; adding fresh spinach to sauces boosts vegetable intake without changing the flavor of the sauce while also adding color and texture!

6. Skip the potatoes, rice and pasta and serve two vegetable side dishes instead! You'll pack in more essential nutrients - vitamins and minerals - per ounce with the vegetables!

7. Instead of serving traditional bread, make a vegetable-based bread like zucchini bread or pumpkin bread.

8. Who says cookies can't be good for you? Drop shredded carrots into nutrient-dense (occassional treat) oatmeal raisin cookies without altering the flavor or texture!

9. Make it slaw! Cole slaw, broccoli-slaw and other veggie slaws all can be added to your lunch and pack in more nutrients from vegetables in a tangy side dish!

10. Vegetables for dessert? While technically a fruit, many consider pumpkin a vegetable - Whip up a sugar-free pumpkin mousse, crustless pumpkin pie or pumpkin custard. Try substituting spaghetti squash or even riced cauliflower for rice in a rice pudding/custard.

Have more ideas? Email me at controlledcarb@aol.com