4 Easy Ways to Eat More Fruits & Veg

Raise your hand if you feel the activities are ramping up since getting back to school and work this fall?

It’s easy to use “busy” as an excuse to eat on the run or to make less healthy choices, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here are some tips to make sure you (and your loved ones) can be munching on fruits & veggies no matter your schedule.

1️⃣ Wash & Chop in Advance

Take a small block of time on Sunday (or each evening) to wash and chop veggies like peppers, carrots, and celery to store in the fridge. This makes it just as easy to grab those as it is to grab a snack from the pantry!

2️⃣ Set Fruit Front & Center

Place fruits that stay out on the counter, like apples, oranges, and bananas, in a bowl that stays front and center. That way when you or any of the kids pass through, they’ll be easy to grab.

3️⃣ Carry a Cooler Bag

Keep a small lunch box or cooler bag at the ready so you can throw in some chopped fruits and veggies to carry along on your errands, carpools, or park dates. This works when out and about by yourself or with kids.

4️⃣ Pack Lunch

Eating out for lunch often means fewer fruits and veggies. Packing your lunch is one of the surest ways to eat more produce through the middle part of your day. Plus, you’ll save time and money.

So much of habit formation has less to do with what’s going on in your brain and more to do with the environmental cues around you.

The reason these ideas ☝️work is because they leverage the power of your environment to make it just as easy to eat fruits and vegetables as it is to eat packaged or processed food.

Are you in?

Comment with your favorite fruit or veggie emoji! 🍓🥦🍉🥕

Simple Summer Snacks to Stay Cool 😎

🥵 Tired of summer yet?

Beat the heat with these cooling foods ⤵️

Cooling foods work because they promote hydration and provide electrolytes.

So rather than grab that bag of chips or salty snack, stay cool with these refreshing summer snacks:

🥥 Coconut Water

Coconut water is rich in minerals, including potassium and magnesium. Similar to sports drinks, it can replenish fluids and electrolytes.

🍉 Melons

Watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew are delicious summer fruits that provide antioxidants and hydration. Did you know cucumbers are also melons?

🧉 Peppermint Iced Tea

Peppermint can ease digestion and freshen breath, but it is also cooling. Try it iced when the heat picks up!

🌱 Cilantro

Cilantro is packed with micronutrients, having a gentle detoxifying effect. Sprinkle it over a melon salad or into your water or spritzer.

Do you have a favorite cooling snack? Let me know in the comments!

🍆 Fresh Eggplant Dishes for Summer ☀️

🍆 3 Ways to Eat Eggplant!

Eggplants are a nutrient-dense food, meaning they’re high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber but low in calories. Plus, summer is the season to enjoy fresh eggplant!

Here are some easy ideas:

1️⃣ Grilled

Slice, brush with oil, and grill! Some recommend soaking the slices in salt water for 30 minutes and then patting dry before prepping to grill. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or pesto!

2️⃣ Sauteed

Slice or cube, season with salt and pepper, and saute in olive oil for an easy eggplant side dish.

3️⃣ Baba Ganoush

Made by blending grilled or roasted eggplant with tahini, lemon juice, and salt—this dip is a great summer alternative to hummus.

With all the fresh produce, summer is the perfect time to try adding new foods into your routine. Tell me your favorite way to eat eggplant in the comments! ⤵️

Spotlight on Brussels Sprouts

👀 Read to the end for an easy Brussels sprouts recipe!

Brussels sprouts are in season all winter long and pack a nutritional punch.

Consider this:

✅ Brussels sprouts contain more protein than most vegetables—clocking in at 3 grams per cup!

✅ Brussels sprouts are cruciferous vegetables (along with broccoli and kale). That means they contain sulfur compounds that support detoxification and cellular health. 

✅ 1 cup of Brussels sprouts meets the recommended daily requirement for both vitamin C (think immune health) and vitamin K (think bone health). 

Want a simple and delicious way to prepare them?

Wash and slice them in half. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven at 400 until desired crispness on the outside and tenderness on the inside 😋

How do you like to prepare them? 

How Many Ways Do You Eat Grapefruit?

😋 7 Creative Ways to Eat Grapefruit 😋

Not a lot of fruits are in season through the winter, but oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are! 

Grapefruits are one of my favorites because they have a tart flavor that can go with either sweet or salty foods. They’re also low in calories, high in nutrients, and packed with vitamin C. 

Let’s get creative with 7 ways to eat grapefruit! 

1️⃣ Fresh!

Keep it simple by slicing or peeling your grapefruit and sprinkling it with a little sugar, salt, or nothing at all. 

2️⃣ Grilled & Drizzled

Cut the grapefruit in half and put it over a grill or under the broiler until just browned. Drizzle with honey or sprinkle with cinnamon. 

3️⃣ In a Smoothie

The sweet yet tart flavor of grapefruit blends well into smoothies along with spinach, a banana, and some yogurt. 

4️⃣ Over Greens

Toss your salad with vinaigrette and throw in some chopped nuts, feta cheese, and grapefruit chunks. 

5️⃣ With Avocado

Make a chopped salad of grapefruit and avocado, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. 

6️⃣ On Crackers

Mix up the ordinary crackers and cheese by using goat cheese and pieces of grapefruit on top. 

7️⃣ Alongside Fish or Shrimp

Everyone thinks of using lemons with seafood, but why not give grapefruit a try? 

There you have it—7 creative ways to eat grapefruit. 

Which one will you try next? Let me know in the comments!