Shopping for vegetables is easy in the sense that most of the fresh varieties are arranged in the same grocery store area. Of course, frozen veggies or the canned variety are located in other sections, but generally, all of these can be located with a quick and easy search.
The problem is that many of us do not eat enough vegetables. The surgeon general and many health organizations recommend following a daily food pyramid structure that suggests having three or more vegetables per day. A startling number of consumers fail to do that, possibly due to poor eating habits, lack of convenience, or being in a hurry, since most fast food restaurants do not serve healthy vegetable options.
To get your family to eat more vegetables in their diet, plan a grocery list that includes plenty of veggies of the fresh, frozen, and canned varieties. That way you can combine wholesome, convenient, and long-lasting food values in your veggie purchases.
Start in the fresh produce section. Look for individual vegetables that can serve as meal mainstays or substantial side dishes that will help to fill your diners as well as contribute to their health. Potatoes have long provided a healthy dose of nutrients at the supper table, typically served in many ways that include boiling, baking, and frying. Carrots, peas, green beans, and cabbage make tasty side dishes, though you will need to purchase these in season or in the frozen or canned sections.
Don't forget seasoning vegetables, like onions or leeks, as well as salad greens that may include lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, olives, purple cabbage, and a host of other fresh produce. Many stores bag salad greens for you, so that you can take home a plastic bag of mixed salad and pour it into a serving bowl without having to clean any of it. You may want to add a few items extra, however, like mushrooms, green peppers, or other favorites.
You also can use vegetables as sandwich items or garnishes, so pick up some tomatoes, parsley, or spinach as a way to pad side dishes or other foods for extra flavor and nutrients. Baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and cherry tomatoes make great snack foods and can be packed with ease in brown bag lunches or prepared for after-school treats. Vegetable juice or tomato juice is a snappy pick-me-up for anyone on the run who is budgeting calories and looking for a nutritious snack.
You can buy canned sliced potatoes and carrots for cooking with roasts or in stews and soups. Tomatoes that are diced and flavored with garlic and onion are ready to be added to your home-made spaghetti sauce or chili. Frozen corn and peas cook quickly in the microwave as side dishes when the regular kind are out of season. Pumpkins, squash, and zucchini provide wonderful baking ingredients for tasty dessert recipes.
Whatever meal or food type you need to prepare, plan for some vegetables to be added to your shopping list. Many are quite affordable, easy to fix, and tasty either raw or cooked. Make veggies a staple in your family's diet.
