Fruits & Veggies - They’re Good for You…Make ‘em Fun Too

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Fruits & veggies are definitely tasty, but if you’re trying for a more low-fat diet, preparing these yummy natural goodies can turn dull. Don’t let this make you abandon your healthful eating habits and just take the easy sugar route out. Preparing and eating fruits and veggies can be fun!

• Give your Italian beans an authentic Italian flavor. Mix them with fat free Italian dressing. It doesn’t taste any different than the version that includes fat and it adds a nice tangy taste to this otherwise bland vegetable. It also tastes great mixed with broccoli and cauliflower.

• Are you in the mood for French fries but you are trying to stay away from those fatty fried foods? Cut up a potato into fries, spread an even layer on a baking sheet, spray with Pam cooking spray, sprinkle with Creole or other seasoning and put them in the oven for a few minutes. You will have tasty French fries with a kick but without all the fat.

• If you like all of your vegetables to have a little spice to them, try this. Cut up cauliflower into bite size pieces. In a bowl toss the cauliflower with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Put the cauliflower pieces on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam cooking spray and put in a 400* oven until cauliflower is tender, not mushy, about 10-20 minutes. Be sure to stir halfway through.

• Not sure what to do with those berries? Whether it’s strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries, there are a number of tasty ways you can add these to your fat free diet. When you first bring berries home from the grocery store, wash them and put them in an airtight container. When you have a craving for berries, you will be more likely to grab a handful if they are easily accessible and ready to eat. Layer the berries in a parfait dish alternating with low fat yogurt or mix with the yogurt. You can also stir them in jell-o before setting. Sprinkle them on your oatmeal or cereal in the morning or grab a handful for an afternoon snack.

• Slice bananas, apples, peaches and whatever else sounds good to you and sauté them in a non-stick skillet with just a little vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. You can add a little more flavor with a few drops of orange or pineapple juice.

• Change your menu around a little. Once a week, choose a fresh fruit or vegetable that you have never tried or that you have not had in long time. It will be fun to experience new tastes and interesting to discover new favorites.

There are so many ways to jazz up your fruits and vegetables. These are just a few. Be creative and think of your own ideas. You could discover some great new tastes on some age old foods.