Easy Ways to Eat More Veggies
This month (and from now on), try to eat 2 1/2 cups of vegetables each day. A one-cup measure of most veggies or vegetable juices counts. The exception: Two cups of leafy greens (like lettuce) count as just one official "cup."

Breakfast

Veggie Omelet Whisk together 1 egg and 2 egg whites in a bowl. Cook over low heat until eggs are set. Add 1 cup diced mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions, and 1 ounce shredded cheddar cheese. Fold half of the omelet over onto the other half and cook until eggs are cooked through and cheese is melted. Serve with 1 cup OJ or milk.

Vegetable Sausage and Eggs Scramble 1 egg and 1 egg white with 1/2 cup chopped green pepper and onion. Heat up 2 veggie sausage links and top entire dish with salsa. Serve with buttered toast and a glass of low-fat, nonfat, or soy milk.

Fresh Veggies Morning Mix Saute 1 1/2 cups chopped onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes in a frying pan with 1 tablespoon canola oil for about 5 minutes. Once onions are soft, pour vegetable mix over 2 slices toasted whole-grain bread. Melt 2 slices of your choice of cheese over vegetables. Serve with a glass of low-fat, nonfat, or soy milk.

Lunch

Hummus Sandwich On 2 pieces of whole-grain bread, spread 3 to 4 tablespoons hummus and top with 1/4 cup sliced cucumber. Eat with a small mixed-greens salad with 1/2 cup carrots and topped with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and a glass of nonfat, low-fat, or soy milk.

Veggie Sloppy Joe

Heat 12 ounces veggie ground-beef-replacement product (like Boca Ground Burger) in a skillet. Add 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper and onion, 1 can tomato soup, 2 tablespoons ketchup, and 1 teaspoon mustard. Stir until heated through. Split into 3 servings (share the extra 2 with your family or refrigerate for later). Serve on a whole-grain roll. Add a side of spinach salad with 1 tablespoon dressing of your choice, and a glass of nonfat, low-fat, or soy milk.

Portobello Pita Sandwich In a skillet, sauté 1 sliced portobello mushroom cap, 1 slice red onion, and 1/4 cup sliced red bell pepper. Once onion is soft, bring mushroom slices together in pan and place 1 slice of provolone cheese on top to melt. Once melted, remove cheese and veggies from pan and stuff in a whole-grain pita. Serve with a side salad and a glass of nonfat, low-fat, or soy milk.

Dinner

Mushroom Hamburger Mix 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning into 3 to 4 ounces ground beef. Cook on the stove over medium-high heat (3 to 4 minutes each side, or until browned entirely through). While cooking hamburger, in another pan, saute 1/2 cup baby portobello mushrooms with 1/2 red onion (sliced) in 1 tablespoon canola oil. Serve burger on whole-wheat bun (with ketchup and mustard, if preferred) and with a side of 1/2 to 1 cup corn or green beans.

Spinach Salad with Salmon On medium-high heat, grill a salmon fillet in a pan with 1 tablespoon canola oil. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes each side (or until inside is no longer dark pink). Break up the fillet and place atop a bed of 2 cups baby spinach leaves. Drizzle 2 tablespoons red wine vinaigrette over salmon, and season with pepper to taste. Eat with a whole-grain roll and a glass of nonfat or low-fat milk.

Veggie Burger Cook veggie burger according to package directions, then top with romaine lettuce, tomato slices, and 1 tablespoon Italian dressing. Place on a whole-wheat bun and eat with 1 cup steamed, buttered, peppered broccoli and 1 cup cooked whole-grain rice.

Snacks/Desserts

Cucumbers, Bell Peppers, and Hummus Chop 1 red and 1 green bell pepper into long slices. Chop one cucumber into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve on a plate with 1/2 cup hummus for a tasty, healthy snack.

Salad in a Bag Stuff a zipper-seal sandwich bag with 1 cup spinach, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup dried cranberries, and 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds, peanuts, or almonds, and throw in a plastic fork. Eat on the go, or unload on a plate as part of a sit-down meal.

Fresh Veggie Mix In a zipper-seal sandwich bag, combine 1/2 cup broccoli florets, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, and 1/2 cup baby carrots. Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons low-fat dressing of your choice in a small plastic container or snack-size zipper-seal bag, and you have the quick and portable version of a veggie platter!

—By Chris Wharton, Ph.D., research associate at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University