Five a Day -- My Method for Fruits and Veggies

As a general rule, we try to eat five fruits and veggies a day.

We accomplish this by eating fruit at breakfast, a fruit and vegetable at lunch, and two vegetables at dinner.

I like my dinner vegetables lightly cooked with few additions. Most veggies are seasoned with salt, pepper, and herbs. For those few exceptions-- salads get dressings, roasted veggies are drizzled with oil, etc.-- I try to always pair a less healthy vegetable side dish with a more healthy one. Obviously, I am not perfect, and there are nights when we are a lot more relaxed than others.

Here are a few of my favorite ideas for fruits and vegetables.

Breakfast--Fruit
bananas
grapefruit
peaches
pears

Lunch--Fruit and Vegetable
apples
oranges
baby carrots
celery
broccoli florets (and dip)

Dinner-- Two Vegetables
broccoli
cauliflower
carrots
asparagus
spinach (in a salad or sauteed)
peas
green beans (canned or fresh)
snap peas
lettuce salad
corn
potatoes (with skins!)
squash



Find your family's favorite fruits and vegetables and feel free to swap out side dishes from my weekly meal plans.