Taking care of yourself is important, but many people think it's too hard or too time consuming. The important thing to remember when trying to add a new routine or goal into your daily lifestyle is to start small. For example, if your goal is to start eating more vegetables, start by adding a side of veggies to one meal a few times per week. After the first few weeks, maybe add another day or two, until you have one side of veggies for one meal every day, and keep building up after that.
Easy Veggies.
These are a few of my really quick and easy go-to recipes when I need to add some veggies to a meal.
Simple Frozen Veggies
Take your pick of frozen veggies. I usually use a California blend with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and zucchini or just broccoli. Throw your veggies into a frying pan with some butter (or oil) and salt and pepper. How much butter, salt and pepper you use is totally up to your taste, but I usually use just enough butter to coat all the veggies and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until soft and serve up!
Roasted Asparagus
Preheat oven to 375. Cut the root ends off the asparagus and spread out on a baking sheet. Use olive oil to lightly coat the asparagus (olive oil spray is very helpful for this, but not required). Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 mins.
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Husk corn and cut the ends off the cob. Place each cob on individual foil sheet. Place small chunks of butter next to and underneath the cob. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. For an extra kick, add cayenne pepper. For a milder kick, add paprika. Wrap the corn up in the foil and throw it on the grill, or in the oven at 450 for 10-15 minutes. I like to spread chipotle mayo on mine when it's done cooking.
Simple Side Salad
Toss mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cut cucumber, and 1/4 an avocado. Toss with your favorite dressing and enjoy.
These are just a few quick ideas that are easy and cheap to put together. The great thing is, you can customize these recipes as much as you'd like. You could easily switch out frozen veggies for fresh and use a terriyaki sauce instead of butter and salt and pepper to make an awesome stir fry. Add a side of rice and maybe some marinated chicken and you've got a full meal! Salads are great because you can create as you go and you can add or take away any ingredients. Sometimes I like to add a hardboiled egg to my salads for extra protein, or some taco seasoned chicken and black beans to make more of a taco salad.
Soon you'll be craving veggies with every meal!