9 Ways to Get 9 Servings of Fruits and Vegetables

1. Make a super salad. One 7-ounce (198-gram) bag of washed lettuce equals a bit more than one serving. Add

1. Make a super salad.

One 7-ounce (198-gram) bag of washed lettuce equals a bit more than one serving. Add a sliced tomato, a cut-up apple, and1/4 cup raisins and you’ve just eaten four servings. Top your super salad with cooked chicken or diced, hard-boiled egg whites for protein and you’ve got lunch.

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2. Munch ’em as a snack.

Freeze 1/4 cup blueberries and1/4 cup grapes and munch on them during your favorite TV program. That gets you up to six servings.

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3. Dip ’em.

For a before-dinner snack, dip1/2 cup carrots into low-fat ranch dressing. Now you’re up to seven.

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4. Add some nuts.

Sprinkle chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts over green beans.

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5. Drink ’em.

Eight ounces (225 ml) of low-sodiumV8 juice provides two vegetable servings. Voilà! You’ve hit the magic nine and it’s not even dinnertime.

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6. Add some sweetness.

Drizzle honey, maple syrup, or fruit juice on steamed carrots or sweet potatoes.

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7. Roast ’em.

Nothing brings out the natural sweetness of veggies like roasting.You can roast nearly anything, but our favorites are carrots, onions, beets, turnips,rutabagas, and Brussels sprouts. Just cut into chunks,mix with enough canola oil to coat, sprinkle with kosher salt,and spread in a single layer on a greased pan. Roast in a preheated450°F (230°C) oven until browned on the outside and fork tender on the inside.

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8. Make popcorn with cauliflower.

Cut the florets off a cauliflower and cut them up into bite-size pieces. Mix the cauliflower pieces with 2 tablespoons canola oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Preheat the oven to450°F. Spread the pieces on a cookie sheet and bake them until they are brown, turning them once. Now pop a movie in the DVD player; then settle back and pop this healthy version of popcorn in your mouth.

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9. Sauce ’em.

There’s a reason spaghetti squash got its moniker-the strands of golden squash really do look like spaghetti, only they pack a much more powerful punch. Take the pretend pasta one step further by topping the strands with tomato sauce and a curl of fresh Parmesan cheese.

Plus:
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Reader's Digest
Originally Published in Reader's Digest