Want to get your significant other to eat more veggies also? Here are my top ten tips for you for success.
1. Start the day with a breakfast smoothie.
Make some sweet delicious smoothies as breakfast, snacks, or as a substitute for drinks. Definitely don't serve a green smoothie with kale and green powders. This will throw him off the idea of drinking smoothies.
All you have to do is throw some fruits, plant yogurt, and ice in a blender. You can also use frozen fruit and berries; then, you don´t need any ice, the smoothie becomes lovely cold and refreshing.
To get him enthusiastic about smoothies, it is a good idea to make it a bit sweeter. Banana and dates are a good way to get some sweetness in the smoothie. Even sugar-free natural sweeteners can work like stevia.
To get some omega -3s put a couple of teaspoons flax- or chia seeds. Those will make the smoothie really creamy and thick as well. All you need is a high-speed blender or a powerful hand mixer.
Our favorite smoothie is to blend frozen strawberries with mango puree and water. This is so delicious, you can serve this also as an alcohol-free frozen margarita (or with alcohol), and he will love you. This way, he drinks his daily portion of berries.
2. Drench the veggies in a good sauce
Every man I know needs a good sauce so he can get his veggies eaten. Ok, mayonnaise is the ultimate yummy sauce, but really unhealthy since it is packed with oil. There are many other less calorie-packed sauces you can use—chili sauce, barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, sweet mustard, ketchup, cashew mayonnaise, or guacamole. Learn to make some delicious plant-based sauces.
Seasoning the veggies helps a lot too. Try Thai spice mix; tamari, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, lime, and chili—Mexican spices; onion, garlic, cumin powder, chipotle, coriander, smoked paprika.
3. Veganize recipes
It can be surprizing how good food can be even without meat. Try for example some of these recipes:
Tacos can be made with a delicious bean filling. Pizza can be made with plant-based meat options. Start replacing meat with beyond burgers and work your way from there to more healthy options.
4. Make veggie chips
Lovely crunchy veggie chips can easily be made in an air-fryer. Kale chips, sweet potato chips, potato chips or from any root vegetables. Healthier option and a nice snack.
5. Serve dried fruit as a snack
Who would say no to chocolate-covered dates, date balls with nuts and coconut, or licorice powder-covered dates? Dried fruit makes an excellent snack at any time of the day. Offer some dried fruit instead of candy. Dates are the sweetest, especially Medjool dates.
Dried mango is a hit, I promise. Freeze-dried fruit chips are also delicious and great as a snack. They are airy and "puffy". You can also add dried fruit to oatmeal and cereal in the morning. Banana chips are many people's favorite also. My favorite webshop to buy dried fruits, berries, nuts, and such is koro-shop. (in Europe)
6. Add some fruits and vegetables to sandwiches.
You can add some banana, sliced apples, or strawberry slices to a peanut butter sandwich. If you like it savory, make some delicious hummus to get those beans in the diet. Instead of margarine, you can make a bread spread of beans, chickpeas, peas, dried tomatoes, nuts, herbs, and olives. Mix different ingredients, and you get so many delicious spreads. One of my favorite spreads is muhammara. Top your whole-grain sandwich with many veggies such as lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and bell pepper.
7. Have a salad bar at dinner.
Let your hubby build his own salad. Set out in bowls various fillings for the salad. The rest is great to pack as lunch next day. Some good options to serve in a salad buffet are:
- Vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper.
- Variety of lettuces or baby spinach, finely chopped kale.
- A cooked grain like bulgur, couscous, quinoa, pasta
- Lentils or beans mixed in spices or roasted.
- Some warm elements in salads are also nice, like baked sweet potato cubes or oven-roasted veggies.
8. Make nicecream for dessert
Try this for dessert. Make some delicious nice cream. What is nice cream? It is ice cream made without milk, only from fruits. A bit like sorbet but without the sugar syrup and egg whites. You make this with a high-speed blender or a hand mixer. Put some frozen cut banana pieces or mango as a base. Add as flavoring vanilla, strawberries, cherries, or whatever you like as taste and some plant milk. Read more nicecream ideas here.
9. Tell about the health benefits of eating vegetables and fruits.
You can watch together some documentary instead of you lecturing him. Some good ones are, for example, The Game Changers, What the Health, or Forks over Knives.
Read more about a plant-based diet HERE.
10. Mix veggies in the meals.
You can easily sneak more veggies into your family's diet without them knowing it. Cut with chopper veggies in the bolognese sauce, such as carrots, celery, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions. These make a really delicious base for the sauce, and if you let them cook, so they form into a mash, your family won't notice them. Lentils make a good addition to lasagna. Replace half of the meat with soy protein, lentils, or chopped mushrooms.
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