How many times have you gone to the grocery store, stacked your cart sky-high full of fresh, yummy produce, ready to conquer a week full of temptation, only to end up letting those apples rot or that lettuce wilt?
Well, you’re not alone! I get requests almost DAILY, especially from moms, for help on how to eat more fruits and veggies. I mean, we’ve all been there, right? Not to mention how to get our kiddos to eat more too! Getting our kids to eat something other than snacks can prove to be the biggest battle of all. So, I figured I’d equip you with a few of my FAIL-PROOF TIPS to get your babes to gobble their greens.
Top Tips to Adding Fruits + Veggies to Your Diet
Eating more fruits and veggies doesn’t have to be hard. To start, wash them as soon as you get home and set them in a visible, easily accessible bowl. Leaving those crunchy greens beneath all of your other refrigerator clutter is a surefire way to let them wither away! The more visible those healthy choices are, the more likely you are to choose them over their fatty, processed counterparts. From making your kids part of the grocery shopping/meal prep experience to prepping your vegetables as soon as you get home, these tips are certain to make sure you eat more fruits and veggies.
1. Take Your Kids Grocery Shopping
😳 What?! Yes…while most moms stress over grabby kids in their cart (“Mom, can I have this and this and this and this?!” 👧🏼👦🏼👱🏼♀️👱🏼♂️ “NOOO!!”), we can use this grabby-ness to our advantage by taking them down the produce aisle and letting them EACH choose a fruit and veggie of their choice to buy for the family. Once you make it home, allow them to help you wash the produce, ? chop if necessary, ?? and then store on an easy-to-access shelf.
2. Meal Prep (And Include the Kiddos)
If grocery shopping doesn’t do the trick, you can also include your kids in your weekly meal planning. 📝 Let them have some say over what they’ll be eating over the course of the week, allowing each child to take turns choosing a healthy meal for each day. Helping them feel more a part of the process, whether it?s their chosen healthy meal or not, will encourage them to enjoy the healthy meals that are prepared.
Curious if meal prep is worth it? Hint: It is, and here’s how it will also save you money →
The great thing about meal prep is you only buy what you need, so skip the extras like those Oreos and other snacks that sometimes mysteriously sneak their way into the cart! Keep your shopping list short and sweet, just like your kiddos. 😉
3. Organize Your Produce for Grab + Go Snacks
Click here to shop my favorite meal containers and these reusable baggies are also genius →
Just like the old saying out of sight, out of mind, the same applies to your fruits and veggies. Take an extra 10 minutes after washing your produce to pre-proportion out those fruit and veggies into containers to have on hand. Having easy grab + go snacks will you keep you out of the drive-thru and on track with your healthy living goals! A little preparation sure goes a long way!
4. Hide Fruits + Vegetables in Your Favorite Foods
We’ve all done it: zoodles as our pasta and cauliflower rice as our “regular” rice. Being a mom means getting creative. But just because you’re eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to feel like you’re eating cardboard. Veggies are colorful and fun, and they can be super flavorful, too, especially if you’re taking advantage of my secret weapon: seasonings. Grab your favorite spices, rubs, and seasonings and don’t be shy when it comes to covering those veggies! You can even add a little salt, just be mindful about how much you’re sprinkling!
Get more tips for hiding veggies here →
Each of these simple tips will subconsciously encourage your kiddos to grab and eat MORE of the foods you want them to eat WITHOUT any of the nagging and complaining that usually comes with it. Don’t worry if it doesn’t work like a magic trick. It takes time, and consistency is key. You’re doing great, Mamas!
What’s your favorite way to make sure you stick to your healthy eating goals? Tell me what you do to prep for the week and how you make sure you’re getting all of your servings of fruits and veggies!
xo,
Related reading:
Pantry Refresh || How to Organize Your Pantry for Healthy Eating
Fun with Food: A Powell Pack Guide to Healthy Habits
Healthy Meal Prepping: Tips to Eating Healthy on a Budget
Eat Your Veggies: Fun Facts + Fave Recipes
Fit on a Budget: Does Meal Prepping Save You Money?
35 Responses
I love bell peppers so I wash and cut them right away. Easy snack I love! I even make pre portioned baggies for my kids.
I am in total agreement…I am definitely guilty of wilted produce, but find that (especially in berry season (!!my fav!!)) When I wash and put it in clear tupperware in my fridge, every time I open up the fridge I see those blueberries, raspberries and strawberries calling to me instead of that cookie etc.
I definitely am finding it harder to eat more veggies….although since having my son (1 year this week!) We have been eating more veggies because he does. Definitely needs more work tho. 🙂 love the blog, Heidi!
I’m loving all these tips and videos that you and chris put on. I watch an episode of obese a year to save my life every morning while I’m doing my kettle bell work out as my daily inspiration then sweat my ass off in the gym at night time. When my veggies start to seem a bit like they are going off I just put them all in a pan and make soup then freeze it. No point wasting it 🙂
I used to that all the time. I found that if I prepare my meals for the week on say Sunday, everything is portioned out and it’s just grab and go. I also started participating in the Bountiful Baskets CoOp and that has opened a whole new world of fresh fruits and veggies for me. As soon as I get my basket every other week, I sort, clean and portion. It’s amazing how much it keeps me on track and not only helps my body and mind stay healthy, but my pocket book as well!
Salad in a jar works so well, I did not believe but tried it and sure enough it works. get large mason jars, put salad dressing in the bottom, and then all the great veggies and make layers, mix in some fruit too and then on top stuff it full of lettuce or greens and pack it in, spin on the cover and put them in your fridge, make different ones so its not boring and make sure they stay upright. When you ready for lunch or dinner or snack just flip it over and shake it up get the dressing on everything and pour out on a plate and you have a great salad, nothing wilts and its fast and easy.
Will it last a week? Do you make up four or five at a time?
These are amazing. I love them. I make 5 of them on Sunday and have throughout the week for lunch!
I’ve always read that once you cut up fruit/veggies, they start to lose their nutritional value. Also, some items (ie: strawberries) seem to get kinda withered and sad looking after a day or two once their cut. Any tips to combat this? And, is there actually any truth to what I’ve read about them losing nutritional value? I’d love to try this this idea about making everything visible though because I’m definitely guilty of letting things go to waste. One last thing, thanks for being awesome! Love following this blog and website for new tips!
Perhaps some nutrients will leach out once cut but if you skip the prep it is a higher chance of not eating them and then it is truly wasted. I only do a day or two in advance. I never pre wash berries . I wait until using them.
My husband and I are on week four carb cycling with “choose more lose more”. We love it!
I started portioning my veggies out like this a few weeks ago and it makes it so easy to grab anything I need and none of it has gone bad!
You and your husband are such an inspiration to me! I am a mom to two little ones and I love reading your blogs! Thank you for them!! I look forward to reading more!
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who does this! Thank you for the tips. I’m going to try this.
You and Chris are amazing ! I want to have that passion and dedication they way you both do . I really want to loose weight , I just need some help from you. Please consider taking me on as client or tell me how I can do that 🙂
Hi Esmerelda: Casting for season 5 of Extreme Weight Loss is closed, and you can find out more info about future casting calls at http://www.extremeweightlosscasting.com. But you don’t need to wait for the show to begin your transformation journey! You can begin today with the tools Chris and Heidi have made available for all of us to use! Check out their carb cycling program in their book, “Choose More, Lose More for Life.” The book contains their complete nutrition and exercise program, and it’s the same one they use on the show. It will teach you everything you need to know and do to achieve your own transformation! Learn about the nutrition basics here: https://heidipowell.net/2713/carb-cycling-101/. You can do this! 🙂
Yes!! I do this all the time & feel horrible about it. Another good way to save produce if it’s about to go bad is throw it all in a blender and have a smoothie or two. I also like to put berries on the verge into ice cube trays and freeze them. Then you have yummy (and pretty) flavored water for the week. Thanks for the post! I’m going to go home & rescue my produce today 🙂