Getting More Vegetables

Lately, I've been trying to eat healthier by watching my portions and add more vegetables. I'm more trying to be healthy than trying to lose weight (although if that happened, it'd be nice too). I always do really well at the grocery store and buy lots of fresh (sometimes frozen) produce but then I lose momentum and don't always eat it. Well, I have found more ways to get more vegetables in my diet.
1. I use a calorie tracker to help me stay on track. So since I always have the best intentions, I find that if I log my day ahead of time, I can put in all these vegetables I want to eat and then I actually eat them!

2. Sneak them into foods you already like. This would include smoothies, sauces, omelettes, mac and cheese, etc. I rarely eat macaroni and cheese just plain anymore. On good days, I'll add either broccoli or peas and then a can of tuna. Even when I add (vegetarian) hot dogs to it, I'll still add peas.

3. Cut them up once you buy them at the store (this would be like peppers, carrots, celery) so they are ready for snacking. If you have to do all the prep work when you're hungry, I find that it'd be easier to grab cookies or something since they don't take any work.

4. Try a new vegetable or try an old one prepared a different way. My mom always says that it takes something like 11 times to try a food before your body knows if you actually like it or not. Maybe you'll surprise yourself and like the new one.

5. Buy them. You can't expect yourself to eat them if they aren't around the house. Produce (when in season) isn't as expensive as everyone makes it out to be. Or if that sounds too scary, you can buy canned or frozen. Then they're really easy to add to anything (see step 2).

Of course I'm not perfect and I don't always get my 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day but I certainly get more than I used to back when I wouldn't actively try. Just try to get a rainbow of vegetables every day and realize there are more ways to eat them than just salads.