It seems I am always hearing people say, they can't get their kids/family/self/great aunt marge/husband/brother/daughter to eat fruits & veggies or that they don't like them.
I don't get it.
Have you ever seen that commercial for V8 juice that says, "Do you ever wish vegetables didn't taste so vegetable-y?"
That commercial makes my blood boil...
No! I don't wish vegetables tasted different because they taste awesome.
That said, I know not everyone likes produce and a lot of people with good intentions buy produce, which can be expensive, and it goes to waste before it is eaten.
Confession #1: I have noticed that in our family (just me and the hubster) we used to let our produce go bad a lot.
Confession #2: In fact, for the first year we were married I only even cooked with canned veggies, frozen veggies, and packets of mashed potatoes because I knew they would go bad. (DISGUSTING RIGHT?!)
Well I have found some magical tricks for putting your produce to good use. Getting it and all of its wonderful nutrients in your belly. They seem like common sense, but these days common sense just isn't so common.
There are two rules:
1. Plan your meals ahead of time AND make using produce your #1 priority in meal planning.
- If you have corn, plan a dish that goes with corn, if you have bell peppers plan to make fajitas, if you have potatoes, plan a dish that goes with mashed potatoes/baked potatoes. Sounds pretty easy and it is. You have to be flexible and can't just make what sounds good at the time, plan to use your produce and you will.
2. Prepare the produce that you want eaten first (AKA it's ripe/ready to be eaten/can't last much longer) and display it where you and other people will quickly notice it when hungry.
- You know that feeling of being hungry and you have got to eat something NOW or you are going to throw something through the window? Okay, maybe you don't ever get like that, but if you do, you know that when that happens you are going to eat something that takes zero time to prepare like an entire family size bag of doritos BUT if you have a clear dish of clean apples on the kitchen counter you are going to be more likely to eat it than if they are hidden away in the fridge. If you have a cantaloupe cut up into pieces, in a clear (clear is important so people can see it) dish, placed at eye level in the fridge, people will be more likely to eat it than if it is tucked away uncut in the produce drawer.
Bananas & Apples ready to go!
Pineapple isn't ready yet, but getting it eaten isn't my top priority, when it is, I'll cut it up and put it in the fridge.
Cherries, Salad, and Strawberries, front and center.
Peppers and tomatoes, they look very yummy and colorful and there's no question of what they are or if you would need to take time to ready them.
I hope you enjoyed this little rant. I think I'll go eat some doritos now.
Just because the produce is there doesn't mean it will be chosen every time, but at least it's a quick option.
