How to Rekindle the Flame With Vegetables

Do you ever feel sick of eating boring, healthy veggies all the time?
Do you wish that broccoli could taste like chocolate cake once and for all?

That’s how I’ve heard my clients describe their feelings about eating their veggies.

 

And trust me, I get it.

 

I too wish that I could indulge and have zero consequences.
The truth is, sometimes I do and in my mind at that moment, there is no major negative effect, not that I can feel immediately anyway.

Yes, sure, my blood sugar is probably spiking, resulting in a crash and making my energy levels almost non-existent. There may be some low-level inflammation going on that will affect my immunity. I might even have bad sleep that night.

I probably won’t connect all of that to my poor food choices because I, like you, tell myself what I need to hear in moments of sugar cravings: “I only eat this in moderation, so it’s fine.”

Truly and honestly, I still do that from time to time, even knowing what all I know about nutrition science.

That’s because I’m an emotional person; sometimes my feelings win over my brain when it comes to eating.

The trick for me is using the 80/20 rule in my daily life.
This allows me to eat well most of the time and, when I do indulge, I don’t have to feel as bad about it.
This is because I have systems in place to counter the negative effects.
Plus, I don’t get sick because I’m mostly eating super well.

 

For example:
Monday to Thursday, I eat very clean whole foods. Friday, I eat decently. I may order in at night, so I can’t control the ingredients for the entire day.

Saturday is a shit-show and it usually includes wine and food with who-knows-what ingredients from a random restaurant off of Uber Eats. Sunday, I usually return back to some level of decency, but leftovers from Saturday’s shenanigans may need to be consumed.

I’m willing to bet that if you put systems in place in your life too – where you have a plan for eating well with some time-off scheduled in – you’d rekindle the flame with vegetables and accept them more as part of your routine, without whining about it!

When lifestyle habits are not all-or-nothing, and you’ve given yourself space to eat the no-no’s with the ability to pivot back to super-clean and healthy vegetables, it feels good to do both.
You actually can eat really well and eat shit-for-you food while staying healthy.

As usual, this blog is not just about adding grass-fed butter to your broccoli so that you’ll enjoy it more, which is a good strategy, but along with that is creating a mindset and routine that will help you stay the course.

So, along with implementing the 80/20 rule for your mindset, try these hacks below to rekindle the flame with veggies.
This way, you can enjoy eating them knowing that that’s not ALL you have to eat!

 

TOP 5 WAYS TO REKINDLE THE FLAME WITH VEGETABLES + DELICIOUS RECIPES:

 

MAKE A SOUP WITH HEARTY VEGGIES AND PUREE IT IF YOU HAVE TO:

This is classic “Hiding Veggies 101”. You can also flavour soups with your favourite spices and add veggies you don’t really love the taste of.

The simple recipes below can ease you into it with everyday vegetables that we’re used to:

 

MAKE CASSEROLES WITH VEGETABLES:

Casseroles just scream “comfort food” to me!
I immediately picture my emotional needs being met with some sort of carb that will just light up my life!
The best part is that you can really add in all sorts of veggies – or just focus on one. Casseroles add a little more to balance emotional comfort food and help meet your health needs.

Recipes:

 

ADD THEM TO YOUR SMOOTHIES:

As much as I prefer a pure fruit smoothie, I can often hide some veggies or greens in my smoothie to get in a serving or two of the daily recommended value and still really enjoy it!
When you’re all “saladed-out”, this can be a great swap.

Recipes:

 

SWAP REGULAR RICE FOR CAULIFLOWER RICE:

If you haven’t made this type of dish yet, you might actually be the last person on the planet! But worry not, there are plenty of ways to jazz up cauli-rice. Swapping rice for cauliflower lowers calories, gives you complex carbohydrates that are better for you and is a great detoxifying veggie.

Recipes:

 

MAKE STUFFED VEGETABLES AND STUFF THEM WITH EVEN MORE VEGGIES:

I love a good stuffed pepper recipe. Thankfully to creative chefs around the world, I’ve learned that you can stuff so much more than just peppers. Try to stuff mushrooms or squash! You can even use zucchini and avocado. Who knew veggies could be so versatile?

Recipes:

 

I hope you enjoy this lineup of some of my favourite recipes and food bloggers.  Tag me and share your food images on social media with me! 

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