Starting to incorporate more vegetables into your diet can be a little intimidating. Whether you have a picky eater in your family, or you equate eating more vegetables with having a sad salad every day, we have some tips for adding vegetables into your diet without even knowing that they’re in there!

• Smoothies with veggies! This is a common tip but is such a helpful one. Fruit and other ingredients can mask the taste of leafy greens like spinach, so throw a few handfuls in next time you’re blending a smoothie. You can also try using beet juice as the base of a berry smoothie, or adding in cooked beets – you’ll get a sweet, nutritious, and pretty pink smoothie.
• Try riced cauliflower in place of some or all of your rice, or add it to oatmeal. Cauliflower is fairly bland so you’ll hardly notice it. You can buy it in a convenient steamer bag or make it yourself by chopping the cauliflower (especially the stems) in a food processor. Riced broccoli stems are a great addition to a stir fry dish, too. Using the stems is a way to Go Further With Food – you’re reducing food waste and you get more for your money!
• If you’re cooking burgers or meatloaf, add in some finely chopped vegetables! Some examples could be: mushrooms, onions, or spinach. Again, it won’t change the taste much and is an easy way to sneak nutrients in!
• Boost your baked goods with vegetables. You can use grated zucchini in zucchini bread or brownies. Black beans can be added to brownies, too. Pumpkin-flavored baked goods are common in fall, but delicious all year round – make sure you’re using real pumpkin puree in your recipe.

If you already like vegetables and don’t feel the need to sneak them in, great! Keep it up! If you want to get even more nutrients, here’s a few ideas: 

• Rainbow roasted veggies! Cut them up and throw them all on a pan, sprinkling with garlic powder or other seasoning you like. I like to use carrots, red bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, and yellow squash to get all the colors in for an eye-catching and flavorful dish.
• Make dishes FUN by spiralizing your veggies. Zucchini noodles are popular right now, but you can also spiralize sweet potatoes, beets, red cabbage, and more. Even if you don’t have a spiralizer, you can dice and sauté them to add to pasta dishes.
• If you’re someone that likes to follow recipes, try simply adding more vegetables than the recipe calls for. Adding an extra handful won’t change the taste of the dish much and you’ll get even more nutrients than you would have normally.