Sneaking Around

Maybe you’re like me and you have someone at home that is what I call “veggie averse”: not too fond of anything green or living. To get this person to eat fruit and veggies is like pulling teeth and you’re at your wits end. But you don’t want to give up on them because they NEED to eat their fruits and veggies and you are bound and determined to make this happen. But how?

I think the trick is to sneak it in. I mean, what they won’t know, won’t hurt them, right? They’re happy they’re not being food policed to death, and you’re happy because you basically won (though they don’t know it). It’s a win-win.

Though it’s not going to be as overt as eating a big green, fresh salad, little bits of fruit and veggies mixed in here and there can add up and will certainly be an improvement to what they’re doing now – which is next to nothing.

Here are some ideas:

In salad dressings, add tangerine or orange juice instead of vinegar for a citrusy splash of flavor

In a blender, add fresh avocado to a little olive oil and lemon juice for a creamy salad dressing

Add orange juice to marinades for pork, chicken or seafood



Chicken with apricots - yum!

 Add fruit, fresh or dried, to sauces, such as pork with prunes or apples, or apricots with chicken (see photo, left)

Serve fresh fruit salsas atop chicken or seafood after grilling

Add cranberry sauce to a little mayo for a nice spread on turkey sandwiches

Add veggie broth instead of water when cooking rice

Pile more veggies like lettuce, tomatoes and sprouts on sandwiches, using less meat and cheese

Add more veggies than meat to soups, stews and chilis

Add thick veggie purees to sandwiches as spreads or as a dip for crackers (esp. good is butternut squash and crème fraiche together!)

Add fruit juice and fresh fruit to morning smoothies

In soups, replace part of the water the recipe calls for with low sodium tomato juice.

The trick is to be creative and imaginative. Think of new and innovative ways to sneak more fruit and veggies in to your cooking. They’ll never know the difference!