"Eat your veggies. Vegetables are healthy for you." We've heard this a million times since we were kids. It's not a new thought or scientific truth. Some of us soak in this information without question while others have a scientist inside of them so they need that proof. Coach Dean wrote an amazing article on Vegetables and Fruits- What your Grandma Never Taught You.
Ryan Andrews from Precision Nutrition put it this way in one of his articles.
“Eating higher levels of veggies and fruits are associated with a lower incidence of:
Cardiovascular disease
Colon, prostate, cervical, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, thyroid, and breast cancer
High blood cholesterol
High blood pressure
Type 2 diabetes
Obesity
Stroke
Osteoporosis
and a lot more that aren’t on this list…”
Now if that list doesn’t speak to you, do vitamins, minerals and fiber? PLUS you get to try an amazing variety of incredible tastes from all over the world – right from your very own kitchen just by eating vegetables!
Here is one of my favorite recipes to take in a lot of different vegetables in one meal.
Vegetable Fettuccine
- 4 yellow summer squash
- 4 zucchini
- 1-2 teaspoon coconut oil
Slice all the squash length-wise with a vegetable peeler except for the inner soft seedy area of each squash. Sauté the veggie strips in a pan heated to medium with melted coconut oil for about 3 minutes until soft.
To add variety, you can use carrots or the stalk ends of broccoli to make your fettuccine.
There is now a kitchen tool that will spiralize your veggies for you. Your veggies will usually cook faster since the veggie is smaller in size. I've seen spiralized veggies in the fresh and frozen section of your grocery store. So take a peak it will save you some time. I tend to have some frozen spiralized veggies as a Plan B, you know then your day doesn't go just as planned.
I use these veggies as I would pasta and serve them with Spaghetti Sauce or Meatballs on the Fly. I've included some tasty recipes to make a complete meal with your vegetable fettuccine.
Spaghetti Sauce
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1-2 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon marjoram
- ¼ rosemary leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 16-24 ounces tomato sauce
Brown ground beef, onion, and garlic. When the beef is no longer pink, drain excess fat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 hour.
Meatballs on the fly
- I pound meatballs
- 2 8oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 red pepper diced or sliced (how ever you prefer)
- 1 leek thinly chopped
- 1 bag of spinach
- 1 1/2 tsp basil
- 1 1/2 tsp oregano
- 4 minced garlic cloves or 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
To make the meatballs-combine 1 pound ground beef, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon sage, ½ teaspoon basil. Roll into balls and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Mix the rest of the ingredients in a large pot. Add in the meatballs when they are done cooking. Simmer for 20 minutes and serve over Vegetable Fettuccine or cauliflower rice.
There is no magic pill, potion, or lotion that is going to do all that vegetables can do for our health. Join me and keep eating your veggies.
To Your Best Health,
Coach Nancy