When I first started trying to follow My Plate I had no idea how I was going to feed my family all those vegetables. I didn't know how I was going to eat all those vegetables. Trying to achieve half a plate at every meal seemed like a nearly impossible task.
But as I have learned through Food $ense classes and just putting the things I have learned into practice, it isn't as hard as you might think - and actually can be really really delicious.
I began first by adding a green salad to lunch and dinner. It was easy, the kids could help me prepare it, and my bigger kids could easy do it on their own. Everyone could choose their own dressing and so I never had to face any, "but I don't like salad" complaints. It quickly became habit and I felt really good about the changes we were making.
Something else that I have recently started doing, is roasting up all the veggies that I have left in the fridge on Saturdays during my meal prep. I always add a great big onion to them, toss them in a little bit of olive oil spread them out on two baking sheets (because I make a LOT) and then sprinkle them with a little bit of salt and pepper. I used these veggies as a go-to side dish all week until I run out of them.
That means that without even having to think about it, I have added a green salad and then a side of roasted veggies to my plate without even having to think about it. Then when I make dinner during the week, I can plan much smaller portions of protein and grains because I already know we have lots of vegetables to fill up on. I don't even worry about "do roasted veggies go with this" because you don't think that for a second about a green salad, it just goes with everything, I feel that way about roasted veggies.
Ingredients
2 lbs cubed pumpkin (sweet potatoes or winter squash)
1 lb brussels sprouts
2 red onions, peeled and each onion cut into wedges
1/4 cup walnuts (or other sturdy nut like almonds or pecans)
3 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp dried chili flakes, adjust to taste
1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400F.
Peel and dice the pumpkin into 1“ cubes, If your brussels sprouts are large, cut them in half.
Place the pumpkin, brussels sprouts, onion and walnuts onto a large baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup, then mix with your hands until it is evenly coated.
Sprinkle the veggies with the dried chilli flakes, salt and pepper.
Roast for 25 minutes, or until the pumpkin is browned and cooked through.
Toss once at around 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, Serve immediately.
