Getting 5 per day

I am on a mission to get at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Perhaps you are too? Well, I did some research with the help of the Nutrition Diva and her podcast on how to get 5 per day. Here is a sample menu from what I could come up with:

5 Servings Per Day

Breakfast: 

• Eat 1 apple, cut into slices, along with breakfast.

Snack:

• Eat 1 cup carrot sticks with 4 tbsp hummus.

Lunch:

• Have a 1 cup vegetables with whatever you have for lunch. This could be a small garden salad or the side of leftover green beans from supper last night.

Snack:

• Eat 1 orange, clementine or mandarin. If the clementine is small, eat 2.

Supper:

• Have 1 cup vegetables with whatever you have for supper.

Well, that was easy, wasn't it? I have to admit though: I am an overachiever. The Canada food pyramid recommends that you get 4-5 servings of vegetables and 3-4 servings of fruit per day which puts you at 7-9 servings per day. That seems like a lot but let's add that up:

7-9 Servings Per Day

Breakfast: 

• Add 1/2 cup thawed, cooked spinach to scrambled eggs with 2 tbsp feta cheese.
• Eat 1 apple, cut into slices, along with breakfast.

Snack:

• Eat 1 cup carrot sticks with 4 tbsp hummus.

Lunch:

• Have a 1 cup vegetables with whatever you have for lunch. This could be a small garden salad or the side of leftover green beans from supper last night.
• Have a fruit salad for dessert with 2 tbsp Greek honey yogurt.

Snack:

• Eat 1 orange, clementine or mandarin. If the clementine is small, eat 2.

Supper:

• Have 2 cup vegetables with whatever you have for supper. This could be mashed potatoes and sauteed mushrooms, or a vegetable stir-fry on the side.
• Have a tropical fruit salad for dessert (kiwi, mango, pineapple) with honey-lime dressing.

Hmmm, that wasn't very hard either. But that's only one day. We can't all eat that one meal plan every day, can we? We need some variety. What are some other ideas?

Creating Variety

Breakfast: 

Fruit:

• Have a yogurt parfait with 1 cut peach and 1/2 cup blueberries and yogurt. Try also 1 cup varied berries or just one fruit that you really like.
• Try 1 sliced banana and peanut butter on whole grain toast. If you don't like the peanut butter and banana combination, try Nutella or another kind of nut butter like almond or cashew butter.
• Have an orange, clementine or mandarin on the side.
• Have half a grapefruit on the side. You could even broil it with some sugar and cinnamon in this recipe.
• Make a fruit syrup and add to pancakes with some fruit. For example, make a maple blueberry syrup served with fresh blueberries on (or in) the pancakes.
• Have a 1 cup serving 100% fruit juice like apple, orange, grape or grapefruit.

Vegetables:

• Make an omelet with 1 cup chopped vegetables like peppers, mushrooms, onions or leeks.
• Have a side of sauteed vegetables with breakfast (mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, etc.). I am very fond of mushrooms on the side.
• Add 1/2 cup salsa to scrambled eggs with 2 tbsp sharp cheddar cheese. I could eat this every day!
• Make a breakfast casserole like this one or this one.

Snacks:

Fruit:

• Have a serving of whole fruit (apple, orange, banana, grapes, kiwi, etc.)
• Have a fruit salad.
• Try one of the above breakfast options.
• Have a serving of dried fruit like apricots, cranberries, kiwi, pineapple of blueberries. These usually have added sugar though and more calories.
• Try a fruit smoothie made with whole fruit and no added sugar.

Vegetables:

• Have a 1 cup serving of vegetable sticks (zucchini, celery, carrots, cucumber, etc.) with 2 tbsp of your favorite dip.
• Have a 1 cup serving of fresh, whole vegetables like cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas or radish slices.
• Have a 1 cup serving of a vegetable salad like a Greek pepper salad, apple-beet salad, or carrot salad.  

Lunch:

Fruit:

• Try any of the above options for fruit. 
• Have a slice of fruit pie that is low in sugar.
• Add 1 serving of fruit to your spinach or garden salad.
• If it's summer, try grilling the fruit before having it for dessert or adding it to the meal.

Vegetables:

• Add a 1 cup serving of a vegetable salad to your lunch. This could be a marinated vegetable salad or a green salad with veggie toppings.
• Add a 1 or 2 cup serving of vegetable soup to your lunch. Bonus points of that soup is a pureed vegetable soup from home.
• Have 1 cup of leftover veggies from last night to heat up. 
• Have cut raw veggies and dip on the side.

Supper:

Fruit:

• Try any of the above options for fruit.
• Try a fruit crisp for dessert.
• Try a whole-fruit pie for dessert (cherry, blueberry, strawberry and rhubarb, pumpkin, etc.). Perhaps it's a good idea though to cut down on the sugar and crust.
• Have a fruit sauce with your meal like applesauce on pork or a fruit salsa with chicken.
• Add fruit to your salad. 

Vegetables:

• Try any of the above options for vegetables.
• Switch a serving of the starch (pasta, potatoes, rice) with another serving of vegetables. If you are having spaghetti, try your sauce on spaghetti squash. Try roasted squash and peas on the side instead of mashed potatoes and peas. 
• Have a side salad with your meal. Reduce the portion of pasta that is served to have a salad on the side, for example, of serve a salad with steak. 
• Try roasting vegetables with salt, pepper and a spice of choice (like dried basil, oregano or cumin). 
• Try braising vegetables (like you do for a stew) in a thick chicken or beef broth and serve as is over meat.
• Try serving the meal with a side of cooked veggies and a side of raw veggies, like cooked peas and raw carrots with chicken or steak.