5 a day or more thread

[Acunningruse]

A thread to share ideas on how to eat more fruit and veg. I'm aiming for 10 portions but a minimum of 5.

Today:
B: orange juice (1) porridge with 80g raspberries (1)
L: fried egg and mushrooms (1) on toast, apple (1)
D: halloumi bean bake (mixed beans and chopped tomatoes 2 portions) and salad (1)

Total: 7. Not bad.

I think the trick is to build meals veggies first. So
breakfast is sautéed mushrooms, spinach and poached eggs not toast and whatever you can top it with. Lunch is salad or soup with something not a sandwich.

I often add raw fruit and veg to the side of everything. I do this at dinner time with dc as well and it's a great way to get healthy stuff in without having to think too much about it.

So like you're doing, fruit on the side with whatever you have for breakfast. Then like the past few days I've had cheese and roasted veg on toast for lunch (whatever roasted veg you happen to have lying around), then raw carrot and cucumber, plus an apple or grapes with that. At dinner, we often have plates of baby tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, carrot, whatever else on the table for everyone to help themselves before/during the meal.

For lunches, a blended veg soup - carrot or celeriac or tomato (not from the tin) or mixed veg or cauliflower - and then whatever we have for dinner, offer 2 different veg sides, so pork chops with mash and tenderstem broccoli and peas or kale and roasted carrots.

I wouldn't mind joining in. I definitely need to add more into my life. I used to eat a lot more but DH's poor eating and living with DC2 who has ASD & ARFID has apparently changed the way I eat.

So far today I've had a bowl of Lidl's Fruit & Nut Muesli with Almond Milk. I'm definitely counting that as one as it has so much fruit in it.

Great idea, OP.

When it is cold or dreary out I want a hot main dish, particularly at dinner. Sometimes it’s vegetarian which obviously helps, but even when it isn’t we try to incorporate vegetables. Also we find eating in courses is fun, particularly on nights involving wine which counts as one of your five a day, is fun and less overwhelming in terms of F&G. I appreciate this doesn’t work on busy evenings or with young DC.

Some easy ways to get three portions at dinner, before wine:

Pasta with greens (traditional Italian)/ meat or fish with side veg/ poached fruits or berries and cream

Veg based soup/ Hake, cod or sea bass fillets baked under veg and white wine sauce/ rice or cous cous and side veg (/pudding)

Veggie laden spag bol w broccoli on the side/Green salad/ Fruit based pudding
((The spag bol and pudding are combining to make one of the portions)

Etc. With a fruit at breakfast and a veg at lunch, you’ve got five. Or of course you can do more. We really enjoy eating this way in the evening, when we can. We try to make it a priority.