Chocolate. It comes from a bean, and therefore, in my book, counts as a vegetable.
So I bought some really dark chocolate the other day. I was excited to take it home and enjoy it! I pulled back the wrapper from this super fancy, super dark goodness, and using the sharpest kitchen knife I have, sliced myself a corner off the block, and hoisted the rich, smooth, creamy chunk toward my already salivating mouth.....
BLAH!
Apparently, I don't read labels. This WAS Chocolate, and really GOOD chocolate - but it was 100% UNSWEETENED Cocao. Now, I enjoy 70% dark chocolate - but I usually take mine with at least a little bit of sugar to take the edge off of the natural bitterness.
So now I had a hunk of chocolate that for all intents and purposes, was to me entirely inedible! What a waste!
Until I looked online and found this recipe.
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Hot-Chocolate
All I'm going to say is that you HAVE to try this! This is the REAL DEAL.
So I've known since I was little that you're supposed to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Growing up in a rural area, and in a family that owned a family farm for some time, I'm used to having a plethora of fresh produce all summer long, making it easier to eat the recommended amount.
Granted, although there were so many options available to me, I always preferred fruit. I'll blame it on genetics, since it seems everyone in my family has a sweet tooth.
That being said, as an adult, whenever I go to the grocery store, you can bet that I spend at least $25-$35 a week on fruit alone. Comparably, I probably only spend about $10 on vegetables.
I recently learned that the "5 a day" slogan doesn't mean that if you eat five servings of fruit ONLY, that you're covered for the day. In actuality, you're supposed to eat 3-4 servings of vegetables, and only 1-2 of fruit. My vegetable to fruit ratio is often more like 1:5 rather than the recommended 4:1.
Needless to say, I've been experimenting with different strategies to up my vegetable intake. Here are some creative strategies I've found recently:
* Add Vegetables to Breakfast. Put onions, spinach, mushrooms, peppers, etc. in your eggs for a sweet omelet or gourmet scrambled eggs!
* Put Carrots, Walnuts, and raisins in your pancakes for a sweet breakfast treat - and gain 1 serving of veggies toward your daily total!
* Vegetable juice. My grandfather LOVED tomato juice, and I remember convincing my grandmother that I liked it too - even as a 3 year old. This is a simple way to get one more serving.
* Buy Mini carrots or celery and cut the celery into snack sized sticks. Pack a mix of two in your lunch every day.
* Have a salad with lunch or dinner. It's just another way to get in a serving of veggies!
