With current recommendations suggesting that we have 8-10 serves of fruit and vegetables a day, the days of eating vegetables just at dinner are long-gone.  Adding more plant foods into your day is tasty, colourful, nourishing and affordable.  I recommend every meal and every snack to include some fruits and vegetables and there are many ways to be creative to ensure you are the most ardent fruit and vege lover in your household. 

Let’s start with breakfast and snacks ……

Breakfast

Toast toppers

• sautéed mushrooms and tomato
• sweet corn, diced tomato and baby spinach, parsley and avocado
• baby spinach, sliced tomato, salad onion, haloumi, squeeze of lemon
• smashed avocado, crumbled fetta or poached egg, toasted pepitas and sunflower seeds and squeeze of lemon
• spread of ricotta cheese on toast with diced capsicum, grape tomatoes, olives
• or forget the toast and try using a medium slice of sweet potato straight into the toaster (will need two goes with the toaster on low-medium setting – ensure you don’t leave too long in toaster as can soften too much and difficult to get outof the toaster) and then drizzle with olive oil, dukkah and other vege sides to accompany. 

Add your own Vege sides – forget the bacon and choose grilled avocado, tomato, sautéed mushrooms, grilled asparagus, baby spinach or rocket to team up with your eggs

Combine your leftover steamed or roasted vegetables from the night before with egg, herbs and mozarella cheese for a quick omelette

Add fresh berries into layers of Greek yoghurt and granola to make a ready-to-go layered breakfast jar

Try a banana, blueberry, cacao and oat bran fruit smoothie for a breakfast on-the-go

Get juicing 

Juice a 3:1 vegetable and fruit juice in the morning.  Choose 3 vegetables, 1 fruit and combine with water, plain soda or coconut water for a refreshing start to the day. Try these combinations:

• baby spinach, kale, celery, apple, lime and mint
• celery, cucumber, ginger, pineapple
• carrot, beetroot, cucumber, ginger, apple, lime
• celery, kale, carrot, apple and ginger, turmeric

Snacks

Team up carrot and celery sticks with capsicum, cucumber and radish with hommus or beetroot dip

 Snack on zucchini slice for a high protein savoury snack

Top wholegrain crackers with bruschetta topping of grape tomatoes, red onion, basil, parsley, olive oil

Opt for a fresh fruit salad of watermelon, apple, orange, blueberries and honeydew melon with dollop of Greek yoghurt

Add some banana or blueberries or grated apple into wholewheat muffins; or grate carrot, zucchini and onion into a savoury muffin

Boost up your wholemeal pikelets with blueberries and serve with ricotta cheese and sliced banana

Frozen Force Fruit – freeze pieces of pineapple, orange, watermelon and grapes for an icy treat

Try a corn on the cob drizzled with olive oil and herbs or dukkah for an afternoon snack

For an afternoon snack for the kids and teenagers, use small wholemeal flatbread, top with sliced tomato, mushroom, herbs, pineapple, olives with grated mozzarella cheese and grill until cheese is golden