Fall Fruits & Veggies Add Good Nutrition to Recipes, Like This Easy Chicken Salad!

Great Reasons to Add Fruits & Veggies to Recipes!

Sneaking in more fruits and veggies to yours and your kids’ daily meals and snacks is like adding edible insurance. Think about it — all that good nutrition such as vitamins A, C and a multitude of phytochemicals add a huge boost to everyone’s immune system. Imagine your family with fewer sick days that totally upset the routine of work, school and everything. More fruits and veggies can be your solution. Or, imagine your dental bills going down because on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, you serve fruit for dessert. Finally, imagine your entire family craving healthier dinners, loaded with simply prepared fruits and vegetables. This can be you!

5 Easy Ways to Add Fruits and Veggies to Recipes!

1. Add chopped up celery, red Bell pepper and/or cucumbers to your tuna salad.

2. Add a 10 oz. box of chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of water, to your meatloaf recipe before cooking it.

3. Add slices of fresh pear to a grilled cheese sandwich before cooking it.

4. Stir in shredded carrots to a jar of pasta sauce, or your homemade sauce, and cook on medium low heat until the carrots are soft.

5. Add chopped up apples to your bowl of breakfast cereal, hot or cold.

Easy Chicken Salad with a Fall Twist!

Kids can help by measuring the ingredients and stirring the chicken salad, with supervision.

Makes 4 servings

3 cups                   Cooked chicken, light + dark meat without skin, cut into bite-size pieces

¼ cup                    Celery, chopped

¼ cup                    Sweet onion, chopped

¼ cup                    Dried cranberries

¼ cup                    Fresh apple, chopped

1 teaspoon         Dried thyme leaves

¼ teaspoon        Salt

1/8 teaspoon     Pepper

3/4 cup                 Yogurt, plain nonfat

1. Measure all the ingredients into a large bowl.
2. Stir gently with a large spoon until everything is mixed up.
3. Eat right away or chill in the fridge, cover and use within 3 days.

Cooking Tip: For a change, substitute turkey for chicken and raisins for dried cranberries

Make 5 or More Your Goal!

Becoming your family’s good nutrition leader is a fantastic goal! To get started, try this: Make 5 or more fruits and veggies your goal in meal planning and snack choices. With one fruit at breakfast, and one fruit + one veggie at lunch and dinner, you’ve made your goal. Stand firm, put those healthy choices on the table day-after-day and feel proud when you and the entire family benefits. My video cooking tips are great tools to help you become your family’s good nutrition leader!

What fall fruits and vegetables are favorites in your household?