Having a hard time getting your veggies? Or if you’re looking for a new, more interesting way to get your greens, you’ll want to check this out… 😉

While you know about our love affair with veggies, (and if not, please check out The Nutrition Twins’ Veggie Cure ), we weren’t always besties with our greens! If this is news to you, you can read more about how and why we made the switch and that’s why we know it can be challenging to get your share. And if you’re looking for just one tidbit of motivation to eat your veggies–get this… one reason our clients are able to hit their weight loss goals (and stay there!) is because they follow our golden rule to prevent overeating: Eat at least 1-2 cups non-starchy veggies at meals. When you fill your stomach with low-calorie, fiber-filled veggies, you have less room for doughy carbs & other heavier items. And you eat less of those heavy items that contribute to weight gain. Not only does science show that eating more of your calories from veggies help with weight loss,1 our clients are proof in the veggie (weight loss) pudding. So we’re always whipping up new delicious veggie dishes to help make it easier for you to get more! You’ll want to check out these veggie recipes we created last week– our Strawberry and Citrus Salad with Avocado Baked Zucchini Boats and Smoked Paprika Zucchini Chips.

And since we know that we can’t expect that everyone will just eat ‘em raw, steamed (or any way!) for fun, the way we do :), we continuously love to share our jazzed up, kid-approved, husband A-OK’d, “lip-smacking”, not-your-ordinary veggie recipes! So here is your scrumptious veggie recipe that can easily be paired with a protein like chicken or fish for a meal, or just snacked on for an afternoon boost! 🙂

Sweet- Summertime Seasoned Grilled Vegetables

Serves 8

Ingredients

(We used organic squash and bell peppers since they rank among the veggies with more pesticide residues [See our post on The Dirty Dozen & Whether or Not You Should Go Organic]

1 green squash (zucchini)

1 yellow squash

1 onion

12 garlic cloves

1 pound thin asparagus

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 orange pepper

Seasonings: paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil, and black pepper (if you have fresh basil this is heavenly with it!)– we use about 2 tablespoons total of the combined spices.

Extra virgin olive oil in a spray bottle

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Simply clean and cut vegetables in your favorite way (size and shape doesn’t matter!) Spritz vegetables with olive oil in a bowl then season with desired amount of spices. By using a spray bottle, the oil is evenly dispersed, the calories are maintained and the flavor is amazing! Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (we used unbleached parchment paper). Turn the heat up to 400 degrees on the oven and roast the veggies for 20 minutes, tossing the veggies every 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Nutritional information, per 1 serving (roughly 3/4 cup)

30 calories, 1g fat, 5.5mg sodium, 181mg potassium, 5g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 2g protein

13.4% Vitamin A, 18.6 Vitamin C, 7.7% Folate, 10% Manganese

1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4086735/