The Grocery Shortcut That Helps Me Eat More Veggies

Striving to be healthy shouldn’t be so hard, yet we tend to make it more complicated. The variety of options and the number of supplements and food rules alone can feel daunting, but that’s not exactly what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the simple decisions we make at home when we’re trying to cook a healthy meal. For some reason we have it all in our heads that in order to make yourself healthier, you also have to work harder. Cooking a nutritious meal completely from scratch sounds like the “right” thing to do, so we grab fresh vegetables and do all of that prep work because that’s what a healthy, fiscally responsible person should do. Finding shortcuts seems like cheating. But…what if those shortcuts were the key to success? What if they actually helped you eat healthier long term?

Instead of buying those whole vegetables, what if you saved time and energy and occasionally bought the pre-cut veggies? Oh, how much easier life would be. In my opinion, it’s the ultimate shortcut that I think you should be taking advantage of. Pick them up at your local grocery store or get them delivered on Amazon Fresh.

Why We Love Pre-Cut Veggies

They Save Time

This is likely the biggest motivation for picking up pre-cut veggies at the store. If you want to eat a healthy meal, but you don’t have a lot of time to chop and prep in the kitchen, snagging a package of pre-cut veggies is your sneaky way of getting what you want. For many recipes, the total amount of time will include the prep time it takes to get your ingredients ready to cook. But without having to actually prep, some of your favorite thirty-minute meals may start looking more like twenty minutes, or even fifteen!

They’re a Low Effort Veggie-Booster

If you can’t be bothered to prepare and cook a huge meal, grabbing a frozen meal or even takeout seems like the easier option. Depending on what you grab, some of those options may not have as many vegetables as you’re hoping to get with each meal. But with pre-cut veggies, you can throw together some of the easiest meals that may even be faster than waiting for your takeout order—like a simple noodle or rice stir fry, an omelet or a hearty pasta.

They Can Spark Creativity

It may sound silly at first, but pre-cut vegetable options can inspire your creativity with your meals. If you’re heading into the grocery store with no idea what to cook for dinner or to prepare for healthy lunches during the week, take a gander at what’s available. Brussels sprouts? Bell peppers? Snow peas? Let your mind wander and choose the option that makes your tummy rumble. With all of those fresh veggies ready to go, what’s stopping you?

They’re Snackable

I love pre-cut veggies because they make vegetables snack-ready. Since they’re washed, sliced and packaged for easy storage, it’s simple to reach for them when you want a quick bite or snack. They also stay fresh in the fridge for several days, so you can stock up for the week without extra prep.

Tips for Eating More Veggies

• Add them to breakfast. An easy way to ensure you’re meeting your vegetable quota for the day is to start with a veggie at breakfast. Don’t overcomplicate it—try adding a few tomato slices or sautéed spinach to your favorite breakfast options.
• Cook meals that work with a variety of vegetables. While some recipes call for specific ingredients, there are a number of others that allow you to swap in different kinds of vegetables. Stir fry and pasta, of course, but feel free to let your imagination run free—scrambled eggs, casseroles and sheet pan meals too. Even simple dishes like nachos or tacos work because those vegetables are simply sprinkled on top! Find your favorite recipes and play around with the vegetables you toss in to see which combination is the winner.
• Roast them for soups. One of my favorite ways to use pre-cut veggies—and get more vegetables into my diet—is to add them into soups or sauces. I like to roast a massive sheet pan of vegetables, then blend them up for a sauce or soup. These Sheet-Pan Tomato Soup, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and Roasted Vegetable Soup are some of my favorites.

Recipe Inspiration

Need some recipe inspiration with pre-cut veggies? Here are some of my favorites that are constantly in rotation:

The Bottom Line

Don’t make cooking harder for yourself. If you set a goal to eat healthier, try grabbing those pre-cut veggies that are ready to go. You can eliminate the prep time and have that healthy meal ready on the table quickly. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to get creative with adding more vegetables to your diet with little effort. Why waste the time and make eating healthy harder when pre-cut veggies are there to be tonight’s dinner superhero?