24 carrot gold

When I see a new client, I ask them to complete a food diary before they come to see me so I can get an idea of what they eat on different days of the week. It helps me to see how much of the different food groups they are eating. For most of my clients, when it comes to weekday meals, the vegetables are not always there! Their explanation is that vegetables take time to prepare without providing much in the way of calories, but I would like to turn that idea on it's head by showing that a little extra effort is warranted every day in order to hit the daily fruit and vegetable target, which has been set by the government at 5 portions each day.

In the coming posts, I will give quick and simple ideas for incorporating more vegetables into weekday meals.

This week – carrots:

Carrots provide vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium and fibre. What’s more they are cheap and available all year round.

Carrots are very versatile as they can be served raw, cooked, made into soups, added to stews and even made into cake!

I like to make a very quick salad of 3 grated carrots and 2 grated beetroots. A quick dressing of olive oil and apple cider vinegar and a sprinkle of sesame seeds is all this quick dish needs.

Another great way to get more carrots into your family is to add them to your family’s favourite dishes, so add grated carrots to meat loaf, stews and shepherd’s pie.

I also like to make a hidden vegetable sauce, using onions, carrots, courgettes, peppers and chopped tomatoes. I sauté all the vegetables, add chopped tomatoes and mixed herbs and when it is all cooked, I blend it and use it as a sauce. The unsuspecting kiddies never suspect what’s hidden in my pasta sauce!