YOUR 2025 BRAIN BRAWN MINI RESOLUTION FRUITS & VEGGIES (FnVs) • WEEK 3

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Dishing Out Fruits and Veggies As Dinner & Lunch Sides

Good morning! We hope you tried a salad a day last week and saw how easy it is to hit the goal of 7 servings of fruits and veggies (FnVs) each day. In these next couple of weeks, we’re moving beyond the obvious salad onto different ways to substitute and replace grains with FnVs in some of your favorite dishes.

Track Your Fruit and Veggie Consumption!
 
This month, our mini resolution is to strive for 7 servings of fruit and vegetables (FnVs) a day.
 
Wondering what counts as a serving of fruits & veggies? Here is a handy graphic you may refer to when logging your intake!
 
Each Monday in June, we will provide you with a different strategy to achieve your daily goal, including recipes. We will also continue to log added sugar consumption, exercise, and sleep. Record it all in your log!

Email your Motivated Mondays Coach Michele at [email protected] with your individual questions.



You probably remember the old government-issued food pyramid from the low-fat craze of the 90’s… The one that told us to eat SEVEN servings of grains per day? Keep in mind this was also the same food pyramid that also incorrectly told us eggs were a dairy product! That isn’t even anatomically correct! That grain serving size suggestion is just bonkers! Importantly, eating all those grains crowds your plate of more nutrient-dense foods like FnVs (and protein, but that’s another story).
 
So, for the next two weeks we will be showing you how to replace those grains with FnVs, which are more nutritious and carb/diet friendly. If you need a little guidance in the kitchen, feel free to reach out. We have a retired chef on board!
 
This week, we’re exploring pasta and rice substitutes and recipes.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Spaghetti squash is probably the OG pasta substitute. For those unfamiliar, spaghetti squash is a type of squash that, when cooked, forms noodle-like strands. It can be baked or microwaved and served with sauces or toppings just like pasta.

PREPARING SPAGHETTI SQUASH
You can prepare it in the oven or in the microwave.
 
SPAGHETTI SQUASH RECIPES
The recipes for spaghetti squash are endless! Getting started is easy by subbing out your pasta for spaghetti squash, but here are some more unusual recipe options for this versatile veggie.
 
There is also a dehydrated version of spaghetti squash on the market, which can be rehydrated and then topped. The jury is out on this concept, but we guess it’s probably convenient for camping.  

Zoodles—noodles made out of zucchini—hit the scene in 1991 as part of the raw food movement. This quickly progressed to boodles (noodles made out of beets) and then coodles (noodles made out of carrots). Now most all FnVs can be noodled—even red cabbage!

NOODLED FnVs

PREPARING FRUIT & VEGGIE-BASED NOODLES
In the early days, folks had to invest in a large countertop spiralizer. Now, most grocery stores sell them pre-noodled for you fresh and frozen.
 
FRUIT & VEGGIE-BASED NOODLES RECIPES
Here are the recipes ready to go with your purchased veggie noodles. They can replace pasta in hot dishes and can also be a lovely alternative to lettuce in a salad.
 
Firm fruit can also be spiralized! Guests at the next BBQ will be dazzled by your spiralized fruit salad and kids will gobble up your fruit crumble recipe.
 
OTHER NOODLE OPTIONS

Palmini—hearts of palm pasta—is a fairly new player to the market. There is an entire line of palmini pasta alternatives, including lasagna noodles. These cook up a little firmer, more al dente than typical veggie noodles.
 
Shirataki noodles have been around a while and are made from the fiber of the Konjac plant. They are decidedly NOT for everyone except for those adventurous eaters out there (We like them! 😀).

RICE ALTERNATIVES

As with the noodles, riced vegetables are more nutritious and carb/dieter friendly. And just like noodles, they can be made at home or purchased fresh or frozen. Popular suggestions include the Green Giant and Trader Joe’s varieties. Palmini also has a hearts of palm rice version of their products too.

PREPARING RICED VEGGIES
If you choose to make your own at home, here is how.
 
RICED VEGGIE RECIPES
Once you have your riced veggies, you can search for riced vegetable recipes like risottos, sushi, fried rice, and even rice pudding!

See you next week for FnV-based breakfast and dessert ideas!