You can always add your own spin to these, always be creative but always be thinking how you can make your meals as healthy as possible…

Tips:

• Always try to add vegetable where possible, aim for 3 servings (about 1 cup) per day. Add frozen veges to casseroles or mince meat. Always have a side of salad or steamed veges with every meal. For example if you have a homemade burger with lettuce in it, also have a side of salad too.
• Avoid roasting vegetables with roasting meat in same dish, you don’t want the vegetables absorbing the saturated fat
• Use cooking spray for pan cooking or roasting, this limits the amount of oil you use
• Always choose lean cuts of meat and take the fat off and skin of chicken off after cooking.
• Use a tomato base sauce for pastas instead of cream or cheese based
• Use natural ingredients to flavour dishes such as garlic, ginger, herbs, spices etc rather than packet bought sauces.
• Avoid over-cooking vegetables when boiling or steaming, this destroys many of the vital nutrients.
• Always try choose the low fat versions of dairy products such as milk, cheese or yoghurt.
• Use good oils such as olive oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, rice bran, avocado in cooking instead of butter.

Easy Stirfry

Packet of stirfry meat (chicken/beef/ prawns)

2 cups of stirfry frozen veges (or fresh vegetables)

1tsp ginger

1tsp garlic

1Tblsp soy sauce or oyster sauce or sweet thai chilli sauce

Packet of Uncle Bens 2min rice

¼ cup of roasted cashews or peanuts

Stirfry meat on high until cooked (check that chicken is not pink inside). Add frozen veges, ginger and garlic and cook until warm,  keep tossing the veges and meat evenly. Once veges are warmed, turn down heat and add sauce, simmer for 5mins. Put rice in microwave and cook for 2mins.  Add cashews to stirfry just before serving.

Easy Steak meal

1 medium size steak (size of palm of hand) (approx 150 gram)

1 medium size potato/ kumara

Salad:

1 cup chopped lettuce/ baby spinach/ mesculin salad

1 tomato

1/4 cucumber

1 carrot

Dressing:

1tablespoon of olive oil

2 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar.

Put kumara/potato in a bowl with 2cm of water in it, punch a few holes with a fork or knife and cover bowl with glad wrap. Put in microwave and cook for 8-10mins on high. Or cook until potato/kumara is soft. While this is in microwave, chop lettuce, tomato, cucumber and carrot and put in a bowl and mix together. Combine olive oil and Balsamic vinegar in a small bowl and mix. Drizzle over salad.

Cook steak. Serve all together.

Chicken/Beef Salad

2 chicken loins (can buy from supermarket) or steak which you can slice up into smaller piece.

Handful of crispy noodles

2 Cups of chopped lettuce/ mesculin salad

A few cherry tomatoes cut in half

A few grapes

¼ cucumber

1 medium red or yellow pepper (capsicum)

Dressing:

4 teaspoons of lemon juice

¼ cup of light mayonnaise

Freshly ground pepper

Cook chicken or beef, put aside. Chop up all salad ingredients and mix together. Slice up chicken or steak and mix in with salad. Mix dressing in separate bowl and drizzle over salad. Put handful of Crispy noodles over the top.

Kate’s Asian Soup

1 onion (yellow) or spring onion
1 stick of celery sliced into small pieces
2 portions of frozen spinach (they come in blocks)
¼ cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms but white button mushrooms work well
1tsp minced garlic and ginger
2 Tblsp of roughly chopped mixed fresh herbs such as coriander, parsley and/or kaffir lime leaves
2Tblsp soysauce
1.5 cups of hot water in a bowel

Heat pan on medium-high with 1 Tblsp of oil and add onion, celery pieces, mushrooms, ginger and garlic. Pan fry together for about 3mins, add frozen spinach (good to put in microwave first for a minute in a bowl to soften) and soysauce. After spinach is heater through add chopped herbs and only panfry for about a minute.

Have your hot water in bowl ready and carefully put vegetables from the pan into hot water and stir. You can add a dash of coconut milk for a more Thai flavouring. Another great spice is chilli flakes if you want to heat things up.
To add a protein source, you can either add 1/2 can of cannellini beans or sliced chicken or precooked prawns.

This is packed with antioxidants and will help keep the immune system strong.

Baked potato with tuna

1 good-sized baking potato per person

1-2 teaspoons olive oil per potato

Salt and pepper to taste

250g can of tuna

¼ cup grated Edam cheese

1 Tablespoons of light mayonnaise

Pre heat oven to 200 degrees. Prick the potato a few times with a sharp knife. With your hands, smear the surface of the potato with olive oil. Grind over some salt and pepper.

Place the potato on a baking tray and bake in the centre of the oven for 40min- 1hour. To decrease cooking time steam potatoes first in microwave (see steak meal). Mix tuna, mayonnaise and cheese together. Slice potato open and place tuna mixture in it.

Serve with side of vegetables or salad

Baked chicken breast with Ratatouille

Serves 4

4 chicken Breasts

Herbs

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 large onions

2 courgettes

½ green/yellow or red pepper

1 medium kumara

2 Tblspn of olive oil

1 can of baby corn

Salt and pepper

Pre heat oven to 200 degrees. Put chicken breasts in to oven dish and cook for 30mins (or until cooked through). Wash and prepare vegetables. Chop onions, courgettes, peppers and kumara into chunks. Put into baking dish. Add baby corn. Coat veges in olive oil, ensuring everything is lightly covered.

Bake in oven for 20mins, then add chopped tomatoes and bake for 10mins.  Check chicken is cooked by lightly cutting open with a knife.  Chicken should be tender and juices should run clear.

Serve chicken breast with vegetables.

Easy vegetable quiche

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup self raising flour
3 cups Wattie’s Frozen Romano Mix Vegetables
1 cup grated edam cheese
1/2 cup diced ham (optional)
1 spring onion, finely sliced

Preheat oven to 160°C. Lightly grease a 26cm pie dish. In a bowl beat together the eggs, milk and flour. Spread the Wattie’s Frozen Romano Vegetables into the prepared pie dish and scatter over the cheese, ham and spring onion. Pour the egg mixture over evenly.  Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until firm to touch.

Moroccan Lamb

Ingredients
500g lean shoulder lamb, diced into 3cm pieces
2 tbsp oil
2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 green or red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
400g can Wattie’s Moroccan Style Tomatoes
1/2 cup water or beef stock

Couscous
2 cups boiling water or chicken stock
1 cup Couscous
1 Tblsp butter
salt to season

Method

1.Brown the lamb in a very hot, lidded frying pan in the oil until well browned on all sides.

2. Add the onion, peeper and dried fruit if using, Wattie’s Moroccan Style Tomatoes and water or stock and stir to mix.

3. Cover and simmer gently for 35-40 minutes. Start 10 minutes while preparing the couscous before serving.

Couscous

Pour the boiling water or stock over the couscous, cover and stand for 10 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Add the butter, cover and microwave on high power for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and season with salt.

Serve the lamb over the couscous adding your favourite vegetables to accompany.

Corn and Feta Fritters

Ingredients
2 cups self rising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp optional ground cumin or coriander
salt and pepper to season
2 eggs
1/2 cup Sweet Chilli Sauce
1/2 cup water
2 cups Wattie’s frozen Super Sweet Corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander or parsley
butter for panfrying

Method

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, cumin or coriander, salt and pepper into a bowl and make a well in the centre.

2. Mix together the eggs, Sweet Chilli Sauce, water, Wattie’s Frozen Supersweet Corn and coriander or parsley and stir into the flour gently.

3. Heat a knob of butter in the frying pan and when hot cook about 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture at a time. Once the bubbles form on the top of the corn cake, flip and cook the other side for a further 2 minutes or until cooked and tender.

Hint: Serve with grilled non streaky bacon and a mix of 1 tablespoon of sweet thai chilli sauce and 1 tablespoon of light sour cream.

Breakfast pancakes – Baked beans and creamy corn;

1 tin creamy corn
1/2-3/4 tin baked beans
2Tb tomato sauce
1 beaten egg
1 cup wholemeal flour
(don’t need salt as there is enough sodium in the baked beans and creamy rice for flavour)

Mix together and dollop about 2Tb of mixture onto a non stick frying pan on med heat (or use a bit of spray oil) and pan fry for about 2mins on each side or until golden brown.
The mixture makes about 10 pancakes.
Fritters are great to stuff a bunch of healthy ingredients in and you can’t really go wrong with the combinations. For example corn fritters are a classic so you can use a  tin of creamy corn as a base and then add in peas, grated carrot or zucchini, mushrooms, ham or tomato. You can get adventurous with spinach and feta cheese fritters.

Mixed vege fritters;

1 tin standard corn
1/2 cup frozen peas (defrosted) or you can use 1 cup of mixed frozen corn and peas
1 grated carrot
pinch of salt and pepper
2 eggs beaten
1 cup wholemeal flour
tsp crushed garlic
Optional extras; 2Tb feta or grated Edam cheese

Mix well, the mixture tends to be a little thicker than pancake mixture. Panfry each side for around 2mins. Makes around 8-10 fritters. Serve with side of mesculin salad.

Corn and Spinach Fritters- you can change the vegetables for variety

Put together in a bowl:

1 tin of corn kernals
1 large grated carrot
2 handfuls of baby spinach
tsp wholegrain mustard
salt n pepper
Mix up 3 eggs, 150mls trim milk and 3/4 cup wholemeal flour then add to veges and mix through well. Heat pan on med heat with 1tb oil and panfry each fritter for 2mins each side. Will give you about 10.

Biltong Salad

Biltong is dried red meat cut into slithers which is low in fat, high in protein and doesn’t need refridgeration but isn’t full of artificial additives. Great to have as a snack too.

1 cup of mesculin leaves

1 diced tomato

chopped cucumber

Mung bean sprouts

1 capsicum

100g of sliced bilton

1 boiled egg

Chop tomato, carrot, capsicum, cucumber or any other vegetable you would like to place on mesculin. Slice boiled egg and place this and biltong over the top and add mung bean sprouts to garnish.

Mexican Bean and Tomato Bake

Ingredients
500g lean beef mince
1 peeled and diced onion
2 peeled and grated carrots
2 tbsp oil
420g can Wattie’s Mild Chilli Beans or red beans or black beans
400g can Wattie’s Mexican Spiced Tomatoes or standard can of diced tomatoes if don’t like spicy food
1 cup beef stock or water
6 buritto tortillas
1 cup grated cheese

Salsa Topping
1 peeled and sliced avocado
1/4 diced red onion
2 tbsp chopped coriander
juice of 1 lemon

Method

1. Brown the mince, onion and carrot in the oil in a hot pan. This may be best done in two batches.

2. Add the beans and diced tomatoes and stock and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Layer the beef and tomato mixture in a 6-cup-capacity oven-proof dish with the buritto tortillas. Finishing with a layer of tortillas on top and sprinkle over the grated cheese.

4. Bake at 180^oC for 30 minutes.

5. Combine the salsa ingredients together and serve with a wedge of Mexican Tomato and Bean Bake.

Tip -You can also use this mixture as a filling for burritos or tacos!

For a vegetarian option use 600-700g evenly diced pumpkin or pumpkin and carrot instead of mince with the beans

Honey Beef Burgers

Ingredients
500 g lean beef mince
1 apple, grated (skin on)
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped parsley or coriander
2-3 spring onions, finely chopped
pepper to season

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Shape into 6 burgers.

2. Pan fry or barbecue over a moderate heat on a greased pan for 5 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking.

Serve on top of grilled bread such as foccacia and topped with grilled red peppers, apple slices, lettuce leaves, mayonnaise and a sprinkling of chopped fresh herbs. Have a side salad too to boost vege intake!

Chargrilled Style Chicken Wrap

Soft tortillas are great for wrapping around all sorts of fillings – this chicken and cranberry sauce filling is particularly delicious.

Ingredients
2 peeled and thickly sliced red onions
2 cored and thickly sliced pepper
2 trimmed and thickly sliced, lengthwise courgette
1 Tbsp oil
4 Tegel Chargrill Style Chicken Breast Steaks
1/2 cup  Cranberry Sauce
6 tortillas
1/2 cup lite sour cream or  lite mayonnaise
6 lettuce leaves

Method

1. Place the sliced onions, peppers and courgettes on a foil lined tray and brush with oil. Place the frozen Tegel Chargrill Style Chicken Breast Steaks on a second foil-lined tray.

2. Fan bake on the top at a 180^oC for 12 minutes. Turn the vegetables and chicken and cook a further 12 minutes until cooked.

3. When cooked put the vegetables into a bowl. Cut the chicken breast steaks into thin slices and add to the bowl with the Cranberry Sauce and toss gently.

4. Warm 6 tortillas in the microwave on high power for 30 seconds and then spread with sour cream or mayonnaise and top with a lettuce leaf if using. Spoon equal amounts of the filling on top and roll up.

Serve warm.

Fragrant Thai Chicken Curry

Ingredients
2 tbsp oil
2 onions, diced
3-4 courgette
500g diced chicken breast
2tsp green curry paste and 1 cup light coconut milk or you can use a premade sauce such as the 405g can Wattie’s Fragrant Thai Curry Sauce
1-2 tbsp chopped coriander (optional)
1 tbsp salt
2 cup Jasmine Rice
Lemon Ginger Rice
12 cups water (3 litres)
1 lemon leaf or zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp minced ginger or 2 thin slices of fresh ginger

Method

1. Heat the oil in a lidded frying pan and brown the onion and courgettes then set aside.

2. Add the chicken and toss in the remaining hot oil until lightly browned.

3. Return the vegetables to the pan with the curry paste and coconut milk or can of Wattie’s Fragrant Thai Curry Sauce, lower the heat, stir, cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

4. Garnish with coriander if using just before serving.

Lemon Ginger Rice

Bring the water, lemon leaf or rind, ginger and salt to the boil.  Sprinkle in the Jasmine Rice, stir and boil rapidly for 12 minutes. Drain and serve immediately.

Pasta bake

2 cups of cooked penne pasta (read instructions on packet)

2 cups of defrosted frozen veges (can put in microwave for 5min to defrost)

1 large can of tuna

1 packet of Maggie onion soup mix

½ cup grated cheese

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place cooked penne pasta and veges and tuna in a medium size baking dish. Mix together. Set aside. Make up the soup mix (follow instruction on packet) and pour over the pasta/veges dish. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top and put in oven. Bake for 15-20mins or until dish is warm and cheese melted.

Baked Fish

Serves 2

2 fresh white fish fillets

1tsp butter

1 lemon

Coat fish with melted butter and then season with salt and pepper. Cut lemon and put slices on fish. Wrap fish in tinfoil and cook in 180C oven for 20mins or until fish is tender. Serve with salad or veges.

Zucchini Fritters

2 eggs

¼ red onion, grated

½ zucchini, grated

2Tbs carrot, grated

Beat eggs and add remaining ingredient, season to taste. Heat a small non stick frying pan over medium heat. Spoon 2 tablespoons of mixture into the pan, leaving room for spreading. Cook for 2 mins each side.

Serve with salad or side of veges.

Easy 8min soup! 

It’s easy to make home made soup- I know there are plenty of recipes out there but many have slow cooking times using a large pot or crockpot and this can put many people off making their own (especially parents-they need quick dinners).
My favourite for a quick soup is steaming some vegetables for a few minutes in the microwave such as broccoli, carrots, capsicum, zucchini, butternut etc. Once they are just soft but still crunchy (not zapping the daylights out of them), put them into a blender, add a can of diced tomatoes and possibly 1/2cup water if need be. Then add a pinch of rock salt, fresh herbs like coriander or tuscan seasoning then blend until smooth. Voila! Soup in 8mins! You can serve with a wholgrain bread roll or toast and you can either have your protein to the side such as fish or chicken or put a tin of tuna on your toast. You can also slice smoked chicken into the soup or a boiled egg or add chickpeas to the soup for a vegetarian meal.

One of the best things for inspiration is looking on websites and old cookbooks that you haven’t openened in awhile, you can usually find a recipe in their with ingredients you have at home already. Check out some of the links to some of my favourite websites in links page!

Healthy Baking…

1. Frozen bananas….just take the skin off and put them in freezer, they are great by themselves as is but if you want to get adventurous then before you put them in freezer, cut them in 2 inch pieces, melt some dark chocolate and roll them in it then stick a tooth pick or kebeb stick through them length ways then put them in freezer!

Or if you have a food processor you can stick some frozen bananas in their and blend them up till they become a sorbet type consistency. Yum!

2. Baked apple and cinnamon- just dice apples up and pop in microwave for 5mins then sprinkle cinnamon over the top and serve with couple of tablespoons of yoghurt. You can also mix some rolled oats in a bowl (like 1/3 cup), add cinnamon and 1 Tbslp honey and 1tsp of olive oil then put it over baked apple and grill it in oven on 180 degrees till brown on top.

3. Yoplait Vanilla Diet lite yoghurt mixed with 2 tsp of baking cocoa for a low fat chocolate mousse

Healthy cookies

Mix together:
3 mashed bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup oil (Can substitute apple sauce)

Add in:
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup ground almonds (If you don’t have this 1/3 cup whole wheat and 1/3 cup white flour works)
1/3 cup coconut
2 cups oats
(option: either 1/4 cup choc chips or place one choc button/half a pecan on top of each cookie)

Place in spoonfuls on cooking paper and bake for about 7 minutes at 180 until just starting to go golden. Because of the sugar content in the fruit you need to keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn.

Sugar Free Flour Free Cookies

Obviously you can add or change the following recipes to suit. Maybe dried fruit instead of chocolate!

3 bananas mashed

¼ cup choc chips or cocoa nibs

1 tspn vanilla

¼ cup oil

1/3 cup shredded coconut

2/3 cup of almond flour (you can use normal flour)

2 cups oats

1 tspn baking powder

¼ tspn salt

½ tspn cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together and place heaped spoonfuls onto a greased baking tray.

Flatten and bake for 10-15 minutes at 160 degrees until golden brown.

Sugar Free Loaf

2 mashed bananas

¼ cup oil

1 egg

1 cup milk

¼ cup choc chips or cocoa nibs (roasted cocoa bean)

¼ cup sunflower & pumpkin seeds

1 cup oats

1 cup flour

1 heaped teaspoon on baking powder

¼ tspn salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix bananas, oil, egg and milk and mix well.

Add all  other ingredients and mix till just combined.

Place in a greased & floured tin and bake at 180 degrees until golden brown and knife comes out clean for about 40 minutes.

No bake healthy slice!- (everyone loves this in their lunchboxes)

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup linseed whole or ground

2 cups of rolled oats

1/4 cup brazil or walnuts

1/4 cup  almonds

1/2 cup roughly chopped dried apricot

1/2 cup roughly chopped dates

(can add dried mango or papaya or crystalized ginger)

1/4 cup fruit juice or water.

1tsp cinnamon and 1tsp vanilla essence

It is easier if you have a food processor at home as it dices everything into finer pieces and blends everything well but you if don’t have a food processor or you like more of a ‘chewy muesli slice’ then you can mix all ingredients in their whole form to make the slice, just needs some more muscle power! You will need to finely chop or dice the nuts and dried fruit up to make it bind better to rest of ingredients.

For the Food processor; Put the rolled oats in food processor and blend until finely diced (about 30 secs).  Then put in a bowl aside. Put all seeds and nuts in food processor with dried fruit and blend until they are in small pieces (about 45s). The mixture will be sticky. Pour the blended oats into the food processor with blended nuts/seed, add cinnamon and dash of water or juice and mix together for 45secs to a 1min. They should all combine together and mixture will be sticky. For a more ‘chewy’ feel, you can just food processor the seeds/dried fruit then add whole oats to the mixutre and hand mix.

You can make the mixture up as balls (roll in hand) otherwise put mixture into slice dish (best to put plastic wrap on the bottom first and on sides so the mixture doesn’t stick to the dish. Just chill in the fridge for 30mins while the mixture sets and you are all ready to go! You can then slice them in bars or bite sized pieces but do keep them in the fridge for freshness.

Banana and date pancakes

1 well- mashed banana
1/2 cup finely chopped dates
1/2 cup wholemeal flour
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup trim milk
1Tb flaxseed oil (optional- to boost omega 3 intake)

Mix together and dollop about 2Tb of mixture onto a non stick frying pan on med heat (or use a bit of spray oil) and pan fry for about 2mins on each side or until golden brown.
Serve with low fat plain yoghurt or vanilla. Makes about 6-8 pancakes
You can also make savoury pancakes-

Great Peach muffins
Making a fruit loaf or fruit muffins is a great way to put ‘not so good fruit’ to a good use. I had a bag of peaches that were going brown pretty quickly so just diced these up. You could the same with any fruit.

1 cup white flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
2tsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1/2 cup castor sugar (can use brown sugar or standard sugar)
3Tb honey
2 eggs
3-4 peaches (about 2 cups- but flexible)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2tsp vanilla essence
100ml trim milk or soymilk
1/2 cup oil
2 tsp cinnamon

Turn oven on to fan bake 180 degrees and grease a 6 case muffin tray (I use spray olive oil). Sieve the flours and baking powder into a large bowl, add salt, cinnamon, sugar and sunflower seeds. In another bowl combine well the eggs, milk, vanilla essence and oil. Take the skin off peaches and dice them into small chunky pieces (about 1 cm) and add the honey, mix well. Then add peaches to dry mixture and fold in, followed by the wet mixture, just add it in slowly, you don’t want it too wet or to overmix it. Then fill into muffin tray and fan bake for about 15mins or until cooked. (to check if they are cooked- stick a knife into the centre and if it comes out clean then they are ready, if there is still residue on knife, leave in oven for another few minutes.)

Easy Vege muffins

2 medium sizes carrots grated
1 cup of peas (I just use defrosted frozen peas)
1 cup of corn kernals
1/4 cup soy sauce
2Tb cajun spice (optional)
4T tomato sauce (optional)
3 eggs
1/4 cup trim milk
2tsp baking powder (if using self raising flour don’t need baking powder)
1.5 cups Wholemeal flour
1 cup grated edam cheese (optional)

Put oven onto 180 degrees celcius and grease a muffin tray. In a large mixing bowl add grated carrot, peas, corn, cheese (optional) soy sauce, tomato sauce, and mix. Mix baking powder and flour together and add to vegetable mix. Whisk eggs together and add trim milk (or soymilk) then add to vegetable mix. With a spoon blend well under mixture is just moist. Dish mixture evenly in muffin tray and bake for around 15- 20mins. To check if cooked, stick a knife in the middle and if it comes out clean then its cooked. Makes around 10 muffins.

These are great as a snack or take a couple for lunch. An added extra is to also add 1/2 tin of Watties Mexican Bean mix to it to boost fibre and protein level.

Healthy Desserts!

Try this low fat, high protein fluffy dessert:

Beat 2 egg whites with an electric beater until soft peaks form. Add 1Tbs of caster sugar and beat for another minute. Fold in 1/2tsp of cocoa powder until well mixed. Serve the mixture in a cocktail glass or dessert bowl and grate dark chocolate over the top.  This serves one person. Only 60 calories.

For something a little more decadent you can add a tsp of sherry or kahlua over the top. This will make it 80 calories.

Apple, date and cinnamon fritters

1 cup wholemeal flour

1 cup diced oats

1tsp cinnamon

1tsp vanilla essence (optional)

… 1/4 cup mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, linseed)- adds a nice crunch

1/2 cup diced dates or dried apricots

4Tb honey

1/2 tin cooked apple

150mls trim milk

2 eggs

Mix all dried ingredients together and mix wet ingredients together then fold into each other. Pan fry each spoonful on med heat for about 2mins each side. Yum! Makes abt 12

Fritters are great for the lunch box or a meal to boost vegetable intake (especially for kids or adults who don’t like eating plain vegetables)