Simple Ways To Get Your 5-A-Day

The key to health is a good diet – and one of the most important parts of a healthy diet is fruit and vegetables. Both fruit and vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals which are essential for the healthy running of the body and we need both of these food groups to keep our body ticking. 

Today we want to provide some simple recipes that will allow you to get more fruit and vegetables into your diet in January to help detox the body and make you feel healthy and fresh for the new year. 

Enjoy these recipes alongside a balanced diet and allow yourself to be healthy and happy this year. 

A Morning Glow Smoothie 

One of the easiest ways to get lots of fruit and vegetables into your diet in the morning is a smoothie. In January you could try your hand at a juice cleanse such as www.goodnature.com or drink smoothies and get lots of fruit into your diet every single day. We want to share a simple morning smoothie that will provide the perfect foundation for a healthy day. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 banana
• 1 apple 
• 2 kiwis
• 100g spinach 
• 50g romaine lettuce 
• 1 carrot 
• 150ml orange juice 
• 150ml water 
• 1 tbsp vanilla protein powder (optional)

1. Chop up your fruit and vegetables into manageable chunks and blend. 
2. Drink first thing in the morning. 

Ratatouille 

One tasty meal that is ideal for anyone trying to get more vegetables into their diet has to be ratatouille. This simple, low fat, and delicious meal is the perfect way to get your 5-a-day. 

Ingredients: 

• 500g lean beef mince 
• 1 medium butternut squash 
• 1 large zucchini 
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 eggplant 
• 1 carrot 
• 1 white onion 
• 1 clove garlic 
• 1 handful herbs (basil, thyme, cilantro)
• 500ml chopped tomatoes 
• 100ml water 
• ½ cup Parmesan 

1. Dice up all of the vegetables aside from onion and garlic and place on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and olive oil. Toss. 
2. Grate garlic over the vegetables. Roast for 40-50 minutes at 220C. 
3. When the vegetables have around 15 minutes left to cook – dice your onion and add to a large saucepan with olive oil and sweat for 5 minutes. 
4. Add beef mince and cook through. Try to allow some caramelisation of the beef here for extra flavour. 
5. Add chopped or dried herbs as well as tomatoes and water and simmer for a few minutes. 
6. Add the roasted vegetables and heat through. 
7. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan abd a piece of crusty bread. 

Hidden Vegetable Pasta Sauce 

One way to help your kids eat more vegetables as well as yourself is to make a pasta sauce with lots of hidden vegetables inside. This versatile sauce can be used for many things such as bolognese, lasagna and more. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 stick celery 
• 1 carrot 
• 1 white onion
• 1 clove garlic 
• 1 red pepper 
• 2 tbsp Mixed herbs 
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
• 2 cans chopped tomatoes 
• 1 Parmesan rind 
• 2 tbsp tomato purée 

1. Chop all of your vegetables or add to a food processor and blitz. Add to a saucepan with olive oil and sweat for 10 minutes. 
2. Add herbs, tomato purée, and Worcestershire sauce and cook for 1 minute. 
3. Add chopped tomatoes and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and add Parmesan rind before covering for 30 minutes to simmer. 
4. Remove the rind and you’ll be left with the perfect sauce for any pasta dish! 

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