We’ve all been there.

It’s 5:30 PM on a Tuesday. The kids are asking what’s for dinner again, and I’m just staring into the fridge like… okay, what is this meal supposed to be? There’s ground beef, some pasta, and a random vegetable I’m not even sure I’ll use.

Plus, there’s all this pressure to “eat well.” Like we’re supposed to have perfectly planned meals, shop at farmers’ markets, and prep everything ahead of time. Meanwhile, most of us are just trying to get through the week without ordering pizza again. No judgment if you do.

But the good news is, adding more vegetables doesn’t have to be complicated or mean a full lifestyle reset. For me, it’s just about finding small, easy ways to get a few more plants onto the plate.

Mixing Them Into What You’re Already Making

One of the easiest ways to get more vegetables onto the table is to just add them into the food you’re already making. For me, it’s really about building the meal out a bit so it feels more filling.

A blender is a great tool for this. If I have spinach that needs to be used, I’ll throw it into a smoothie. The colour changes a bit, but the taste doesn’t really. Once you add fruit like banana or frozen mango, that’s mostly what you notice. It’s an easy way to get some greens in early in the day without it feeling like effort.

And if smoothies aren’t your thing, same idea with sauces. If I’m heating up a jar of marinara, I’ll grate in a zucchini or a carrot while it simmers. The zucchini pretty much disappears, so you don’t really taste it. It just adds a bit more to the meal, and it’s easier than making a whole extra side.

Using Shortcuts Like Frozen or Pre-Cut

There’s absolutely no shame in taking shortcuts. As a busy parent, I’ve found that sometimes they’re the only reason dinner actually gets on the table. We often hear that “fresh is best,” but in real life, that can sometimes lead to food going to waste, especially on those days when there’s just no energy left to wash, chop, and prep everything.

That’s where frozen vegetables can really help.

Most are frozen at their peak, so they hold onto their nutrients well. They also last longer and don’t need any prep, which makes them really practical. I’ll add frozen peas into mac and cheese, or toss frozen corn into taco meat while it’s cooking. It’s one of those “I did something” moments without actually doing much.

Same idea with pre-cut options. If grabbing a pre-washed bag of greens or pre-sliced vegetables is what makes it easier to actually use them, then that’s a win in my book. My kids still won’t be impressed, but at least something green made it into the meal. It may not always be the most budget-friendly option, but when it’s available, it can take a lot of the effort out of getting food on the table.

Giving Roasting a Try

If your family isn’t big on vegetables, it might just be how they’re being cooked. I usually steam ours. Steaming or boiling is simple and gentle, and it helps keep a lot of the nutrients in. But I’ll be honest, it can also make them a bit soft and a little… blah. Not exactly what gets anyone excited at the dinner table.

Honestly, I often find things are easier when I roast vegetables. I’ll toss whatever I have, like carrots or broccoli, in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and put them in a hot oven at about 200°C/400°F.

• Carrots: Roasted carrots taste almost like candy compared to raw ones. They get soft on the inside and slightly browned on the outside.
• Broccoli: My kids actually like broccoli better when the edges get a little bit crispy in the oven. It’s a very different experience than the soggy broccoli you get from steaming.
• Sheet Pan Meals: This is the ultimate busy-person move. On a busy night, I’ll put some chicken thighs on a tray with chopped sweet potatoes and bell peppers (or whatever vegetables I have on hand). Everything cooks together, and I only have one pan to wash at the end.

The Half-and-Half Trick

I don’t try to replace our favourite comfort foods with vegetables. That usually just leaves everyone still hungry and looking for something else later. Instead, I go for a half-and-half approach, keep the foods we enjoy, and just add more plants into them where it makes sense.

If I’m making a stir-fry, I’ll sometimes do half regular rice and half cauliflower rice. You still get the texture and familiarity, but there’s a bit more going into the meal. Same with pasta, I’ll mix in some zucchini noodles with regular spaghetti. It still feels like a full bowl, just with a bit more added in. Tacos are another easy one. When I’m cooking ground beef, I’ll usually throw in chopped peppers or a can of beans. It stretches the meat a bit further, adds fibre, and honestly, no one really notices it or cares.

From a nutrition side, that extra fibre helps slow things down a bit. It can support more steady energy, instead of that quick rise and drop you sometimes get after a heavier carb meal.

Adding Some To Your Breakfast

Breakfast is usually the easiest place for vegetables to get missed. It often ends up being something quick like toast, cereal, or eggs. But I’ve found that adding something small at the start of the day can make a difference in how I feel later on.

If I’m making scrambled eggs, I’ll just use whatever I have in the fridge, onions, mushrooms, spinach, whatever needs to get used up. I’ll chop it up and throw it in. Nothing complicated, just a simple way to add a bit more to the meal. If I’m having toast, I’ll go more savoury. Something like avocado with tomato or cucumber works well. It’s quick, easy, and it helps me get a serving of vegetables in without much effort.

Making Them Easy To Grab

We tend to eat what is easiest to grab when we’re hungry. If there’s a whole head of cauliflower buried in the bottom of the fridge, I’m probably going to ignore it because I don’t want to chop it when I’m tired.

I don’t do big meal prep days, but even taking 10 minutes to wash and cut up a few things, cucumbers, carrots, peppers, can make a big difference. I’ll just put them in containers in the fridge where I can see them, so when I open the door, they’re right there. And I don’t overthink the dip either.

Progress Over Perfection

Look, at the end of the day, I don’t need everyone on a perfect diet. Some days, the only vegetable anyone in my house eats is the lettuce on a burger, and I’ve learned to be okay with that. Life is busy, and some weeks are just harder than others.

I just try to keep the door open to eating more plants in a way that feels doable for my actual life. By focusing on adding things in rather than taking things away, it feels a lot less like a chore and more like a normal part of our routine.

Veggie	A simple way to use it	Why it works
Spinach	Toss in a smoothie or pasta sauce	You can’t really taste it once it’s mixed.
Carrots	Roast them with oil and salt	They get sweet and crispy in the oven.
Cauliflower	Mix into rice or mash into potatoes	It takes on the flavor of whatever it’s with.
Zucchini	Grate into muffins or sauces	It adds moisture and bulk without extra flavor.

The Salt and Soul

The Salt (The Science): Sometimes supporting your body doesn’t mean changing everything, it can be as simple as adding a little more to what’s already there. I’ve found that using frozen vegetables is one of the most supportive things I can do for my family’s nutrition.

A lot of grocery store produce has what you could call a “transit gap.” Most vegetables aren’t actually picked the day you buy them, they’re often harvested a week or two earlier. During that time, the vegetable is still “breathing,” a process called respiration. It keeps using its own stored sugars and vitamin C just to stay alive while it sits in storage and on shelves. This is exactly why it eventually wilts or spoils, and why fresh peas can lose up to 50% of their Vitamin C within just 48 hours of being picked. Flash-freezing essentially stops that clock.

Because frozen vegetables are typically frozen within hours of harvest, they can retain a lot of their nutrients. In some cases, they may actually be more nutrient-rich than fresh produce that’s been sitting in transit or on shelves for a week or more. A handful of greens in a smoothie, frozen vegetables stirred into dinner, or a few extra toppings on toast are all simple, practical ways to make meals a bit more nourishing.

The Soul (The Wellness): Food doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. When you let go of the idea that every meal needs to look a certain way, it creates more space to enjoy what you’re actually eating. Noticing the small wins, like adding something instead of taking something away, can change the experience from pressure to progress. When you work with your real life, instead of trying to do it perfectly, things just feel a bit easier.