Recipe: Carrot & Zuchinni Spice Oatmeal

So, if you are like me, you are always wondering if you are getting enough vegetables in your daily diet. Lets face it, if you have a busy schedule, it can be really hard working in those servings. Sure, a salad might do the trick, but sometimes that isn't the convenient option and it can take some creativity to keep salads  interesting day after day,but that is another blog post.

So how many servings of vegetables do we need a day? Well, that all depends. Here is a table provided by www.choosemyplate.gov that helps to break it down.

 For someone my age and sex, 2 1/2 cups is the answer if I am not really pushing my workouts (the table doesn't give us much help there). Seems simple enough, right? Well according to Nutrition: Concents & Controversies 12th edition, the actual U.S. intake of vegetables is only about 75% of what is recommended (page 40). That is all before we stop to consider how many in the U.S. are actually getting the recommended variety of the vegetable subgroups  (yes! subgroups!) like dark green, orange, legumes, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables, but we will skip this for now.

So why are vegetables so important? First, there are many vegetables that are high in fiber, which brings a number of health benefits. Eating a variety of vegetables also means you are getting a variety of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants. These not only help your body function, but they can help reduce the risk of cancers and some diseases and can actually help increase your chances of surviving cancer.

I'll admit, I often think over my day and what I have eaten, knowing I have been lacking, and shrug it off. I know I shouldn't. I know I should say, "I will do better tomorrow!" and take a stand at being more proactive about my daily nutrition in general and my fruit and vegetable intake specifically. In an attempt to do just that, I decided to tackle breakfast.

Yes, breakfast. That morning meal that people either skip all together or compose completely of grains, simple sugars, and fatty proteins. Yeah, I'm talking about those pancakes in syrup, orange juice, eggs and sausage or bacon. Yeah, I am guilty too. Especially of the eggs.

I am forever trying to find ways to bring vegetables into breakfasts in a healthy way and make it either super easy or something I can make once and eat multiple mornings during the week. This is my latest creation.

Carrot & Zuchinni Spiced Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 cup grated zuchinni
• 1/3 cup blueberries

Directions

Start with a large pot and your basic directions for making 4 servings of oatmeals. This is real oats now, not the instant kind. Bring the water and salt to a boil.  While you are waiting, grate your carrot and zuchinni.

Once the water is boiling, add the oats. Now things get exciting, go ahead and add the applesauce and the spices. If you are feeling really into the health groove, grate your own apple (I would recommend a granny smith) rather than using the applesauce.

Now, you don't want the zuchinni and carrot to be mushy, so wait about a minute for the oatmeal to start sticking together before adding the zuchinni and carrot. Stir to combine.

Add your blueberries. You can also be more creative and add raisins or something else. I chose blueberries because the purple is a color I do not yet have in this dish and it was what I had on hand. You can add more than 1/3 cup if desired, but obviously that is what I based my nutritional info on.

Let cook until oatmeal is at the desired consistancy and the blueberries have begun to soften and pop. This recipe makes 4 servings so you can share it with family or, like me, I ate one serving and packaged the others for breakfast later in the week. It isn't super sweet, so you may want to add just a tad of sugar or truvia. Eat like you would regular oatmeal. Milk is optional.

So I will admit, the orange and green specks amid the sea of brown isn't the most attractive dish I have ever made, but it was pretty tasty. The carrot especially maintained some firmness so it gave a pleasant texture to the oatmeal. In the future, I might go for raisins over blueberries to add some chewiness.

So how did we do nutrition wise? Not bad. I used Sparks People recipe analyzer to come up with the below values. This dish comes to only 203.6 calories per serving and brings 6.9 grams of fiber and 5.9 grams of protein. Best of all, it leaves plenty of room in case you want to sneak in a hard-boiled egg for added protein. There were 2 cups of vegetables in this dish. Divided by 4 servings, this breakfast gives about 1/2 cup of vegetables per serving. It may not be a lot, but at least its a step in the right direction at the start of the day!

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe 4 Servings Amount Per Serving Calories 203.6 Total Fat 3.2 g Saturated Fat 0.5 g Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1 g Monounsaturated Fat 1.0 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 167.7 mg Potassium 234.6 mg Total Carbohydrate 40.5 g Dietary Fiber 6.9 g Sugars 9.7 g Protein 5.9 g Vitamin A 68.9 % Vitamin B-12 0.0 % Vitamin B-6 4.8 % Vitamin C 11.9 % Vitamin D 0.0 % Vitamin E 1.3 % Calcium 3.2 % Copper 3.1 % Folate 3.5 % Iron 14.6 % Magnesium 1.9 % Manganese 25.0 % Niacin 2.8 % Pantothenic Acid 1.4 % Phosphorus 2.7 % Riboflavin 4.8 % Selenium 0.7 % Thiamin 13.2 % Zinc 1.5 % *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs