7 Creative Ways To Get More Nutritious Veggies In Your Family's Diet

As a nutritionist, I'm always looking for easy and fun ways to get those important nutrients into my recipes and onto our plates. So I've put together seven totally doable strategies to get more veggies in the mix:

And never underestimate the power of growing something. If you plant some bell peppers or cherry tomatoes and watch them grow together, you'll feel that connection to your food, and your family will be much more inclined to sample what they grew.

Time is precious and it's true that some vegetables take quite a bit of preparation and effort before you can enjoy them. That's why I keep "easy veggies" on hand at all times. Easy veggies are things that require no (or minimal) prep, like cherry tomatoes, mini cucumbers and bell peppers, baby carrots and sugar snap peas. All you need to do is rinse them and put them in a bowl, and that makes it much more likely that your family will eat them.

One of my favorite ways to do just that is by serving up Del Monte® Veggieful® Pocket Pies. Each product provides a full serving of vegetables and can be prepared in just minutes. The Pocket Pies come in familiar flavors like broccoli potato cheddar and spinach artichoke Parmesan, all encompassed in a tasty cauliflower crust. Another fave of mine are the Veggieful Veggie Bowls, a delicious, portable combination of whole grains and veggies with a tasty sauce. You can eat these cold or warm, for a delicious meal on-the-go. Plus, older kids can prepare these on their own.

Parents tell me all the time how sick they are of offering their kids vegetables, just to have them turn their noses up. It can take 15 to 20 exposures to a new food for a child to actually try it, so keep plating them. My advice: Put small bowls of veggies out for lunch, dinner, and snacks so your family members are more likely to add them to their plate.

I know that parents don't have a ton of time to prepare healthy meals. I see you, and I get it! That's why you need to maximize any extra minutes you have on the weekend, in the morning, or whenever. For example, if I'm cutting up cucumbers (my son's favorite) for lunch on Sunday, I'll spend a few extra minutes cutting up extras and packing them into small containers to put in his lunch throughout the week. Or I might roast some extra sweet potato rounds to use in salad and grain bowls. Fit it in when you can, and you'll reap the rewards later.

If you like to get creative, you can find all kinds of cool ways to arrange veggies, like making a Frankenstein out of them for Halloween or a turkey at Thanksgiving. When you serve vegetables with other favorite foods, you will be amazed at how quickly the veggies disappear.

Be a veggie hero and set a good example for your kids. Who knows—you just might discover some delicious veggies that you've never tried before.