The Produce Plate

Hi friends!

I want to confess that in many cases my mother-in-love is able to give me practical, easy ideas where I tend to overcomplicate things. 

That being said, today's little hack comes to you courtesy of her practical epiphanies!

Let's face it, sometimes veggies aren't the most fun thing to eat. Whether you have never liked them, have always liked them but can't seem to eat enough of them, or have just started liking them as you've made dietary changes, this little trick is sure to make it easier to get more crunchy, snappy, sweet, and savory fruits and veggies in your day to day diet when you need a quick snack! 

I give you the Produce Plate.

I personally have not always been a fan of salads. There are certain ones I enjoy but sometimes I don't feel like doing a bunch of chopping. Additionally, sometimes I want something a little heartier instead but still want to get my veggies in through the day. I also find the individual flavors of veggies to be enjoyable on their own. 

The sweet crunch of a bell pepper. 

The tangy, fresh zest of a vine-ripened tomato.

The refreshing bite of a cucumber. 

The soft crispness in a leaf of butter lettuce.

Ohhhh yeahh. Delish!

Concisely, the Produce Plate is exactly what it sounds like. It is a plate/dish with prepped produce ready for snacking whenever you need. It may be overly simple, but it's so simple that I had to be introduced to it. Maybe I overthink things too much? The thing is we already do this many times for parties and gatherings. We are all familiar with the premade grocery store tray of raw broccoli and carrots with the ranch dip in the middle. This is essentially the same idea but utilized for the day to day!

All you need is a plate or some type of dish that can fit on an easily accessible shelf in your fridge. I casually used a plate until I got to the point where I made it a habit and I wanted to invest in a designated tray.

Once you have your plate, you can prepare whatever fresh veggies or fruits you'd like to snack on through the week! We have found some personal favorites that are great for snacking. Things like cherry tomatoes, leaves of lettuce, blueberries, bell peppers or mini peppers, carrots, and celery are great, but feel free to mix it up with whatever your family likes. Even better if you have some hummus or another dip to complete the snack by adding some healthy fats for extra nutrition and flavor. Yum!

As I said before, this concept is generally pretty simple, but I have found that sometimes when we are wanting to figure out how to incorporate more produce in our diets, the best way to do so is to not overcomplicate it, but to just do it!

I hope this simple tip helps you as it has helped me.

Thanks for stopping by!

Rachel