by Ali Koomen

Created on: October 14, 2008   Last Updated: August 15, 2011

BREAKFAST: No matter what's for breakfast, start it off with an 8-ounce serving of orange or grapefruit juice. Both provide one full fruit serving and over 200% of the RDA for Vitamin C. If you prefer cold cereal for breakfast, add a cup of sliced strawberries or blueberries or 1/4 cup raisins. This adds a natural sweetness to the cereal, as well as one of the required fruit servings for the day.

Don't hit the fast food drive-thru for that sausage biscuit and hash browns. For breakfast on-the-go, whip up a simple smoothie. Put a sliced banana, one cup hulled strawberries, one container of vanilla yogurt and a cup of ice cubes in the blender. Mix until smooth and frosty. Tastes great and adds two servings of fruit to the day.

LUNCH: A hearty soup full of vegetables makes an ideal choice for lunch. Vegetable beef, bean and ham or split pea are easy to heat up and enjoy. Dining out at lunch doesn't need to be all starch and protein. Go for the salad bar or add "the works" to your deli sandwich: lettuce, tomato, onion, sprouts, peppers all add flavor and crunch to boring ham.

SNACKS: To avoid the vending machines, have fruit handy. Apples, pears, peaches, plums and nectarines are all perfect for portability, as are bananas, which are no-mess and easy to peel.

DINNER: Make it a rule that every meal must include at least one vegetable. Add some pizzazz by jazzing up the side dishes. Crumbled bacon and raisins are great with steamed broccoli. Cook carrot slices with a tablespoon of butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar and a sprinkling of cinnamon-delicious! If you're making rice, add in chopped onion, celery and green peppers for a flavor booster. Or match sweet and savory: pork chops and applesauce, whole cranberry sauce with chicken. A box of wild rice mix will greatly benefit from having a can of mandarin oranges added, or plain rice is great when dried cranberries and slivered almons are stirred in.

LATE NIGHT: Instead of reaching for the pretzels or potato chips, go for fresh veggies. Carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower and slices of green pepper give a satisfying crunch. If eating plain, raw vegetables isn't your thing, use lo-cal ranch dressing as a dip. Even better, portion out 1/4 prepared hummus. When paired with the fresh vegetables, it makes for a very savory snack, and the chickpeas in it will add another vegetable serving to the day.

Fitting in the recommended five to nine servings of fruit and vegetables each day doesn't have to be a drudgery. Think of new ways to trick your family (and youself!) into doing simple things like drinking fruit juice instead of soda, snacking on raisins instead of candy, and not only will you reach your RDA, you also might drop a few pounds. Talk about a win-win situation.

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