Oh, I missed mentioning to try freezing your grapes - it ups the perceived sweetness factor and tastes great!
I don't hit my levels every day but most days I do. I do enjoy most fruits and vegetables. I wasn't that big of a vegetable eater until I learned to cook them properly. My parents were of the boil them until they are so soggy and colourless type of cooks. Here's a few hints that might help you like fruits & vegetables more:
1) Put apples or bananas inside a healthy oatmeal pancake.
2) Sautee apples or bananas in a tsp. butter and add a touch of brown sugar, honey or maple syrup. Top with a bit of vanilla yogurt. Lovely!
3) Try roasting vegetables. You will not believe how good sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets and brussel srpouts taste when peeled and cut and tossed with some olive oil and your favourite herbs plus salt & pepper and roasted on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. Turn them every 15 minutes. I also like adding just a tbsp. of maple syrup in the last 15 minutes and tossing.
4) Olive oil and parmesan cheese go good together! Try putting asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, beans or brussel sprouts in a pan and drizzle with some olive oil and S & P. Bake until tender and then gratre some fresh parmesan on top and put back into the oven until it melts.
5) Hide your veggies. Eat soups. Cook some onions, carrots and celery (chopped small) and puree. Add them as a thickener to gravies or sauces. If you like pasta add chopped onions, carrots, celery, and zucchini to your sauce - puree if you don't want to see them. When making mashed potatoes include a turnip or sweet potato or carrots in your mash and mash together with the potato.
6) Try flavourful dips. Take raw fruits and vegetables and dip them in a low fat sweet or savoury dip.
7) Be inventive with salads. You can cook some chicken, shrimp or steak and eat it on a bed of greens and the flavour will be more of the meat. Or, try candying some walnuts or pecans (Lightly sautee nuts in a touch of butter and brown sugar and then remove to cool). Toss them into a salad and add some soft goats cheese and a sweet balsamic dressing. Very different.
Good luck!
I tried V8 didn't like the taste or texture een tried glugging it down while pinching my nose lol... well I did have some grapes last night so thats my start lol.
I never came close to 5 a day. I decided to try WW online and am eating more fruits and vegs to stay under the 20 pts/day.
Personally, I enjoy fruits and vegetables. But if you don't care for them so much, have you ever tried V8? Just a little tiny serving gives a great value nutrient wise.