Weeknight Meals That Pack in the Produce

Here’s help to make sure you get 5-a-day (or more.)

For years we've been told to get our "5-a-day" of fruits and veggies. But as much as we’ve heard that, it just doesn't seem to be sinking in. Americans still aren't eating enough fruits and vegetables, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And on top of that, now the recommendations have been upped—we should actually be getting anywhere from 4 to 13 daily servings (2 to 61⁄2 cups). (Visit fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov for a handy calculator that estimates the number of servings you should be getting each day.)

We live by the "eat more fruits and vegetables" mantra here at EatingWell. So one of the questions we constantly ask is how to add more produce to a dish. In this selection of easy weeknight recipes, we deliver the goods. We drop the English muffin in favor of artichoke bottoms for an easy, fiber-rich Eggs Benedict. Our gorgeous shrimp and garlic sauté provides more than 200 percent of your Daily Value of vitamin C and 80 percent of your Daily Value of vitamin A, thanks to a hearty helping of asparagus and red peppers. Orzo and pan-seared chicken breasts dress up with artichoke hearts and lycopene-loaded tomato sauce. Even homey tuna noodle casserole supplies some vegetables when you toss in peas and mushrooms. And olives and cherries count, too—they elevate a quick pan sauce for chicken thighs to antioxidant-rich realms.

MONDAY

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Vegetables
Here’s a healthy twist on shrimp scampi. We left out the butter and loaded the dish up with red peppers and asparagus for a refreshing spring meal. Serve with quinoa, whole-wheat couscous or linguine.

Makes 4 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2       large red bell peppers, diced
2       pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
2       teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/2    teaspoon salt, divided
5       cloves garlic, minced
1       pound raw shrimp (26-30 per pound), peeled and deveined
1       cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1       teaspoon cornstarch
2       tablespoons lemon juice
2       tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, asparagus, lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, about 6 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl; cover to keep warm.
2. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk broth and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth and add to the pan along with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve the shrimp and sauce over the vegetables.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 226 calories; 7 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 174 mg cholesterol; 14 g carbohydrate; 28 g protein; 4 g fiber; 514 mg sodium; 670 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (210% daily value), Vitamin A (80% dv), Folate (53% dv), Iron (25% dv). 1 Carbohydrate Serving. Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 1 fat.