Bethesda Gardens Loveland strives to support the social, spiritual and physical health of residents, from creating an environment for active lifestyles to offering nourishing, scratch-made meals. Incorporating lots of colorful veggies into your diet is an easy, tasty way for you to take charge of your health and even help you stay hydrated. You can switch things up to make your meals more interesting by reaching for in-season veggies. Spring offers lots of delicious options that are full of flavor when they're in season.
Many vegetables are available year-round at the grocery store, so you might wonder why it matters if something is a spring veggie. You'll find that in-season vegetables often have the best flavor and texture. If you buy them other times of the year, they often don't taste as good. In-season vegetables also tend to be cheaper when it's their time to shine, so they make a budget-friendly addition to your healthy menu.
Asparagus typically ripens in April and May. Although you can usually find it most of the year at the grocery store, asparagus is tender and flavorful in the spring. It's often tough and fibrous the rest of the year. The thin spears are packed with nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, folate, vitamin K and chromium.
You can enjoy asparagus raw or add chunks of raw asparagus to your salads. You can steam asparagus, but it can get mushy. For more flavor, try sauteing it in a skillet with a little olive oil, butter and your favorite seasonings just until it's soft. You can also roast asparagus in the oven, tossing it with a little olive oil and your favorite seasonings. Roast it at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes.
If you're a gardener, you know carrots love cooler weather. The bright orange veggies add beta-carotene, fiber, vitamin A and other nutrients to your diet. They're also versatile, so you can enjoy them in many ways, and they're readily available at grocery stores and farmers markets.
When you need a quick, healthy snack, grab a bag of raw carrots and enjoy them plain or with veggie dip, ranch dressing or hummus. Steaming carrots just until they're soft is a healthy cooking option. If you want a little more flavor, toss carrot pieces with a little olive oil and your favorite seasonings and roast them. Roast them in a 425 F oven for about 20 minutes until they're soft and have a few char marks. You can also roast them in an air fryer.
Peas are another popular spring veggie. Garden peas are varieties that you shell to eat the peas inside, while snow peas or sugar snap peas are completely edible, pod and all. Peas add fiber, vitamin C and iron to your diet.
Peas with edible pods are delicious to eat raw, with or without your favorite vegetable dip. Shelled peas are a great addition to many dishes. Add them to your favorite pasta, soup or casserole recipes to boost the nutritional content and add color to the dishes.
Brussels sprouts often get overlooked, but these little balls of nutrients can be quite delicious with the right preparation method. When you serve Brussels sprouts, you're getting vitamin K, vitamin C, fiber, iron and many other nutrients.
One of the most flavorful ways to enjoy Brussels sprouts is by roasting them. To prepare them, cut the ends off and remove the outer yellowish leaves. You can also cut them in half to help them cook faster. Toss them with olive oil and seasonings and roast for 35 to 40 minutes in an oven heated to 400 F.
When you enjoy spinach in spring, you'll notice robust flavor and an ideal texture in these dark leafy greens. Spinach offers several nutrients, making it a smart vegetable choice for anyone. Among the nutrients, you'll find plenty of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, potassium and folate. Spinach is good raw or cooked, giving you more options for adding it to your diet.
Spinach is a flavorful addition to salads. It adds contrast to leaf lettuce and other veggies you add to the salad. If you don't love the flavor of spinach, add it to a fruit smoothie. You get the nutrients of the spinach, but the flavor is masked by the sweet fruit in the smoothie. Adding a scoop of peanut butter to the smoothie can boost the flavor and protein content.
Its frequent appearance in crisps and pies might make you think rhubarb is a fruit, but it's actually a vegetable. You'll see the red stalks available in the spring. It's not as nutrient-packed as some vegetables, but rhubarb adds fiber, vitamin K and vitamin A to your diet.
In addition to adding rhubarb to pies or crisps, you can make stewed rhubarb to use as a delicious sauce. Cook about 6 cups of rhubarb pieces, 1 cup of sugar and a little water in a saucepan for about 15 minutes, stirring it occasionally. You can add the rhubarb sauce to desserts, yogurt or other foods for a little added flavor.
