Want the best way to add color, texture, flavor and essential nutrients to your meal? Choose vegetables! Frozen vegetables are a great choice, as they're available year 'round and--since they're picked at their peak--can actually be more nutritious than those found in the produce aisle.

How many vegetable servings do you need?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends 2 1/2 cups of vegetables per day for a 2,000 calorie diet, with higher or lower amounts depending on age, gender and activity level. That means about five 1/2 cup servings a day of fresh or frozen, raw or cooked vegetables. For more information, visit mypyramid.gov.

Consider adding a simple salad or one of these easy vegetable dish recipes to your Lean Cuisine Spa Cuisine entrée, and you'll be well on your way to reaching the USDA daily recommended servings of vegetables.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Serve this easy dip with raw vegetables or toasted pita bread as an appetizer before enjoying your Lean Cuisine Spa Cuisine entrée.

3/4 cup roasted red pepper from a jar, drained
1 cup prepared hummus
Lemon juice to taste

Puree roasted red pepper in food processor or blender, then add hummus and puree until smooth. Add lemon juice to taste. Makes 1 1/2 cups or 8 servings.

Easy Minestrone

Start simmering this delicious soup a few minutes before cooking your Lean Cuisine Spa Cuisine entrée.

2 (10 ounce) packages Italian-style vegetables, frozen
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Stir together vegetables and chicken broth in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until soup bubbles and vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Want more veggies in your diet?

Visit leancuisine.com where you'll find:

--Tips on how to incorporate more vegetables and fruits into your diet.

--A meal planner with recipes and snack ideas as well as calorie trackers.

Check out these easy and delicious ways to help get those USDA-recommended three to five vegetable servings a day:

Don't forget the freezer. Remember that many frozen vegetables, like those found in frozen entrées such as Lean Cuisine, have been picked and processed at their peak, so stock up. Lean Cuisine's new Spa Cuisine entrées all feature at least two servings of vegetables and offer delicious varieties such as Sesame Stir Fry with Chicken, Butternut Squash Ravioli, Ginger Garlic Stir Fry with Chicken, Hunan Stir Fry with Beef, and Grilled Chicken Primavera.

It's in the sauce. Tomato-based spaghetti sauces and salsas can be a vegetable serving. So can guacamole, salsa verde and pico de gallo.

Stuff. Choose ravioli stuffed with squash or pumpkin, fill a burrito with grilled vegetables and fresh salsa, spoon hummus and chopped cucumber into pita bread.

Chop. Cruise through the grocery store salad bar and load up on chopped veggies to quickly add to scrambled eggs, a grilled cheese sandwich or a casserole.

Date: 5/14/07

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