Those that eat a lot of produce- what are you eating?
I notice a lot of you say you eat a lot of produce. I have been trying to do more, but I am finding it hard to get past the basics, and to find ways to eat it so it doesn't get boring.
What are your favorite fruits and veggies, and your favorite ways to serve them?
I take whatever I feel like eating and load it up with vegetables. That means lasagna, pizza, soups, quesadillas, sandwiches, chili, wraps, casseroles, stuffed peppers, jambalaya, curries, tuna salad, pasta salad whew! As for something really light, I love thinly sliced cucumber and tomatoes with some balsamic vinegar.
Raw I eat - Carrots, Spinach, Lettuce, Snap peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, cabbage, celery, mushrooms, beets, pears, apples, tangerines, bananas, oranges, cantelope, various berries (mostly frozen), plums, grapes and whatever else looks good and is reasonably priced.
I generally make salads out of raw veggies or I just eat them plain.
Cooked I eat a lot of frozen veggies as well as fresh. I eat kale, spinach, other greens, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash, winter squashes, sweet peppers, mushrooms, green beans, brussel sprouts, cabbage, onions, tomatoes (mostly canned for cooking), and again whatever looks good and is reasonbly priced.
I cook veggies a variety of ways but there are 3 easy ways for most veggies. You can steam them, you can braise them (use a small amount of water in a pan) or you can roast them. Something I've done in the past is to go into a store and buy veggies I know nothing about, then take them home and look up how to cook them. It is a great way to be introduced to new veggies.
Oh yes, what Spinymouse said...take whatever you're eating and fill it with veggies.
Meatloaf? Shred in zucchini! Soup basically calls out for tons of tasty veggies. Pastas are great, and you get a bigger portion, if you're throwing in zucchini and bell pepper and broccoli.
Right now, my favorite in-season items are: pumpkins (great soup!), delicata squash, butternut squash (more great soup, or cube and roast, or if you're feeling really gourmet, cook into a risotto!) , honeycrisp apples or other good eating apples, leeks, and greens (collard, beet, mustard, etc)
My staple produce consists of: Zucchini, broccoli, spinach or arugula, red bell peppers, celery, carrots, and bananas. I can find these at a reasonable price year round and they are essentials for a lot of my dishes, so I buy them nearly every week to supplement my seasonal items.
I eat an enormous amount of produce. I like to eat a lot of food and get the most nutrients while doing so. Nothing fits the bill quite like veggies.
I eat tons of green beans - roasted and raw for munching.
I eat stir fries, filled with broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini and spinach.
I eat acorn, butternut and spaghetti squash. And for now, the early fall ones as well, like Delicata.
I eat lots and lots of salads. Cucumber salad. Tomato salad. Green cabbage salad. Romaine hearts salad with chopped veggies. Avocados every now and then.
I eat about 3 cups of cauliflower simmered in a little chicken broth for lunch about 5 X a week.
Then there's roasted asparagus and brussel sprouts. Roasted peppers. Portabello mushrooms. Broiled zucchini. Baby carrots.
I make a parsnip, sweet potato soup. Butternut squash soup.
The list is endless. It does take some experimenting to figure out what you like and how you like it prepared. Be adventurous. Try new things. You'll get the hang of it.
Robin, do you eat protein at every meal? How much protein do you eat at each meal? And....can you eat RAW green beans? Do you mean green beans in a can (the only kind I've ever tried)? When I am in a weight losing mode, could you please advise as to how much vegetable could I have at supper (or lunch) with a protein and still be able to lose weight? You said you ate 3 cups of cauliflower every day for lunch? If you raost asparagus, brussel sprouts and peppers, how much can you eat at one time? But, I am still also trying to find out how to roast vegetables. I assume you put them in the oven, but for how long and what temperature and do you put butter on them? I am really trying to learn how much to eat and how to eat. I have breakfast down...that is easy...a Bowl of Kashi cereal and skim milk. Then I eat a Kashi bar for one of my snacks and a apple for another snack. My only problem is trying to find out what to eat for lunch and supper (veggie-wise and how to cook them). I do not like salads, they are so tasteless to me...but then again, I am trying to learn how to fix veggies that actually taste good. Please help?????
I love roasting veggies - I sprinkle them with a little flavored olive oil and some of my homemade "Mrs. Dash". In fact I have a pan of delicata, butternut, turnip, sweet potato, onion, portabella mushrooom, carrot, zucchini, tomato veggie bake in the oven right now. I usually pre-cook the squash and sweet potato in the microwave, then I blend everything together - stir in the olive oil and seasonings. Maybe even a bit of feta. Then bake it at 350 - 375 degrees for about 30-45 minutes. It depends upon the doneness of the veggies when I start. Yum! It is starting to smell amazing!
And....can you eat RAW green beans? Do you mean green beans in a can (the only kind I've ever tried)?
You most certainly CAN eat raw green beans (those in cans aren't raw, they are boiled to death). You can eat any veggie you like raw!
I would suggest looking online for recipes and experimenting with simple ones.
Steamed broccoli and kale with caramelized onions and garlic with a squeeze of lemon or balsamic vinegar and fresh cracked pepper and salt is divine!
As far as what I eat, if it's a natural vegetable or fruit, I eat it! I'll look for the other threads where we posted grocery shopping lists to copy the list, as it is large!
One piece of advice I'd give you is start eating veggies you like, then spread out. I used to not eat very many veggies now most of my diet consists of veggies. It was a slow process over the years. I slowly added in veggies, even ones I didn't care for much, then added more and more until well I love veggies, raw, cooked, doesn't matter. There really isn't a veggie I won't eat these days.
Robin, do you eat protein at every meal? How much protein do you eat at each meal? And....can you eat RAW green beans? Do you mean green beans in a can (the only kind I've ever tried)? When I am in a weight losing mode, could you please advise as to how much vegetable could I have at supper (or lunch) with a protein and still be able to lose weight? You said you ate 3 cups of cauliflower every day for lunch? If you raost asparagus, brussel sprouts and peppers, how much can you eat at one time? But, I am still also trying to find out how to roast vegetables. I assume you put them in the oven, but for how long and what temperature and do you put butter on them? I am really trying to learn how much to eat and how to eat. I have breakfast down...that is easy...a Bowl of Kashi cereal and skim milk. Then I eat a Kashi bar for one of my snacks and a apple for another snack. My only problem is trying to find out what to eat for lunch and supper (veggie-wise and how to cook them). I do not like salads, they are so tasteless to me...but then again, I am trying to learn how to fix veggies that actually taste good. Please help?????
Yes, inky, I eat protein at every meal. Chicken breast, egg whites, fish, veggies burgers and yogurt for the most part.
I don't eat canned vegetables with the exception of sliced mushrooms and sometimes canned tomatoes. Raw FRESH green beans are what I was refering to.
As far as roasting veggies, you asked that in a different thread and I answered you here:
And no, I don't ever use butter, ever, on anything. I use cooking spray or a little olive oil.
We all have individual tastes. What I like you might DISlike. It really varies from person to person. I love salad, you don't. See, we differ.
As far as knowing how much to eat of each item, well that is also an individual thing. I count calories. Have you checked out Fitday.com? There you can find out the calorie counts for different foods and keep track of what you eat. You can also enlist the help of a nutritionist or a dietician. They can help you set up a healthy plan that is suited to you.
You really need to play around with different veggies and different cooking methods til you find what you love. Finding foods that you like to eat are essential, because if you really like what you are eating, as I do, then it is not a hardship at all to stay on plan and eat healthy foods.
Last edited by rockinrobin; 10-22-2007 at 10:00 PM.
I love lots of veggies, but given where I live, I'm limited in what I can get fresh - at least without going broke! I usually buy what's available. Right now we're eating tons of hard squashes. I think they're so interesting looking. I just love having them sitting on my counter. We grow a garden so I have things in the freezer from that - broccoli, green beans, peas, cauliflower mostly. I still have a few zucchini left, and some beets and carrots. My very favorite veggies are asparagus and FRESH corn on the cob (something that's not really fresh by the time it makes it to Alaska), but I'll eat most things except cucumbers and eggplant.
I guess I'm not much different than anyone else - I eat a lot of veggies, and in a lot of different ways. Nowadays, I always have washed, peeled and cut up veggies in the fridge for quick snacking - cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, snap peas, baby radishes, grape tomatoes, red pepper strips. I often measure out a tablespoon or two of hummus for dipping - you can make your own (it's really easy!), or buy a brand that is low calorie and not overly processed.
I steam a lot of veggies - they taste so much better than boiled, and hold on to precious vitamins and nutrients. I also love roasted veggies - my favorites are cauliflower, asparagus, squash, carrots and peppers.
I add veggies to other foods, too - an egg-white omelet becomes a very filling meal with the addition of sauteed onion, peppers, asparagus and some fresh chopped tomato. Grated carrots, diced zucchini, mushrooms and finely chopped spinach add great flavor and bulk to a simple tomato sauce.
I don't ever count potatoes as a vegetable serving. I do eat white potatoes now and again, but not often - the potato that I DO count as a vegetable is a sweet potato. I like to make roasted sweet potato "fries"...simply cut up a raw sweet potato into fries, then toss with a little olive oil and whichever spices you like and roast until cooked through and a little caramelized at the edges. I like garlic powder, cayenne, and lime juice with a little salt and pepper, but you can also make them sweet with a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg.
I never eat a sandwich without adding dark leafy lettuce, sliced tomato, and sliced cucumber (at a minimum). It's such an easy way to get in a serving of veggies, and makes a much better sandwich! Get creative!! If I'm making a chicken breast burger, I might take it in an Asian direction, marinating it in a little Thai curry paste and spices. For topping, I'll then add some finely shredded cabbage tossed with a TINY bit of spicy peanut sauce, some grated carrot mixed with a little ginger, fresh bean sprouts, and cilantro. It takes a simple, quick ho-hum dinner to a fabulous place, and again - more veggies!!
The sky really is the limit - it's all about experimenting with new tastes, ways of cooking, etc. and discovering what you really enjoy.
I eat a lot of bagged romaine salad (I don't bother with iceberg - not enough nutrition) because those are my default vegetables. I do what spinymouse does - take a given recipe and substitute vegetables or add vegetables to it. I try to get a variety of colors in vegetables when I grocery shop: tomatoes, carrots, red peppers, green beans, squash, eggplant. I often over-buy, but I just freeze or preserve them for use later.
I love all sorts of veggies...I love to experiment. I love to make stir frys, you can put pretty much anything in those. I just made a "summer lasagna" the other night that used zucchini slices instead of pasta, and lots of veggies...that was really good. I put lots of veggies in soups. I used to hate salads (and I am still not crazy about them), but I try to have them with most meals because they are high in fiber if you use spinach and veggies. Veggies in pasta. I love buying a pint or two of yellow or red cherry tomatoes, tossing them with some olive oil and salt and pepper and roasting those in the oven (at 350F until soft but not mushy)...it brings out the natural sweetness (the yellow are particularly sweet and delicious). I make a goulash and load it up with veggies. I like to cook (steam or boil) cauliflower until soft and mash them with some parmesan cheese and a tiny amount of butter (and of course salt and pepper)...it's kind of like mashed potatoes (at least the consistency) but way better for you. My favorite way to cook veggies is to grill them, my favorite being zucchini and yellow crookneck squash: slice them to 1/4" slices lengthwise, toss with a little olive oil and salt and pepper and throw them on the grill until they are soft and have grill marks on them. I make a veggie pot pie that is yummy, with mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, celery, cauliflower, green beans and occasionally broccoli. There are so many ways to cook veggies. I go to recipe sites and browse through their "side dish" or "vegetarian" categories. Good luck!
Those that eat a lot of produce- what are you eating?
We grow a garden so I have things in the freezer from that - broccoli, green beans, peas, cauliflower mostly. I still have a few zucchini left, and some beets and carrots. My very favorite veggies are asparagus and FRESH corn on the cob (something that's not really fresh by the time it makes it to Alaska), but I'll eat most things except cucumbers and eggplant. 
Get creative!! If I'm making a chicken breast burger, I might take it in an Asian direction, marinating it in a little Thai curry paste and spices. For topping, I'll then add some finely shredded cabbage tossed with a TINY bit of spicy peanut sauce, some grated carrot mixed with a little ginger, fresh bean sprouts, and cilantro. It takes a simple, quick ho-hum dinner to a fabulous place, and again - more veggies!!
