I was never a veggie lover either. IP has opened my eyes to so many.
One of my go-to's is oven roasted okra with a little garlic powder. Delish!
I buy it frozen (it's much easier than preparing fresh, and I've found the quality to be just as good, if not better. Being an imported item, it never looks good in the store fresh.)
Give it a try!
Thanks for the idea Dakin! I saw frozen okra the other day and wondered about it. Do you defrost before roasting or go ahead and throw it in frozen?
I've only had okra prepared by my grandmother in Louisiana and my ex-MIL in Georgia and liked it both times but never got the hang of preparing it myself.
Agreed. I am now taking someone's advice, maybe Ruth Ann or Lisa or 65x65?, who chops their vegies up ahead of time. So I now do that and then when I get back from work, I can either put them in the wok or if I don't want to be watching the stove top, I put them straight in the oven, with garlic powder, onion powder, chili flakes or cayenne pepper (depending on the mood). Super easy and always delicious. Having them chopped already is a lifesaver as I often have to work late unexpectedly (although seeing as it's busy season there's really no unexpected about it!).
LOL..You are converted Rosie!! We all do it..it's the only thing that makes sense. Also..one actually gets much faster at it!! Which is nice. No longer have kids at home...but finding that DH raids my stash...daily! Another time saver is when making dinner salad...make enough for lunch the next day and portion it out...chopped veggies and all..it keeps just fine / no dressing til you eat it of course. We make enough salad this way on Friday afternoon or early Saturday AM to last all weekend actually. It is nice to have decent healthy lunch ready...no mess.
It's a grab and go .........or stop and grab in our own kitchen if we can actually sit and eat together for a few minutes. Always have RTD EAS shakes for being on the run, or in the car and small cans of tuna/HB eggs in the refrig or we automatically plan for a few oz of leftover protein from dinners for lunches since I am now on maintenance. I have found on maintenance planning is critical...and in many ways not too different than being OP most days. Maintenance is just the freedom to stray occasionally, and to use real food instead of packets, (but knowing what kind and how much) and simplicity keeps things on track.
Wow! Thank you all for the good ideas I will certainly try the okra. I also have found chopping veggies ahead of time to be very helpful. It's nice to come home and just be able to pick a Baggie of veggies and a protein and not have to do any prepping.
Is it okay to do the cauliflower rice in a fat free chicken broth?
This is weird because when I was lurking in the frozen vegies section of the supermarket today (searching for rhubarb - no luck), I saw frozen okra and wondered what the heck it was. I'll get some next time. Thanks for the tip!
I have also found the rhubarb usually kept in the frozen fruit department as well. The manager told me so many people use it for strawberry pie they store it there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brelo
I know this might sound crazy, but in addition to liking to eat veggies (which is a totally new experience since starting IP) I also enjoy preparing them! I do a large enough batch at one time that lasts about 4 days. It is kind of relaxing to me to listen to my music and chop veggies, kind of like gardening is relaxing to do. Just thought I would share that it is no longer a tedious task!
Haha, I thought I was the only one! I used to find it tedious but now I come home from the store, put everything else away and set aside 30 minutes to chop and put my veggies in 2 cup portions. I find it almost therapeutic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth Ann
Thanks for the idea Dakin! I saw frozen okra the other day and wondered about it. Do you defrost before roasting or go ahead and throw it in frozen?
I've only had okra prepared by my grandmother in Louisiana and my ex-MIL in Georgia and liked it both times but never got the hang of preparing it myself.
I use it straight from the freezer! Spread on a foil lined cookie sheet, mist with olive oil and my spices, roasted for 30 or so minutes. Comes out great!
Last edited by IdealProteinNewbie; 02-09-2014 at 09:17 AM.
Wow! Thank you all for the good ideas I will certainly try the okra. I also have found chopping veggies ahead of time to be very helpful. It's nice to come home and just be able to pick a Baggie of veggies and a protein and not have to do any prepping.
Is it okay to do the cauliflower rice in a fat free chicken broth?
Thanks for the idea Dakin! I saw frozen okra the other day and wondered about it. Do you defrost before roasting or go ahead and throw it in frozen?
I've only had okra prepared by my grandmother in Louisiana and my ex-MIL in Georgia and liked it both times but never got the hang of preparing it myself.
Ruth, I just spread it out frozen and roast at 375 for about 15 minutes.
I roast many veggies now... especially love roasted cauliflower and cabbage too.
I LOVE my roasted vegetables. I do it almost every night. Rutabaga, cauliflower, zucchini, red peppers, broccoli are all staples for me. I've also done cabbage, eggplant, carrots (these are maintenance or occasional for P1). So yummy.
I spread them on a cookie sheet, dust w olive oil, salt, pepper, etc. So quick and easy. Most of the time the rest of dinner is also in the oven with them: chicken, pork loin, salmon. All so yummy. Can you tell I'm ready for dinner right now?
Starting IP diet this weekend not sure how I will do on the veges since i am not a big fan. but i guess i will cross that bridge when i get there
Cross it now as you prepare to start so you have a PLAN you can follow.
Read the What are You Eating Today thread to see all the variety of what people eat/do with veggies.
Also look for the Veggie Purée thread (might be back a number of pages) - many who aren't veggie fans use purees as ways to add them to soups both to thicken and enhance the soup flavor and to "hide" the veggies.
Lots of people also blend spinach into their shakes (apparently you don't taste it).
Roasting is HUGELY popular and sweetens the taste of many veggies!
A lot of IPers who didn't think they like veggies now wish they could have MORE than 4 cups per day!!!
Find a few veggies you can start with then branch out as you go.
Cauliflower "rice"
