Veggies

  • I am new to the program, going on week three, and am searching for new ways to prepare my veggies. Does anyone have any ideas. I am getting tired of plan veggies.
  • Char them on the grill.

    Last week I threw sliced onion, big chunks of green pepper and zucchinis cut long ways on the grill. I didn't add oil or anything just let them hang out while the chicken was grilling. I'm not the most attentive cook as I also have four kids so stuff got pretty dark on one side but I think it was tastier that way. Definitely more flavor than steamed or nuked. The onions were especially tasty this way. I have a gas grill so cooking on it isn't a big chore if I had to mess with charcoal I probably wouldn't bother but if you have a gas grill maybe this will work for you too.
  • i like grilled asparagus with some olive oil and pepper or roasted zucchini with dill seasonings.

    Go to a nice market and look at their salt free seasonings or herb blends and you can have a lot of fun with those. William Sonoma has just come out with a new line that has a few great ones too.
  • When I'm getting tired of eating my veggies, I make a "mock spaghetti" using veggies.

    I make a marinara sauce from food.com (google "healthy marinara sauce food.com").
    Note: I don't use a food processor, just dump it in the pot--I like chunks of tomatoes. I also added a handful of chopped mushrooms. This sauce makes about 13+ servings, so I freeze the rest in individual containers.

    Then I use a veggie peeler to make ribbons of zucchini. Bring water to a boil, drop in the zucchini and cook until desired tenderness (15 sec to 1 min, depending on how you like it). Drain.

    Place 2 oz zucchini in a bowl, top with 2 oz. marinara sauce.

    I usually top with my protein--diced chicken, cooked bison, ground sirloin, or shredded cheese--or you can eat it separately.

    Yum!
  • That sounds really good teacherlady79! Thanks!
  • All great ideas - I LOVE the Mrs Dash Cilantro Lime. Not to be picky, but we shouldn't cook tomatoes and only can have green onions. The little things make a difference!
  • Great ideas so far. I am going to have to try the mock spaghetti. Any other ideas for a newbie??

    Thanks
  • Quote: All great ideas - I LOVE the Mrs Dash Cilantro Lime. Not to be picky, but we shouldn't cook tomatoes and only can have green onions. The little things make a difference!


    We aren't supposed to cook tomatoes? I haven't heard this rule.
  • Quote: We aren't supposed to cook tomatoes? I haven't heard this rule.
    On your menu, tomatoes are listed under "R" for "raw tomatoes." I asked specifically and they said we can't have them cooked. That may be just for metaslim?
  • Quote: On your menu, tomatoes are listed under "R" for "raw tomatoes." I asked specifically and they said we can't have them cooked. That may be just for metaslim?

    Oh, I see that now. I hadn't noticed it before. Thanks for the information!
  • I took some onions sauteed them with some green peppers seasoned them with some pepper, olive oil and a little bit of artificial sweetener. It was an interesting change. Didn't eat it as my main veggie just put a little on top of some chicken. I was actually pretty proud of my concoction it tasted good to.
  • That's strange about the tomatoes. Our center even says we can use canned no-salt ones and have used them in demo. food they prepared for us.
  • Yeah, after I posted that mock-spaghetti info, my consultant at my center told me no cooked tomatoes. But she also told me no canned tomatoes, and other people have mentioned that their centers have told them canned (no salt) tomatoes were fine, so I think it depends on your center.

    Not only that, but tomatoes/tomato sauce have been found to lower the glycemic index of accompanying foods.

    I still lost 2lbs last week, so.... I hate to say it, but I think I'll just be a rebel and continue to eat my mock spaghetti sometimes even though it has cooked tomatoes. I will just make sure I don't do it very often.

    Oh--I forgot to mention I omitted the onions completely. I love onions, but I didn't even notice they were missing from the sauce.

    Although, I suppose you could use the Tomato-Basil soup supplement and a pkg of unflavored gelatin (for thickening) to get a similar result.