Let's Chat About Veggies!

  • Now that you're on-plan, are you eating more veggies? We're told that we should be eating between 5-7 vegetables and fruits a day. I've never had a problem eating fruit, but veggies have been a struggle unless they are dripping in butter or dressing. Have you discovered a new favorite veggie? How do you prepare it? Share your recipes. Share your ideas. Motivate us!
  • I do a low carb high fat diet so I eat the butter! I love veggies, so again not a problem. New found love for cauliflower, use it to make fauxtato salad, pizza crust, and mashed potatoes (without the potato of course)
  • My day included lima beans, brussels sprouts and spinach for veggies. grapes and a banana for fruit.

    I also eat a lot of salads.

    I developed a love for avocado during my year in Texas when they were local, fresh, and inexpensive. I learned how to make guacamole.

    I like mixing my veggies and oven roasting them with herbs/spices and a little olive oil.

    I tried kale chips once... and felt like I might as well be eating the pile of dead leaves in the back yard. Maybe I made them wrong. :-\
  • I sneak spinach into my smoothies and don't even notice it (um, aside from the color ). I tried kale in smoothies, but it gives them a grassy, earthy taste that I don't love.

    When I was seriously veggie-phobic, I started by roasting vegetables. I included potatoes. Now I love just a bunch of broccoli with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Yum. Roasting works well when picking up random veggies at the farmer's market.

    I also sneak veggies in by keeping carrot juice in the fridge. It doesn't have the satisfying crunch, but it hits the spot when I'm lacking in vegetables for the day. Also, it keeps my skin looking good.
  • Lucky for me, I LOVE veggies. A lot of veggies taste better steamed than cooked in water. If you like the buttery taste, you can use I can't believe it's not butter spray. Myself, I'm not used to putting butter on veggies, but I do often serve them with a bit of olive oil.

    Roasted beets are delicious. If you've only tasted canned beets or beets cooked in a sweet sauce, it's worth giving these a try. They taste completely different. I can't stand canned beets.

    Wash whole fresh beets, put them in the over in about an inch of water and cover with foil. Roast at about 400 for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how big they are. Take them out, and rinse them-- you'll be able to slip off the skins easily. Slice and add minced garlic, and olive oil. Serve at room temperature. Yum!
  • I despise vegetables - absolutely despise them. I've tried raw, steamed, roasted - nothing works. I'm not a huge fruit fan, either. I was able to drink those Naked smoothies, but they were pricy. I made up my own and it now replaces my lunch: 1.5 cups 1% organic milk (has a stronger taste that helps mask the other stuff), 1.5 cups of blackberry/blueberry/raspberry fruit mix, and 2.5 oz. baby spinach. That's probably 2 servings of veggies and 2 servings of fruit, which is as good as I'm ever going to get!
  • I'm another one who "sneaks" spinach into things... smoothies, soups, stir-fries, spaghetti sauce, hamburger/meatloaf, etc.

    I really enjoy roasted veggies, though now that it's getting hot I don't like them as much.

    I've been experimenting with grilled veggies, when we do burgers or brats over coals. My husband was amazed that the eggplant was not just edible, but tasty. He only had a piece to be polite, and ended up eating more.

    But most of my veggies are mushrooms and onions in eggs, or sometimes a salad. Or cabbage with beef. I don' t do "side dishes" most days.
  • Roasted beets! I never thought about doing that. They should be showing up at the farmer's markets soon around here, so I'm trying that! I learned something today.

    I love veggies, so summer is a good time for me. I am the only one in my family who likes asparagus, so I don't get it very often, but I love it grilled. Actually, I saw a recipe for grilled zucchini, too, so I'm trying that. Oh, and I usually have a salad almost every day for lunch.

    I'll never understand kale, though. Ugh.
  • Thank god i love veggies)) all of their kinds!! cooked in every possible way))) Of course now i donot fry veggies. I only grill, bake, boil. I love all kinds of cabbage, zucchini, eggplant (aubergine), tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado! Thousands recipes of salads with such veggies. Or you can just put everything together add some meat/chicken and bake it in the oven!
  • One thing I would HIGHLY recommend if you haven't already discovered it is New York Times Recipes for Health. I believe there is a physical book, but I usually look up the recipes online.

    I've tried a lot of these recipes and they are simple and tasty-- and best of all, they give me ideas for ways to prepare veggies that I wouldn't have thought of. For me, I especially like vegetables prepared mediterranean style cooked with garlic, spices and olive oil. Also, often they can be served as main dishes-- since my daughter is a vegetarian that works for me!

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/projects/healthy-recipes
  • All people have different taste buds....some like the taste of vegetables and othesr hate them. I am one who loves them. I crave them sometimes the way other people crave cookies and cakes. My husband only eats the common ones like corn and peas. I have started experimenting with leafy green veggies like kale and collard greens. I steam them with sauteed onions and mushrooms and top them with a sprinkling of feta cheese. DEElicious! I did get DH to eat grilled asparagus so now we have it about once a week. I bought a grill pan so I can grill them indoors when it's not grilling weather. I also got him to eat roasted vegetables...broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, onion, sugar snap peas, sweet potatoes, artichokes. The only thing is he ruins them by covering them with ranch dressing. LOL But at least he's eating them. I also like grilled hearts of romaine with a touch of blue cheese dressing and a sprinkling of bacon bits. I don't eat many salads because I primarily like hot foods.

    If you are one who does not like vegetables, try making yourself eat your veggies first at each meal. I think you will eventually get used to them. I even add a few chopped veggies to my scrambled eggs in the morning.
  • Another fan of roasted beets! generally roasting veggies is so good.
    I also love fresh salads (tonight shredded carrot with sunflower seeds, raisins and a tad of feta cheese)
  • I really love carrots! Raw or cooked. When cooked (in a little bit of low sodium broth) I like a little salt and pepper to taste. I eat them raw as an anytime snack but usually for lunch. I can eat them without a veggie dip but I usually don't. the dip recipe I like the best is a sort of homemade ranch type. Greek yogurt, olive oil and spices. It really hits the spot for a snack!
  • I got my husband to eat collards a couple times...

    I slow-roasted a pork shoulder all day with a really yummy rub, and after pulling it (and enjoying it for dinner) I separated the leftovers into freezer bags in 1-pound portions. 1 of those bags plus a massive pile of cut collards we got from a co-op turned into dinner for a few nights. And it was DELICIOUS.

    That's the only way I can get some veggies to be edible, to me. They have to be prepared with some kind of meat so the fat gives them flavor. I also do shredded cabbage with either shredded pork or chicken and some hoisin sauce and it's pretty good.

    And stiry-fry! My favorite is cubed chicken with a large mix of veggies and the sauce is a mix of honey and soy sauce with a little garlic and ginger. So yummy.
  • Lately it's been celery either alone, or with some Dannon Oikos Roasted Red Pepper dip (made w/Greek Yogurt & 25 calories per 2 tablespoons!) . I've always been a fan of broccoli, string beans, carrots and cauliflower. Not much of a fan of brussel sprouts (but maybe my taste buds have changed?). I love jalapeno peppers but usually when they are stuffed with cream cheese lol.