It's crazy that I've been at it this long and I just barely cooked a veggie.. everyone has a first time! It was zucchini, and I mixed it in with noodles and tomato sauce like I saw on the Biggest Loser awhile back.. just wanted to for one step closer to healthy!

congrats. I didn't do veggies for a long time either. Now I use the ziplock zip n' steam bags for steamed veggies. It's really easy, so I'm more likely to incude veggies in my meals than I used to be. I like zucchini, yellow squash, sugar snap peas, green beans, and broccoli

Interesting, what have you been eating all your life ?

Haha, mostly anything you can get through a drive thru...

And I like the idea of the zip n steam bags! My mom makes fresh green beans, and I'd really like to make them at home.. I didn't know zip lock made bags that you could steam vegetables in. Thanks!

Just don't put the regular zip lock bags in the microwave. They have wire in the zip bit, and it sparks when it gets microwaved and leaves nasty burn marks on the inside of your microwave. If you want a new oven, however, feel free.

Don't ask me how I know this...

Thanks for the heads up

It's easy not to like veggies, most of us grew up eating bland preparations, or unhealthy buttery cheesy covered veggies. But if you learn how to prepare them in a tasty way you will soon be able to see them as the main course and the protein as the side dish.

Roasted carrots - Par boil the carrots until their cooked almost all the way through. In a mortar/pestle grind up some corriander, cumin, hot pepper flakes, a clove of garlic, salt/pepper, a little olive oil, and a little red wine vinegar. Place the carrots in a roasting dish and pour in the spice mix covering all the carrots with it. Roast in a 350oven for 30 minutes.

Spicy green beans - Blanch the green beans, then put them in a colander and run under cold water for a moment to stop the cooking process. Let them drain. In a skilled heat up some olive oil, sliced garlic, pepper flakes, and cherry tomatoes just until warmed through. Throw in the green beans and season with salt/pepper. Let them cook long enough for all the flavors to blend (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in a handful of fresh parsley.

Spinach - In a wok sautee a little sliced garlic in a tbsp of olive oil. Toss in the spinach, salt/pepper, and a tiny pinch of nutmeg. Cover and let steam for a few minutes. Remove cover and stir around. Spinach is ready when it is just wilted. Serve topped with toasted pignolis.

well done on cooking your first veggie! keep at it! there are so many awesome flavours out there, no need to keep them bland and boring.

wannabeskinny, they are some awesome recipes! thank you!

Thanks for those recipes, I think I might try them ALL ! hah

I love roasted veggies. Lately I've been using zucchini and grape tomatoes, but you could use most any veggie you like.

Heat oven to 400. Scatter grape tomatoes and zucchini onto a baking sheet and drizzle them with enough EVOO to coat them and some salt and pepper. Toss them in the oven and roast until the tomatoes have burst and the zucchini is tender, about 20 minutes. Cauliflower, asparagus and peppers are also very good this way.

Definitely definitely second roasting vegetables - roasting brings out a sweetness and richness.

I like to roast a big pan of veggies and then use them in different ways all week.

I can put them in an omelet and top it with green salsa.

Add a little pesto and toss it with whole what pasta noodles.

Add a little stir fry sauce/teriyaki and serve it over brown rice/whole wheat couscous.

My favorite "big pan of roasted vegetables":

1 sweet potato, diced pretty small. These take the longest, so I normally preheat the oven, then stick these in while I chop everything else. Or, I put these in a bowl and nuke for 2-3 minutes, then add them to the pan.
Onion - cut into big wedges (purple onion is my favorite)
Carrots - since I normally have so many baby carrots around, I just cut them in half (or quarters depending on size)
Green beans - trimmed
2 roma tomatoes - diced
Zucchini - cubed

I also like to add chopped beets - but everything will turn purple, just FYI!

Mmmmm I LOVE zucchini!!!

Breakfast today: zucchini, mushrooms, red onion, tomato with eggs and a tortilla.

Mmmmmm sounds delish!

Back in the days before microwaves I would put a package of frozen vegies in a baking dish with a pat of butter, put a cover on it and roast it in the oven. I haven't done this for years, but I remember that they were delicious. The peas were excellent and so were carrots done this way. Got to try that again.