Does anyone have any ideas on foods or recipes for a picky eater like myself? I have a hard time getting veggies in because there are a lot that I just don't like. I also have trouble coming up with different side dishes for dinner, I always feel like I eat the same things over and over. Any suggestions?

You can make vegetables disappear into smoothies - spinach is great for this although it does make the smoothie an odd green color.

Try raw veggies - carrots, peppers, cukes, even broccoli and cauliflower. Maybe make a dip with some non-fat plain yogurt or fat free sour cream and some onion soup mix or horseradish. Try cooking veggies until they just barely starting to become tender instead of waiting until they are soft. This gives a much nicer texture and more flavor. For more flavor, add a little sprinkle of shredded cheese while they are still hot.

Try roasting vegetables. You can use almost anything and you can mix multiple types of veggies. Toss with a little olive oil and spread on a cookie sheet. Put in a hot oven until they just start to soften a little. It's OK if they get a little brown - it adds a completely different good flavor. After roasting, sprinkle with some balsamic vinegar. Roasted vegetables are good cold in salads too. Asparagus is absolutely delicious brushed with a little olive oil and cooked on a grill until it shows a few "blackened" patches. Again, this is good cold later on.

What veggies DO you like? Maybe try mixing in small amounts of the ones you're not crazy about with the ones you like.

Zucchini ribbons mixed with pasta and whatever sauce you put on the pasta is really good, with the sauce you won't even really taste the zucchini.

I second the spinach in smoothies idea- trust me, you really can't taste it, even though you'd think it would be terrible.

Baked sweet potatoes? Or green beans with dried cranberries? Green beans with a bunch of chicken boullion, cilantro, and tomatoes are really tasty.

I love my smoothie with baby spinach, almond milk and banana, there's a coconut almond milk out too I'm going to try, the unsweetened vanilla has 40 calories acup, the coconut one 60.

I make a cheesy carrot casserole for family functions, you could lighten obviously with less cheese, but basically, you cut up the carrots, boil, sautee some onions, garlic in olive oil, mix them together and put in a casserole dish with some cheese and bake, the carrots get nice and sweet when cooked.

DH has made mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes, also very good, Rachel Ray has a recipe for smashed peas, you make a little cream sauce and mash the peas with a potato masher after cooking.

I try to always have some of those steamer frozen veggies available, even if you add some butter or garlic salt, if it gets you to eat more veggies it's worth it.

Also, just a small simple salad as a side, my mother in law usually has a quick salad with most dinners, she just makes the salad, mixes in balsamic or rice vinegar some olive oil and italian seasoning, to your taste, quick and delish.

good luck! there's all kinds of info out there about the benefits of a plant based diet, so the more veg you can get into your diet the better

Thanks for the great ideas! The spinach smoothie scares me a little, I'm not going to lie (haha) but it is worth trying! Also the roasting veggies sound good as well as the mashed cauliflower. I guess this weekend I will be experimenting with veggies! Thanks again!!