Monday, March 2, 2015

5 Easy Ways to Eat More Vegetables

I have a reputation among my friends and family as being a bit of a veggie-fanatic.


Seriously, I really love the things, and there's a whole pile of research out there confirming their many healthy attributes.

Still, I know that many folks struggle to get themselves and their families to eat enough vegetables, so I figured I'd post some of my tried and true methods for upping your veggie intake.




1) Acquire More Veggies
OK... this first suggestion may be in the "Thank You Captain Obvious" category, but I really can't overstate its importance if you want to significantly up your veggie intake - if you don't have them around as a matter of course, you're never gonna end up eating more of them.


Fortunately, there are plenty of easy ways to get your hands on them without breaking the bank. The first and most obvious is to grow them yourself. Even if you don't have space for a large garden, you'd be amazed at the amount of food you can produce on a terrace or window sill.

If gardening isn't your thing, there are still plenty of good options. You can sign up as a member of a CSA farm, or box distribution which will send a plethora of fresh produce to your doorstep every week. Or check out the local farmer's markets or vegetable stands.



But even if you're stuck with traditional options like the grocery store - make the produce aisle your first stop and load up on whatever's on sale this week, building your meals around the veggies rather than vice versa.


And don't forget the frozen aisle. Frozen veggies are a nutritious and convenient option, and you can usually get them for under a dollar per pound if you go that route, and they're so easy to keep on hand that way.

2) Don't Relegate Veggies to Diet Food Status
This is one of my pet peeves where vegetables are concerned. For some reason veggies seem to have taken the brunt of the "fat is evil" argument, and an astonishing number of people persist in the belief that the only "proper" ways to eat them is raw or steamed. Bollocks, I say!!!


Here's the thing, while it is true that ounce per ounce veggies tend to have fewer calories than their counterparts in other food groups, their nutritional benefits extend WAY beyond their caloric content (or lack thereof.) Veggies are literally packed with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients which make them a nutritional dream no matter how they are prepared.

So let yourself live a little and try roasting them, broiling them, baking them, sauteing them in olive oil or butter and even frying them on occasion! Add a few spices, or some cheese and experiment with different sauces. You'll be amazed by the difference in taste between savory veggies roasted in olive oil with garlic, rosemary & balsamic vs. the mushy old flavorless steamed variety!



3) Think Beyond Side Dishes
I'm sure this is different in different parts of the world, but in "American Cuisine" all too often we seem to be stuck in the rut of having meat or some alternative protein as a main course, with a side of something starchy and a side of vegetables. Now, there's nothing wrong with this approach now and then, but if you eat this way on a daily basis, you're really limiting yourself as far as vegetables are concerned.

In general, I try to look at vegetables as ingredients to be used as part of a larger dish. So many of my meals are casseroles, soups, or skillet dishes where vegetables figure prominently as part of the "main dish."


This approach also works well with sandwiches, wraps or pizza - all of which I pile high with bountiful slices of colorful veggies.

If a hefty dose of vegetables are included in the main portion of the meal, you'll end up eating a fair number of servings without even realizing it.

4) Veggies as Staples
This sort of goes along with the previous point, but I find that a really good way to up my veggie intake is to substitute vegetables for portions of the meal that are often taken up with more starchy foods like rice, potatoes or pasta.

Sauteed shredded cabbage or bean sprouts make an excellent replacement for rice in many Asian dishes. Steamed cauliflower or zucchini strips can substitute nicely for pasta - trust me, cauliflower Alfredo is to die for!

"Zoodles" in place of pasta
Squash can stand in for potatoes in many instances... try home fried zucchini, it's yummy!

And you don't have to go all out with these replacements - try just subbing out half of the starch for a veggie and see what you think.

5) Veggies at Every Meal
My final suggestion is to consider incorporating vegetables into every meal of the day rather than just leaving them as something to be eaten at dinner time.

While soup or salad is often considered traditional lunch fare, if you're brown bagging it and relying on "finger food" for your mid-day meal, it's all too easy to shortchange the veggies.


Here are a few of my tried and true techniques for avoiding that pitfall.

Lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, cucumber slices and sprouts all add wonderful crunch and flavor to sandwiches, but they can become soggy after sitting in a lunch bag for several hours. A simple way to combat this is to pack them separately and add them to your sandwich just before eating. And if dealing with a fork and salad is too much to handle, try packing some raw veggie strips with a little jar of your favorite dip.


And don't forget soup! If you've got access to a microwave for lunch, soup is a wonderful option that's an easy way to pack in the veggies, even if you have to resort to something canned. Back when I still had a "real job" I always kept an emergency stash of canned soup in my desk for those days when things were just too crazy to deal with making lunch.

But the meal we seem to have the most difficulty with in terms of veggies is breakfast. This is the meal when I'm most likely to skip the veggies. But, there are some techniques that work well even for breakfast.

If you like a savory breakfast with eggs, your options are practically limitless. Peppers, onions, mushrooms, olives and tomatoes go wonderfully in omelettes or scrambled eggs, and there's nothing better than eggs with cooked spinach & cream sauce!


But I also enjoy things like fried rice (made heavy on the veggies) or egg foo young  for breakfast. Literally, any sauteed vegetables with a few eggs on the side make a great breakfast!

And even if you prefer a sweet start to the morning, smoothies and juices are a great way to add some veggies to the mix. And sweet breads or muffins made with zucchini, pumpkin or carrots are a delicious alternative to pancakes or toast.


Just about the only breakfast food that's hard to "veggie up" is cereal. But in that case I generally opt for a nice dose of fruit as a substitute.


OK... there you have it. Those are my best strategies for getting more veggies into your diet.


So tell me, are you actively trying to eat more vegetables? I'd love to hear what has or hasn't worked for you!

40 comments :

  1. Good post. I find I don't eat as many veggies when they seem to be a lot of work...so I make up a big batch of soup (cuz it seems like less work to make a lot at once rather than several smaller batches), freeze at least half...and have a yummy bowl full of assorted veggies with every helping.

    In the summer, I make fresh salsa (waaayyy better than jarred) and put it on everything...great on a burger or poured over a chicken breast...add it to lettuce for an instant salad.

    A side benefit to growing your own is that they are fresher and you store 'em in the garden rather than the fridge (my husband always has so much space hogged in the fridge).

    Also, unless I read too fast, you forgot to mention carrot cake and zucchini bread...I know there is controversy about the other ingredients cancelling out the health benefits of the veggies...but I still think its better than chocolate cake and cinnamon bread.

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    1. Those are great suggestions! I heartily agree about the big batches. It's just soooo much easier if they're readily available and all you have to do is grab & eat!

      And I never thought of the garden as a food storage mechanism, but I suppose it does function that way!

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  2. Chopped spinach can be added easily to many things because it blends in well. I add it regularly to meat loaf and chili without any of the carnivores I live with minding at all.

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    1. That's a fabulous idea! I love spinach in soups, but I never thought to add it to things like chili - and I confess I've never made meatloaf and wouldn't have a clue where to begin, but if I ever try it I'll be sure to add some spinach!

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    2. I also add chopped spinach to things. Finely grated zucchini and carrots also are easy to add to things. And you can add a can of pumpkin to a batch of chili. I mostly do not like the flavor of vegetables, so I'm always looking for more ways to "sneak" them into foods that I do like.

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    3. Grated zucchini is one of my favorites. I can put it in lasagna and CatMan (who thinks he hates zucchini) never even notices!

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    4. Oh... and I do have to point out that the essential bits of chili are tomatoes, onions & peppers... all of which are vegetables - so you DO like vegetables, you just need to figure out more ways to prepare them to your liking!

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    5. I think the essential bit is chili pepper; it doesn't need tomato or bell peppers. I do like beans in it! And onions and garlic!

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  3. Argh, the computer ate my comment! Going to test with this one . . . .

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    1. Okay, so I was saying, very timely post. We do well with this in general, but we rely so much on the garden, and pickings are a little slim in February and March. I have to remind myself to actually go to the store and BUY vegetables (what a novel idea!). We're trying to get a little more on our plates.

      Making big batches for dinner so we can easily have a veggie-filled lunch definitely helps. If you can make enough leftovers to use them for lunch AND an afternoon snack, all the better!

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    2. I'm sorry... I hate when Blogger eats comments! At least once a week I make the mistake of hitting the sign out button instead of the publish button and then all is lost!

      Anyhow, I think it's funny that you have to remind yourself that they sell veggies at the store too! You are soooo far ahead of the rest of us! And three cheers for leftovers, or, as I call them, manna from the heavens!

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  4. So many tempting pictures in your post today.Love the substituted pasta 'zoodles' too.

    Maybe we can email to get some simple recipes? I'm bad with veggies as anything besides salads...

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    1. Hmmm... perhaps I should try to post some "recipes" - the thing is, I don't really use them. I do sometimes look at recipes for inspiration, or to get an idea of how one might achieve a particular flavor, but I almost never follow them precisely. Perhaps I should do a post on how to cook without recipes!

      Anyhow, if you have questions on how to prepare something specific I'd be glad to give it a whack, or even better yet I could post your question and let everybody tell you what they'd do! That could actually be really fun.

      Would any of that help?

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    2. I don't know about Done By Forty, but I think a general post on how to cook without recipes might be intimidating (though still a good idea if it sounds fun to you).

      Specific examples with pictures are the most inspiring even if you say "This time I used three smallish zucchinis, two sprinkles of dried rosemary," etc.

      And your question posting sounds fun, too, though I have no idea what could even be good.

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    3. Hmmm... I'll have to see what I can come up with. I seldom cook the same thing twice, but there are a few things that I do prepare regularly, so I could start with a post on those...

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    4. Oh yes, regular favorites!

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    5. Those veggie noodle dishes would be a huge boon for us. We love us some cheese filled pasta, but it's not great for our waistline.

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  5. Good post. This gets trickier with children. I have found that gardening has been a great way to get our children to eat veggies. Overall, raw veggies are a bigger hit than cooked with my kids (my daughter lives to dip them in Ranch dressing, my son hates dipping ... ). Setting raw veggies on the table before dinner results in them "sneaking" them prior to the meal--one of those rare times when sneaky behavior makes mom happy! I know different families have different philosophies on this, but I don't force my children to eat a vegetable they don't like--I will serve at least 2 veggies and have them eat what they prefer. I have a couple of reasons for this--the first is that there are veggies I dislike and don't serve (Brussels sprouts ... ) and if I allow myself not to eat a veggie, then they should also have that option ... the other is that I am afraid that forcing them to eat something they dislike will result in them avoiding vegetables as adults. I do encourage them to "try again" a food they didn't care for in the past--my daughter has recently discovered she loves green peppers, which was not a favorite when she was younger.

    Sue Knott's comments about carrot cake and zucchini bread reminded me that I have the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry Seinfeld's wife) in which she adds pureed fruits and vegetables to a variety of foods, including main dishes. I tried it for awhile and it's a bit too labor intensive for me, although there are a few recipes that are fairly easy to pull off and tasty too (although some were too weird--broccoli gingerbread spice cake comes to mind). My personal take on this is that you need to be careful with the cakes-and-bread-that-include-veggies as indeed, you can cancel out any benefits of the veggies with the other unhealthy ingredients ... but I regularly make baked goods, especially muffins, using white whole wheat flour, oatmeal, a fruit puree (applesauce, mashed bananas, canned pumpkin), which use less sugar and fat than commercially made products that will also add in a little nutrition. Actually, I do this with pancakes as well--either adding fruit to pancakes or pumpkin puree--then I make a fruit topping to use instead of syrup.

    I occasionally make a chocolate avocado fruit dip (1 avocado, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup honey, 1 tsp vanilla, can add cinnamon) and we all gobble that up. Smoothies can be a fun way to sneak in some greens. We also love rhubarb sauce--too bad we can't seem to make it grow better here. Sometimes I add blueberries to the rhubarb sauce--everyone fights over that.

    I have a berry crisp recipe which is lower in fat and you get a 1/2 serving of a fruit with it. Crustless pumpkin pie is another option ...

    I'm afraid I got too long-winded here! I like to find tasty ways to up the ante with our healthy eating--thanks for writing this!

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    1. OK... broccoli ginger bread spice cake?!? Eee Gads! Just the thought of that sorta makes me want to retch!

      I confess that I don't have a huge amount of experience cooking for kids. My ex's daughter was only about 3 when we broke up, but she was a huge fan of broccoli with cheese sauce.

      In general, my philosophy is to not worry about other ingredients "cancelling out" the healthiness of the veggies. This is part of my pet peeve listed in point number 2. I mean, I figure if it's a choice between muffins without added pumpkin or zucchini, and muffins with added pumpkin or zucchini, you're much better off adding it! Same thing goes at dinner - sauteed veggies smothered in butter are an infinitely better choice than filling up with an extra dinner roll!

      My other suggestion is to try different recipes and see what works for your kids. When I was a kid, since my parents were divorced, I had the benefit of growing up in 2 separate households, and my mom & step-mom had radically different approaches to food. I found that there were certain veggies that were delicious in one household and horrible in the other - and it all boiled down to how they were prepared.

      Spinach comes to mind - I thought I hated the stuff because my mom always made it cooked to death and smothered in lemon juice or vinegar - I thought it was slimy and disgusting! But my step-mom made a creamed spinach dish that I thought was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted! I mentioned this to my mom and she said it would never have occurred to her to offer me creamed spinach since she hated it and assumed I would too.

      Anyhow, my point is to keep trying - I'm sure there are plenty of vegetable dishes your kids will love - it's just a matter of finding them!

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    2. Yes, this is my favorite point that you've made. I mostly only like vegetables that are in other food groups (pinto beans = protein, potatoes = starch, iceburg lettuce = water). But mushrooms fried in butter are divine. I've still never done that. And the first mushrooms I ever liked were grilled. Same with asparagus--marinade it in oil and spices and then grill it and it is so delicious!

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    3. My kids are good about eating vegetables, but it was a journey to get to this point, and I had to do what you suggested--keep trying. As a parent, there are a lot of things you are trying to accomplish at mealtime--obviously you want nutritious food, but you are also teaching manners and social skills as well as using the time to bond as a family. I decided early on that I didn't want mealtime to be a battle ground, so if it took serving 2 veggies, so be it. This was a departure from how I was raised (we had to sit at the table till we consumed everything--sulky kids with masticated food in their cheeks which they won't swallow was NOT something I wanted to repeat in my family!) and I know it sounds stupid, but it was a revolutionary idea for me. Along the same lines, I hate it when we have company over and they force their kids to eat every item we serve--I want a friendly dinner table, not a power struggle over something that doesn't have to be a big deal! Anyway, I like your ideas, as well as those of the other commenters, and I appreciate the challenge of thinking of ways to continue to increase our veggie intake. :)

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    4. Debbie - you totally crack me up - "vegetables that are in other food groups" Well, whatever works, I say!

      Kris - I totally applaud your approach! My mother didn't make us finish our food, but we couldn't leave the table until we finished our milk... oh how I HATED milk, especially the skim milk my mother served. I'd let it sit there until it got warm and I literally had to choke it down. I didn't discover that milk actually tasted good until I had grass-fed whole milk in Norway. I was floored - I literally couldn't believe that the delicious creamy nectar I enjoyed in Norway was the same food as the disgusting stuff I had to drink at home!

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  6. OK, that's weird--my comment was here and then it ... wasn't. I'll be more brief this time. :) I was approaching this from the challenging standpoint of getting kids to eat more veggies. What has been helpful for us includes having a garden (even if you only have a balcony, spinach or lettuce leaves in a pot will yield more than you think it will), serving veggies prepared the way your child prefers (for us, frequently that means serving it raw, perhaps with dip or Ranch dressing), not forcing them to eat vegetables they dislike (I will serve a couple of options at dinner and make sure at least one option is acceptable to each child). I have the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld (yes, Jerry's wife) in which she puts fruit and veggie purees into all sorts of food, especially main dishes. Some of this was too labor intensive for me to do regularly but she did have a few easier recipes which were winners (along with some that were too weird--broccoli gingerbread, anyone??). I think you have to approach the "zucchini bread" mindset with forethought--as Sue Knott mentioned, what you may be gaining in veggie consumption may be offset by lots of sugar/bad fats, etc., but I have a few recipes which accomplish my goal of healthy-but-tasty muffins, sweet breads, etc. I "health up" our pancakes--I prepare them with whole grains and often add fruit (bananas, blueberries, etc) or I make pumpkin pancakes. I also like to make fruit toppings to use instead of syrup. Some desserts can be tweaked as well--I finally found a fruit crisp recipe that focuses less on butter and sugar and more on fruit ... or crustless pumpkin pie isn't a bad option either ...

    I have made a chocolate avocado fruit dip before which my kids love to dig into with ... yes! ... more fruit ... rhubarb sauce (sometimes I make rhubarb-blueberry sauce) is a big hit around here--too bad our garden isn't better at producing rhubarb!

    Let's hope my comment sticks around this time ...

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    1. What the heck? I swear, my above comment wasn't there earlier when I checked this ... or maybe I'm losing my mind ... sorry about the duplicate, you can delete it if you want!

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    2. Blogger seems to be possessed today. Oh, the mixed blessings of modern technology!

      And I'll take your word that the chocolate avocado dip is good, because it sounds totally puke-worthy to me!

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  7. To answer your question, one of my post-retirement goals is to actively eat more vegetables. However, I have not yet started working on this except that this week I made potato soup with carrots in it. I should really study this post for ideas.

    1. Acquire more veggies - At first I thought this is not helpful for me--I just let them go bad. But I have decided to always have spinach in the freezer that I can chop up and add things. And I've thought of grating up carrots to store in the freezer. And chopping up onions to store in the freezer to add to my omelets.

    2) Not just as diet food--I love this tip. Another way to say it is that just because you don't like veggies cooked one way (or raw) doesn't mean you don't like them cooked some other way (or raw). I can't stand raw celery (even filled with peanut butter or cream cheese), but cooked in chicken dishes or stuffing it's just fine. And cooked spinach by itself tastes terrible to me, but raw it's fine. I think the only way to cancel out the benefits of vegetables is to cook them, which destroys some of the vitamins, but you still get the fiber and some of the other nutrients.

    3. Beyond side dishes - this is my best strategy, though I don't like to make them prominent in my main dishes, I do like to make them part of my main dishes. For example, spinach lasagna has a bit too much spinach for my taste, but sausage lasagna with about half as much spinach added as in spinach lasagna is still delicious to me.

    4. Staples - in summer I think I'll be able to talk myself into having a salad every day. It's so easy for me to eat many vegetables as long as I get to pour dressing all over the top of them. Smoothies are also a good place to add veggies. In winter, soups are better, but there aren't many soups that I like. I need to experiment more with soup recipes.

    5. Every meal - sounds scary, but I do like the idea of at least thinking about whether there are ways to add veggies to every meal instead of not even thinking about it.

    Thanks!

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    1. OK... well, first of all, my step-mom, who is a physician, will argue you into the ground over the statement that cooking vegetables destroys their nutritional content. Her interpretation of the data is that just the opposite is true. My take on it is that cooking may destroy certain nutrients, but it may unlock others - so just eat them the way you like them.

      Personally, the idea of raw celery makes me want to puke, of course, I am deathly allergic to it, so that my color my response. But seriously, I hate raw zucchini, but love it sauteed in butter or olive oil. And cooked spinach has to be used carefully to taste good, but raw I find it sweet and delicious. And green beans... I love the canned variety - cooked to death and loaded with salt... yum, but steamed and crunchy? Eeeeeewwww! Broccoli, on the other hand, I love it steamed just enough to be barely cooked, but no more!

      Anyhow, I guess my point is that there are infinite ways to prepare veggies, and it takes some experimentation to determine which ways you like them best.

      Have you ever done the taste bud counting exercise? Google "super taster" if you're curious. Basically, the idea is that some people have dramatically more taste buds than others, and this really colors their likings (or not) of certain foods. CatMan has about 3 times the number of taste buds that I do, so often times foods that he thinks are delicious, I think taste like styrofoam, and foods I love, he thinks taste bitter. It's a fun exercise and might give you some insights into which veggies to start with. If you're a "super taster" like CatMan, you'll probably enjoy subtler flavors, but if you're a "non-taster" like me, you'll tend more toward strong flavors.

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    2. Oooh, unlocking other nutrients. I like the sound of that!

      I have not counted my tastebuds, but yes, I do fit most of the supertaster descriptions I've heard!

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  8. I find myself far more likely to eat fruits and veg when I have them prepared and chopped and left in the fridge to snack on. Which is a bit weird since I'm not normally a snacker! But if it keeps me away from chocolate I don't mind!

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    1. Oh yes! I find it's the chopping that often puts me off from eating my veggies. I find the strategy of pre-prep to be especially helpful with salad veggies like cucumbers & peppers. Plus, if I chop the whole thing at once it generally gets used, whereas if I put half a cucumber back in the fridge it's a guaranteed recipe for slime!

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  9. I use strategy #4 all the time. We substitute sliced zucchini and eggplant for lasagna 'noodles', we use lettuce and collard greens in place of bread for sandwiches, tacos and burgers and we even used Portobello mushrooms in place of crust to make mini pizzas.

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    1. Ooooooo... You really can't go wrong with eggplant in Italian food. Do you pre-cook it or just put the raw slices into the lasagna "layer cake?" And Portobello mushrooms as pizza crust sounds incredible! I'll have to give that one a try!

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  10. Thank you for sharing these great strategies. (#1 was a good reminder!) We love to top homemade pizza with chopped vegetables, which seems to be a good way to get my kids to eat them. They will also eat a lot of raw veggies from a tray if accompanied by ranch dip. My daughter and I love spaghetti squash, too, prepared with the red sauce or even just steamed and served with a little butter and Parmesan cheese. My son isn't a fan...yet. Your lasagna photo looks so delicious, and I am going to try replacing the meat with some vegetables. Thank you again!

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    1. Great minds think alike! I just had pizza piled high with green peppers, onions, olives & tomatoes for dinner and it was yummy!

      CatMan is particular about squash... the only kind he'll eat is acorn squash that's "cooked right" - which means baked uncovered, smothered in butter, cut side up, and cooked until it's dry & mealy. But hey, that's the way he likes it! Oh, and he'll also eat curried pumpkin soup, but otherwise he things all squash is gross. He doesn't seem to realize that pumpkin pie qualifies as squash though, because he loves it, and I'm not letting on lest he change his mind! :-)

      And true confessions... the lasagna photo is filched... but mine looks just as good! :-)

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  11. Many years ago I was known as the junk food queen. I hadn't learned to enjoy real food. My vegetables were limited to iceberg lettuce, corn, peas, lima beans, potatoes, raw carrots and celery and onions. I've come a long way but I still have trouble with cooked veggies. I love spinach but not cooked as I still smell the nasty odors from the canned spinach that sat on the table occasionally. In the summer months I eat my veggies raw, winter it's mostly in soups.

    My problem today isn't so much that I dislike whole foods but that I dislike cooking and cleaning up for one.

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    1. Well, I'm with you in terms of cooking and cleaning (heavy emphasis on the cleaning part!) But I find if I cook big batches it's not nearly so bad - you could always freeze things in meal-sized portions.

      And if you haven't found a way to love cooked veggies yet, might I suggest roasting? Or did you get rid of the stove... Anyhow, a real simple one is roasted cauliflower - just cut in chunks about an inch big (or you could cheat and get the pre-cut ones) drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder, lay the pieces out (not more than one layer thick) on a shallow pan and cook at 375 stirring every 15 minutes or so until they're tender and starting to brown. Then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese & put back in the oven just long enough for the cheese to melt and get a little bit brown on top. OMG... I could eat an entire head of cauliflower that way (actually, I've done that before, and I wouldn't exactly recommend it!)

      The same basic recipe works well with just about any veggie, especially root veggies, though you might have to vary the cooking time & seasoning a bit. I love to make roasted veggies on a cold winter night because it warms up the kitchen and fills the house with yummy smells!

      And in terms of spinach, there was a little Italian/Greek restaurant near the music school where I used to work that made me fall deeply in love with cooked spinach with their incredible spinach & feta calzones. It was basically equal parts spinach & onion sauteed in olive oil with plenty of garlic, then layered on filo dough with a bit of feta cheese, rolled up, baked and served smothered in marinara sauce. They are drop-dead delicious and don't taste anything like the disgusting slime spinach we both had as kids! I haven't made those in some time, but they freeze really well. I might cheat and get some frozen filo dough next time I'm at the store...

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  12. Did I just lose a whole comment????? I wanted to 'preview' it and it just disappeared!

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    1. Grrrr... Blogger seems to be misbehaving the past day or two. I'm so sorry and majorly bummed, because I want to read what you had to say! Perhaps I should consider switching to Disqus...

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  13. Me too - I love veggies! All your tips make perfect sense to me, though I don't often eat them with breakfast unless I'm trying to use up leftovers. #2 is the one that bugs me the most. We'll have guests over and they'll pass on a helping of vegetable soup because it was made with cream and eat another hot dog or cheeseburger instead. Meanwhile I'm thinking, how could a hot dog be healthier than vegetable soup with a little cream? (Maybe my soup isn't as good as I thought, hah!) Plus some vitamins are fat soluble, which means you need to eat fat to absorb those so a little butter/oil or salad dressing can help you make the most of what those veggies have to offer.

    Blogger comments work fine for me in Firefox if that helps . .

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    1. Your soup example is EXACTLY what I'm talking about! I just don't understand it... it's like people have really "drunk the kool aid" on the whole lowfat thing.

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