My husband and I just can't seem to eat our fresh veggie produce fast enough (eating fruits, on the other hand, is quite easy)! It's not that I'm buying a ton of vegetables, it's just that we forget to eat them and I haven't got good ideas for making veggies a part of a meal. We like to pull out a carrot and enjoy it raw, but what should I do if the carrots are bitter? My first inclination is to boil the orange roots, but then they'll lose all of their vitamin A. And spinach, I buy it fresh and we eat some salads, but then the leftovers go bad (aka slimy).
Don't get me wrong, we actually enjoy eating vegetables (or at least I thought we did), but even our frozen broccoli is getting freezer burnt and that isn't a good sign. Does anyone have any good ideas of good, quick, veggie presentations? Or is this a case of, "Hey, it's really not that difficult. Just make sure you eat them"? I hope it's not the latter, but the longer this post gets, the more I think it may be that way.
13 comments:
I think I'll have check back to see what kind of tips you get as I could use some as well. The veggie we eat the most is frozen broccoli and then we put a little shredded cheese on top. Yum! We also like our carrots dipped in hummus. I have Trisha's Jane Austen movies ready for you to borrow. So good!
Much to Chris' frustation, we are always throwing away veggies that I forget to cook. In my effort to be healthy, I buy Spinach and force myself to grab a handful whenever I am in the kitchen. We go through it fast.
Hehehehe...I think one of the best ways is invite the missionaries or other large families (Zhaos) to go over and eat or cook them and bring them to church...hehehe. I think its a great idea.
:D
stir fry in a bit of olive oil, add an egg or two and you have dinner. Prepare salad of veges cover and put a handful on a plate or in a bowl. Cooking carrots or other veges doesn't destroy all of their vitamins anyway. And the fiber is good even if you have less vitamins. Then there's always a good soup-just ask Jess about me and soup!
Mom T
what's the big deal? just eat the veggies. carrot, plate, fork, knife, glass of water. mmmmm. bah ha ha!
um, here's what we decided to do after facing the cold, hard fact that our veggies were ending up as compost more often than not: on a set day (we do Sunday) make a list of 4-5 meals, complete with veggies, that you will eat that week. for example, philly cheesesteaks w/ green beans, or poached salmon w/ broccoli, or penne and marinara w/ green sal. it does take more active thinking and prep for the week but then you avoid the typical senario of going to the store, buying some veggie out of obligation while thinking yeah, we'll eat this, then never finding a spot for it during the week(s) and you'll eat better - we have noticed a BIG difference between the weeks we do make a list and the weeks we don't.
also, like chap said, soup is a swell place for veggies about to turn - especially carrots! i'll be posting more soup recipes this fall.
can i make a longer comment? nu na nu na nu.
I have to claim some of the same frustration you are experiencing. With that said, I'm not sure I have much wisdom. However, I have noticed that when I pre-cut vegetables, I eat them much quicker. For example, I like to separate lettuce, wash it, and put it in a container right when I bring it home. That way making a salad takes only a few minutes. Also, pre-slicing a cucumber makes for a great after-work snack.
I'll be checking back to gleen knowledge from other comments too!
It is interesting that you should post about this, because I thought about this about three weeks ago. For this reason, I have been trying to think "backwards" when I made dinner. Let me explain. I think of what veggies and fruits I want each meal, and then I think of a main course that would compliment them. Sounds strange, but I haven't thrown away veggies and fruits away since I've done this, and I feel a lot healthier. ;)
Let me impart my deep and varied vegetable wisdom on your blog. 1) if you steam your veggies, they retain their vitamins and provide you a delicious treat. if you do not have a steamer, you can put about 1/4" of water at the bottom of your saucepan and put a lid on top, on medium low for about 10 minutes. This works great for broccoli and spinach. Carrots might need more water and a bit longer unless you cut them into small disks. After steaming, add a little butter, S&P, and you have a nice side dish for pasta or meat. Also, I second what Kel says about planning your veggies with a meal before going to the store. We write down 3-4 meals with side dishes, then turn the ingredients needed for those meals into our shopping list. After, we keep the meal list on our fridge so it reminds us what we bought. As long as we eat at home and don't spend too much time eating out, our veggies get eaten in time. I hope that helps!
i am a fresh produce a-holic, you can ask ben. :) seriously i am a skillet cooker with a little olive oil, or whatever, and you can do it with pasta, eggs, or whatever. like zuchinni and yellow squash sauteed with onions and some beefo boulin flavoring... mmmmmm. or do the zuchini with some peppers and cook some pasta with and feta cheese and olives! i could go on and on about these combos. plus they are super fast, and i am all about that.
This sounds like a problem only Captain Vegetable can solve. I know he did miracles for Eddie and Andy.
Thanks to all for the excellent ideas! From the sound of things, it seems that it really isn't all that difficult to eat veggies,it just takes planning. So here I go, off to plan. Cheers to a fall full of vegetable goodness.
Last night's pics are now posted!
Roast them. We loved any vegetable roasted. Cut them up, put a bit of olive oil on them, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and then roast them in a 400-degree oven until they're soft or start getting just a tiny bit browned.
Post a Comment