Eating your veggies

sugarcrush · 2015-09-16T21:05:58+00:00

I don't know what type of diet you eat, but personally high fat, low(ish) carb helps me eat a ton more veggies (plus lose weight!). Everything is delicious with butter, olive oil, or bacon added :)

Some examples:

-Steam broccoli and add butter

-Have bacon and eggs for breakfast, sauté a pepper (or any vegetable really) in some of the bacon grease. Mix it all together and add salsa on top, nom forever.

-Roast brussels sprouts with bacon. I can eat an entire pan of this by myself, no joke.

-Green smoothies!

-Add nuts, plenty of cheese, and some olive oil to your salads. I also like to add a high protein grain like quinoa to a salad sometimes. You could start with having more of the grain and less greens and increase the ratio over time.

cats_or_get_out · 2015-09-16T20:39:00+00:00

I'm a huge believer in eating "5 a day." I swear it makes me look 10 years younger.

If you're not enjoying the raw veggies, then try a different approach. I had a yoga teacher tell me that raw, cold, and crunchy was bad for my Ayurvedic type (vata). I'm not so into Ayurveda medicine anymore, but that experience encouraged me try eating me veggies in a different way.

Cook them into everything. Eggs for breakfast? Eggs and spinach! Tomato soup? Wilt in a ton of fresh spinach. We always double or triple the onions for recipes. If I make soup, I purée cooked carrots, celery, and onions and add it to the soup--extra flavor!

I will sauté and eat almost any veggie. This is how I learned that Brussels sprouts weren't gross like I had remembered! I love roasted veggies--like asparagus, sliced sweet potato, etc.--just add olive oil and salt! This is a side dish for almost every dinner during fall and winter.

When my kid was being ornery about veggies, I would add extra puréed veggies to everything. (Butternut squash went in her Mac and cheese instead of butter)

I recommend keeping veggies cut and ready to eat or cook. You're more likely to use them than if they're still in the produce bag unchopped. I keep a veggie tray stocked with carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.

Eating well not only makes you healthier but keeps you young. My dad is 63 and looks like he just turned 40, and it is all diet and exercise. (His brothers look terrible.)

Aim for 5 servings a day, and be sure to eat different colors. To make it fun, try some of the more exotic veggies. I tried spaghetti squash for the first time a few years ago, and now it's my husbands favorite. I still don't like turnips or cooked beets, but I'll keep preparing them in different ways until I find something I like.

Happy eating!

SoonToBeMrsHim · 2015-09-16T20:39:25+00:00

I'm a fan of 10/$10 sales in the freezer section and I just buy them and them force myself to put one on the table with each dinner (unless the dish I'm making is already veg heavy).

I also really like Arbonne Essentials Greens Balance in my smoothies, it's like a daily vitamin that's ground up instead of a pill so I can mix it into just about anything

TempestTcup · 2015-09-16T20:45:27+00:00

Well, really, hummus and guac are veggies if you go by the old "animal, mineral, or vegetable" test. I don't really eat veggies for veggie sake anymore; I've found that quite a few of them cause me physical pain, like nightshades, etc.

I mainly keep to onions, mushrooms, garlic, and white rice to eat with meat and saturated fats (mmmm butter). I'm much healthier, thinner, less bloated, and much less inflamed now than when I used to stuff my face with veggies and whole grains.

freebumblebee · 2015-09-16T22:04:09+00:00

Roasted veggies are my jam. While I play around with seasonings, I usually just chop them up and toss whatever it is in olive oil and salt and pepper and bake at 400 or so for however long the vegetable needs. Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, potatoes, various squashes, zucchini, and sweet potatoes all taste amazing this way.

I also like them in eggs. My favorite breakfast dish is eggs, chopped broccoli, peppers, and onions. Frittatas and quiches are also a great way to get vegetables in.

I try to keep a bag or two of steam-in-the-bag veggies lying around for nights when I know I'm going to be super busy. However, if you don't love the veggie taste, this might not be the best for you. Try it though! Worst case you only wasted a couple dollars.

You could also try making the veggies sweeter. Sweet carrots are a delicious side dish, or you can roast apples and sweet potatoes together.

Try making dishes that are veggie based, like stir fries or ratatouille.

Try incorporating veggies into dishes you already like. Depending on the type of pasta, you could work in cherry tomatoes and spinach or sliced peppers and onions or eggplant or something. I used to make a meal called "kitchen sink pasta" that basically consisted of all the veggies in the fridge and chicken and I'd cook it with some chicken broth, wine, oil, capers, etc. It was a great way to use up veggies while getting all your veggies in!

coffee__ · 2015-09-16T21:05:22+00:00

I love veggies so I may be biased. Try to find ways to prepare them that you actually enjoy eating.

I recently started putting up to 2 cups of raw kale into smoothies with greek yogurt, 1 banana, and berries. If you don't like the taste experiment a little, such as less kale, more berries, or adding some peanut butter. That is a really filling breakfast.

Roasted veggies: onions, potatoes, brussel sprouts and carrots. Cut them up, toss with oil and salt and bake. I cheat and use baby carrots in this to avoid having to peel/cut them.

When we're eating something not as "healthy" as I would like, I rip up a ton of romaine lettuce and put it underneath. Like Chinese take out, instead of putting the chicken and broccoli over white rice (empty carbs), I put it over half white rice, half crunchy romaine lettuce.

StingrayVC · 2015-09-16T21:25:13+00:00

Roast them. They are so good that way. I also like steamed with a parmesan sauce over the top. Gratins are also an option and they have a tone of flavor.

I second /u/sugarcrush with putting them in eggs. My personal favorite in spinach and mushrooms.

Also Kale chips. I love them.

Freiling · 2015-09-17T00:31:59+00:00

I've been eating celery and peanut butter for breakfast. Perfect morning meal, IMO.

cccch_ · 2015-09-17T11:50:46+00:00

I've been doing the keto diet for about 7 months now. Pretty much meat, veggies and cheese and fats. Have you thought about roast veggies? Slow roasted is always a treat. lately I've been getting into cauliflower mash! It's delicious and much healthier than the potato kind . I steam the cauliflower with a little basil and cumin sprinkled on top, them mash together with some butter, cheese and garlic. There are also plenty of ways to subtly add them into meals without them overpowering the dish itself. If you're making a sauce based dish you can generally chuck in vegetables while it cooks so they soak in the saucey flavours. . You can also replace a lot of carby stuff with veggies , like "zoodles" , zucchini noodles or Using thinly sliced eggplant instead of pasta sheets in lasagna. Biggest thing I would suggest is stocking up your herb and spices rack! Aside from the health benefits, you can make even cardboard taste great if you've added some good herbs. :)

frozen_strawberry · 2015-09-16T20:38:14+00:00

i honestly dont think salad is filling either. if you dont like raw veggies then why dont you cook them? you could make a simple pan fried dish, like fried potatoes with onions, bell peppers and brokkoli, seasond to your liking.

SouthernPetite · 2015-09-16T21:38:48+00:00

I have yet to find a salad I actually enjoy eating and that is filling

Not even fajita or berry chicken salads?

Anyway, I basically trawled Pinterest for vegan/vegetarian recipes and sites. I'm nowhere near vegan, but obviously if your going to be one long-term you have to get creative or go crazy, so I figured they what know what works.

Beyond that, I add things to my eggs (onions, spinach, mushrooms) and sandwiches, and blend them into soups, the sauce or ricotta for italian dishes, etc.

lisamarie330 · 2015-09-17T01:35:50+00:00

Put them in a smoothie and blend them. I like spinach blueberries and apples :)

alonreddit · 2015-09-17T08:55:56+00:00

I just "hide" massive amounts of veggies in everything I cook, e.g. last night's alleged "bolognese" had about 1/2 the meat, and triple the carrots, celery and mushrooms, plus a whole red pepper, plus I mixed half a bag of spinach in at the end. It still has a similar 'effect' to bolognese and yet is very far from it. This applies to most meaty dishes.

Spinach especially is really effective this way: because it wilts quickly you can add huge amounts of it to almost anything while barely changing its taste.

SkittyLover93 · 2015-09-17T12:33:44+00:00

I hate raw vegetables as well, but I like cooked ones. What I usually do is to cook the vegetables in something strong tasting as a base (e.g. a soup or stew) so the vegetable taste isn't too strong. I like the following:

A common pasta sauce base is carrots, celery, onions and tomatoes. You can use this for lasagna as well.
Root vegetables in a stew or curry.
Vegetable-based soups (minestrone, miso soup with vegetables).
Baked/roasted cauliflower and cheese. So tasty that it almost feels like cheating! You can also add broccoli to this.

moon_cakes · 2015-09-17T15:32:34+00:00

Looking at some of these replies, I struggle to see how roasting or sautéing in oil (i.e. frying), adding cheese or bacon (?!) or making kale chips (i.e. fried to a crisp) is a sensible and healthy way to eat more vegetables.

Green smoothies are definitely the way to go for breakfast instead of fried food.
If you already eat a healthy dinner (i.e a carb such as potatoes) and protein such as meat or lentils then adding steamed carrots/broccoli/cauliflower on the side OR aubergine/courgette to cook with the meat in the oven or stew is actually a pretty easy habit.
Throughout the day, focus on lettuce/carrots or fruit instead of cooked vegetables (much more portable). My go to snack used to be a half packet of biscuits so I know how it feels to be reluctant to eat lettuce.

However, as long as I buy a quality lettuce (not a salad bag from the supermarket) I've learned that it actually doesn't taste bad to just eat a head of romaine or little gem lettuce on it's own, particularly when eaten alongside a cooked meal. Additionally, the chewing action is fantastic for the teeth and jaw. It sounds crazy and takes a few weeks of getting used to - but you feel a big difference with that much lettuce in you after a meal.

I would also point out that tender greens are much easier to digest than something like broccoli or other cooked veg. Therefore, focusing on tender greens will do more for you than trying hard to get a large variety in your diet.

rpwhelped · 2015-09-17T16:48:51+00:00

I add vegetables into stuff I want to eat but probably shouldn't. For example over the weekend my husband wanted mac & cheese, so I made that for him and instead of having a cup of it myself I had about 1/3 cup and rounded out the rest of the serving with steamed spinach(I added some seasoning to make it yummier). I eat things like spaghetti, rice and beans, etc. just with a ton of spinach or broccoli in it.

I also often have a smoothie for breakfast that's loaded with kale or spinach -- 2 cups kale or spinach, 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder, half a frozen banana, 1 cup of almond milk, couple of ice cubes, 2 tbsp of PB2, and a little bit(maybe 1/2 tsp) of unsweetened dark cocoa powder for deliciousness and to help it look less green(I found I'm more likely to drink it all if it looks appetizing).

Katniss_Granger · 2015-09-18T10:36:01+00:00

Steam don't boil! Nice crunchy steamed veg hnnnnggg.

Try putting veggies in things instead of just having them on the side of a place? Stuffed peppers/veggie pies?

I'm also pretty bad at not eating the whole tub of hummus :P Just make sure to only put a spoonful on the plate and don't go back for more.

Soups are good too.

throwaway542365 · 2015-09-19T09:58:14+00:00

If you make something like spaghetti bolognese you can add carrots and other veggies to the sauce and because they are blended in it is easy to not taste them if you don't enjoy the flavour!

ReclaimingFeminity · 2016-02-12T06:10:56+00:00

If you can handle spicy, salsa usually works. :)

PremiumGoose · 2015-09-16T23:48:40+00:00

What about adding some cheese? Cucumbers with Italian dressing and feta?

Veggies in an omlette?

Drink V8

How about juicing them? You can throw make and celery and pretty much anything in the blender with some water and add an apple to mask the veggie taste.

Title	Eating your veggies
Author	littleteafox
Upvotes	13
Comments	42
Date	September 16, 2015 8:19 PM UTC (8 years ago)
Subreddit	/r/RedPillWomen
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/RedPillWomen/eating-your-veggies.85609 https://theredarchive.com/post/85609
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/RedPillWomen/comments/3l7r1l/eating_your_veggies/