Help! I need sneaky ways to get my veggies.

Captain_Tightpants

I've finally worked up to eating three different pieces of fruit a day but I have a problem with veggies.

Actually it's more than a problem... I can't freakin, stand them. Never have. I think I was possibly birthed with a genetic aversion to them. :-)

Lettuce I can stomach... if it's on a sandwich covered in enough other things to mask that it's there.

Tomatoes - fuhggedaboutit - except in some kind of processed juice form in a curry or chilli recipe.

All coliforms (broccoli, cabbage etc.) - utter spawn of satan. Would honestly rather eat doggy poop.

Vegetable fusion type drinks - bleurghhhhhhhh!

I could go on but you get the jist...

but I am very aware that by not eating enough veggies I am not only stopping myself from reaching optimum health, but quite possibly putting myself at risk for all manner of cancers and other health conditions.

I need someone to school me in secret ways to add veggies to my daily foods. Or, and this is a long shot, to actually give me veggie recipes that I will like.

Please help! :-)

lohitverma

would suggest trying veggie stir fry (low oil) mixed with some meats that you enjoy
works for my daughter

cariliz

What about if you dipped your veggies in hummus or a light ranch dressing????? Such as carrots, red peppers, broccoli(maybe you could stomach it this way), cucumbers(I like them in vinegar).....just a thought.

Demwitted

Have you tried Naked Juice Green Machine? If you have learned to like fruit, you should like it. I think pineapple is the most prevalent flavor and there's lots of veggie in it.

Also, if you like to cook: http://www.thesneakychef.com/

cramernh

I've finally worked up to eating three different pieces of fruit a day but I have a problem with veggies.

Actually it's more than a problem... I can't freakin, stand them. Never have. I think I was possibly birthed with a genetic aversion to them. :-)

Lettuce I can stomach... if it's on a sandwich covered in enough other things to mask that it's there.

Tomatoes - fuhggedaboutit - except in some kind of processed juice form in a curry or chilli recipe.

All coliforms (broccoli, cabbage etc.) - utter spawn of satan. Would honestly rather eat doggy poop.

Vegetable fusion type drinks - bleurghhhhhhhh!

I could go on but you get the jist...

but I am very aware that by not eating enough veggies I am not only stopping myself from reaching optimum health, but quite possibly putting myself at risk for all manner of cancers and other health conditions.

I need someone to school me in secret ways to add veggies to my daily foods. Or, and this is a long shot, to actually give me veggie recipes that I will like.

Please help! :-)

To be honest with you here, you really need to consider learning how to cook vegetables in different ways, in different dishes... and just work at it.

Why be so convinced you 'have to' sneak them in? Youre only fooling yourself thus making yourself also part of the problem.

First things first - make a list of the vegetables YOU WILL eat. Pair that with a vegetable that you dont like but is commonly served with it...... so for example, if you like onions, try mushrooms or peppers....

Its really going to require you to put forth 150% effort.... if my husband can eat all of the vegetables I prepare (he just had some Jewish Chicken Soup w/matzoh balls with me for dinner and its LOADED with vegetables), YOU can eat them too....

Loudmom01

I use to shred veggies, zucchini and squash for example, to put in recipes for my kids. You cant see it or taste it. Great idea for meatloaf for example.

moylie

How 'bout what I do for my kids: The Sneaky Chef route: http://www.thesneakychef.com/free_sneaky_chef_recipes.php. Basically you add different veggie purees to things, and they are hidden when you cook them. For example: mix pureed pumpkin, or squash into pancake or waffle batter, or even mac-n-cheese. Mix pureed carrots, spinach, beans, etc. into your meat mixes (meatloaf, meatballs).

calana

A few handfulls of spinach in a fruit smoothie in the morning totally hides the taste but you're still getting all the vitamins

James_1954

Sometimes our tastes change. I'm an example: most of my life, broccoli was Satan-spawn to me, too. But when I tried some properly cooked (meaning not excessively, still halfway crisp) I actually got to liking it. Now I chow happily on the stuff. Asparagus? My mother always cooked hell out of it, and it was horrible; but try just rinsing it off and eating it raw -- it's actually quite good!

Just try some vegetables in some really DIFFERENT ways. I bet you'll find some that you like.

Goldenbast

I am in the same boat...there are a few veggies I like, but most of the ones you should really be eating I can't stand. I also don't think "buck up and discipline yourself" type responses help much..I tried that..I forced myself to eat raw carrots and...blaaaaaarrpph...so no..that doesn't work.

Cooking them different ways may help...I seriously hate carrots but I found that if they are cooked in a soup, I can eat them. Also try cutting them up into itty bitty bits and cooking them with other things.....stir fry is great for this as is soups and eggs and whatever. I know that raw is better because vitamins get cooked out of it..but for those who seriously barf trying to eat raw, eating cooked is better than nothing...just take a multivitamin to help supplement (again I know not the best rout but still better than nothing)

maryjay51

i am an impulse eater so sometimes i put veggies like mini carrotts, cut up celery sticks or blanched broccoli pieces in the car with me and eat while im driving or watching a movie ...because those are the dear moments when i eat and dont pay attention to what i eat ...i just eat.. i love vegetables now though . lettuce i dont eat at all because i tend to like fresh baby spinach and or spring greens -- way more nutritious ..lettuce to me is a total waste .. i dont eat sauces,butters ,dips or salt with vegetables any more .its been a battle that i won actually.now if i can win the battle of sweets id be really going places!!!!!

oHurleyo

Speaking from a fellow person that hateeeees veggies lol The one veggie I would recommend to start with is red peppers..they just taste a little sweet and not like a typical veggie...make a stir fry like others suggested first with meat you like and throw small chopped up pieces of red pepper in....put on rice and try it out Also have you tried V8 juices they have now with servings of veggies and fruit?

AlmstHvn

I so feel your pain! Thanks to those who've chimed in with helpful tips!

kschr201

Just experiment. A lot of times its a major texture thing. I hate goopy tasting vegetables. if I can crisp them in some way they're awesome.

either that or there's a sauce involved

mammafrog

I am not a veggie eater either BUT I do puree carrots to put in any red pasta sauce and you don't know their there. Also skinnytaste.com has a crockpot past sauce made from tomatoes that is YUMMY

cjpg

Man up and eat them. They're good for you and low in calories.

HotBodUnderConstruction

I like sour cream so I dip my carrots in fat free sour cream.

Try edamame, you might like it.

You can also cook spinach and add some fat free feta cheese on top

nursenikki829

I like to finely chop veggies or puree them and add them to dishes to mask them (my kids have the same aversion to veggies that you do). For example, when I make meatloaf, I puree mushrooms, peppers and onions and sautee them before adding them the meat mixture.... it is awesome! You can also replace your pasta with spaghetti squash and put sauce on it just like spaghetti.

chelso0o

I shred or chop veggies and put them in my eggs in the morning. Top with 1/4c of reduced fat shredded cheddar, and 2T ketchup. You can't even tell they're there. I also put spinach or kale into a protein shake and can't even taste it. I also shred carrots and put them into meatloaf. I put spinach and carrots and onions and other things into pasta sauce. I also tried preparing vegetables in different ways so that they tasted better to me.

cjpg

All coliforms (broccoli, cabbage etc.) - utter spawn of satan. Would honestly rather eat doggy poop.

Actually, I do have two pieces of constructive advice:
1) There are people in poorer countries that ARE literally DYING for food like the ones you're complaining about. Get some perspective of the overall picture.
2) If you would honestly rather eat 'doggy poop' instead of coliforms, I suggest you go ahead and do so. It will serve to positively reinforce the difference between the two and my guess would be you will come out LOVING coliforms.

nrvo

Broccoli: roast with bacon/olive oil/garlic or just steam and sprinkle with a teeny bit of Parmesan
Asparagus: roast with lemon or grill with balsamic vinegar
Carrots: I eat them raw. Can't stand them cooked. I buy the precut carrot chips because at least that way it feels more fun.
Kale: drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake into chips!
Corn: grill, steam, boil, etc
Bell peppers, celery, cucumber: slice up raw and dip in hummus! Or, make your own dip by mixing powdered Ranch mix into Greek yogurt for an extra protein kick.
Spinach, mushrooms: chop up and add to omelettes

If you're not a veggie juice person, V8 also makes some pretty delicious low cal veggie soups. Just be careful - they have quite a bit of sodium.

Apazman

OH MAN .. this is me to the tee about a year ago. My mom always steamed our veggies and I HATED THEM! ESPECIALLY BROCCOLI!.

However, I got an electric WOK one year for a gift, while cleaning the kitchen I ran across it and pulled it out of the box and left it on my counter. Then magically if by fate or some sort of boredom (I'm not realy sure), I had extra white rice from having chinese takeout the night before. So I found a recipe for fried rice which is my favorite. The recipe called for carrots and peas which I was okay with, but also Onoins and Broccoli. I was like BLEH! I usually leave those in the bottom when I have fried rice. But I pressed onto the store and picked up frozen peas and carrots. They were small and uniform shaped so I figured they would probably cook evenly together. Then I found Organics brand Broccoli, I though .. wth, Might as well. it probably adds flavor and if I don't like it I can leave it out. So then I went to the produc section to face my other nemisis.. isessses... anyhoo .. Onions, I didn't have the recipe with me but Did you know there are more than 1 type of onions? I KNOW! RIGHT!? I didn't know which one to get so I ran accross an In season sign and it said WALLA WALLA Sweet Onion. "hmmm sweet you say? I like sweet things sure why not? Ihave had them at burgerville and they seemed good, fried and all that." Okay so the recipe actually called for green onions.. I'm an idiot. Anyhoo, soooo I go home pour WAY too much vegitble oil in and put the wok up to 10 and put the onoins in first... they brown really fast. I think I just ruined my recipe, so I said F-in and tossed everything in, including the rice and chicken, broccoli peas and carrots. And then end before serving I sprinkled the entire thing with salt.

Surprisingly it all turned out AMAZING even if it did have too much oil. The onions were carmelized, Nearly burnt, well some of them were but surprisingly sweet, and the broccoli was crisp but had a very nice flavor, like the onoins rubbed off them. I was to say the least FUNKING ASTOUNDED that things I hated sooo much were all of a sudden soooo good. I started making stir fry EVERY night, No rice, just veggies. experimenting by Adding in Low Sodium Soy sauce, Sesame oil, Fish sauce, Oyster sauce, Asian Chile Oil, Sesame oil. Later adding small steak strips and Yakisoba noodles.

Point of the long drawn out story is, I hated this stuff the way It was always presented to me. So I thought I hated the food, turns out I hated the cooking method. If you hate veggies raw or steamed, try a stir fry. Or try adding Onion Salt from Salt works... ITS AMAZING! just ... AMAZING. Also you may want to pick up Alton Brown's book - I ' m just here for the food. 2.0 on amazon kindle (if you have the kindle app on your pc or smart phone.)

in short, I spend a lot of time in the produce section of the store now and not just to look at all the ripe melons.

Sweetchocolategooeyness

Good topic. The first way I discovered to make veggies good for my taste buds was to make vegetable stir-fry's with crunchy stir fry vegetables, vegetable oil, a simmer sauce and dried mixed herbs. I'm not the biggest vege lover but this way of cooking them made them tastier to me by far.

yeabby

Try the Sneaky Chef

http://www.amazon.com/Sneaky-Chef-Strategies-Healthy-Favorite/dp/0762430753/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325830053&sr=8-1

MermaidFaith

i love vegetables but i also eat a tablespoon of this stuff daily

http://www.barleans.com/greens.asp

barleans greens

superfood

ruby_red_rose

I read somewhere that if you eat something 16-18 times, you acquire a taste for it. I don't remember where I read it, otherwise I would give you the link. But try that. It has worked for me.

Apazman

All coliforms (broccoli, cabbage etc.) - utter spawn of satan. Would honestly rather eat doggy poop.

Actually, I do have two pieces of constructive advice:
1) There are people in poorer countries that ARE literally DYING for food like the ones you're complaining about. Get some perspective of the overall picture.
2) If you would honestly rather eat 'doggy poop' instead of coliforms, I suggest you go ahead and do so. It will serve to positively reinforce the difference between the two and my guess would be you will come out LOVING coliforms.

LOL ... How is this constructive. That's like saying for every concern someone brings up ... "Oh you have problems? THE WORLD HAS PROBLEMS MAN!! "

The guy has a legit question. Making him feel guilty for asking isn't going to help anyone. and it will probably prevent him or someone else from asking a similar question in the future.

And Yes People are LITERALLY Dying for food, so what? People are literally dying from cancer, 2nd hand smoking, diabetes, car crashes, pianos falling.

Perhaps his concern is with himself and not a bunch of people he doesn't know somewhere else that he can't help at the moment.

Pandorian

Seriously try them prepared differently, raw, steamed, blanched...whatever you are able, you may find a cooking method for a particular veggie that you absolutely love!

That said also try different varieties, there's hundreds of different tomatoes, you might not like the ones on the grocery store shelf but heirloom ones at the farmers market raised for taste rather than the shelf stability they go for for the produce shelves (hmm did we lead them to that by refusing to accept bruised apples etc?) shelf stable and highly tasty don't go hand in hand for every veggie OR fruit out there! Try the different varieties, you might not like english cucumbers but ... (blank here... grew some this year...) another variety might be right up your alley.

Try steaming for sure for things like broccoli and maybe asparagus vs endlessly boiling them where the water winds up more tasty than the veggie itself does (though that does make a mean vegetable stock worth keeping for future soup making)

ETA Apazman beat me to it with the different cooking methods AND in a round about way the different varieties of the various items, but I'll leave the post as it may be helpful, in spite of Apazman not liking steamed veggies... besides that I may have to try his stir fry recipe.

Goldenbast

LOL ... How is this constructive. That's like saying for every concern someone brings up ... "Oh you have problems? THE WORLD HAS PROBLEMS MAN!! "

The guy has a legit question. Making him feel guilty for asking isn't going to help anyone. and it will probably prevent him or someone else from asking a similar question in the future.

And Yes People are LITERALLY Dying for food, so what? People are literally dying from cancer, 2nd hand smoking, diabetes, car crashes, pianos falling.

Perhaps his concern is with himself and not a bunch of people he doesn't know somewhere else that he can't help at the moment.

I agree 100%. Suggesting someone to go ahead and eat doggy poop is NOT constructive. Constructive would be what everyone else is suggesting. The OP was asking for honest help and was totally honest with his hatred of vegetables. Nobody is perfect and it is a cruddy thing to come along and basically tell someone, "Shut up and eat your vegetables." Sheesh.

vreid77

shredded veggies is the way to go! i do this all the time and of course don't tell my hubby or son. they actually seem to like it better, as its more flavorful... but i can't bring myself to tell them the secret ingredient for fear that they may be repulsed. i use my food processer or blender all the time.

examples: lasagna - shredded carrots, green pepper, onion, mushrooms; jambalaya - shredded onion, green pepper, celery; meatballs - shredded onion, carrots; rice - onion, shrooms, tomato, red pepper; massaman curry - CAULIFLOUR!!! i shred the cauliflour raw and mix it in with the cooked rice.

fragilegift

I used to grate mushrooms, celery and pumpkin into spaghetti sauce when I had kids. Now I don't grate, but dice small. And add capsicum too.

Pumpkin also goes in bread, scones and chocolate cake (potatoes can also be put into bread, but I haven't tried it)

Frozen spinach can be hidden in a lot of things, like curry, lasagna, stews.

Lentils can also be hidden in savory mince, and spaghetti sauce.

Corn kernels and cornmeal make a decent loaf of bread. (I might try creamed corn one day)

Soup is your best bet. Minestrone can take a lot of veges. pea and ham soup. chicken and corn (or noodle), scotch broth. All made from scratch so you know there are no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, thickeners or enhancers!

I've heard beetroot also makes a decent chocolate cake, but you couldn't pay me to make it...let alone eat it.