fruits & veggies. I need to eat more.

gramacanada

for no real reason I don't eat enough of these. I do not know why. Too lazy to cut and chop maybe. I like them but..... Any one else? I can't eat , onions, garlic, herbs, spices, seasonings or flavorings if any kind. So adding things to them doesn't help. Well cheese does. :laugh: Ideas? Thoughts?

lisabinco

Try some of the recipes from Eat to Live (Dr Joel Fuhrman); lots of good ideas for how to get your veggies. Website: http://www.drfuhrman.com/
Another good recipe book is America's Test Kitchen The Best Light Recipe book -- super book for a mediocre cook like me.
I love that I can eat huge servings of most veggies and fruits and still lose weight. My taste buds have become much more attuned to vegetables and nowadays I crave spinach or a big green salad or even cauliflower instead of sweets. Weird but okay by me.

I do spend time one day a week cutting and chopping and storing my veggies so I can make a salad or stir-fry or saute or rice dish very quickly any time (because everything is already chopped/diced/sliced and ready to throw into anything).
I also have been taking the time to learn to cook better. That's the only way I can control what I put into my mouth and know what's in the food I eat. (I have to watch the salt.) I'm learning to really like it. I've gotten way more creative about vegetables and have learned to use endive, kale, bok choy, all sorts of veggies I never tasted before.

Good luck! You're on the right track. Veggies are your friends!

lisabinco

Another good recipe book is America's Test Kitchen The Best Light Recipe book

I forgot to mention the other excellent publication from America's Test Kitchen: The Best Vegetable Recipes book. Outstanding and fool-proof instructions and pictures.

gramacanada

Great Thanks I'll check those out. I generally skip recipe books, because of all the things i can't eat. Always looking for new sources.:bigsmile:

20shan08

I have that problem too. I'm not a big cooker, at all! So basically what I've done recently is for snacks now, I only eat fruits or veggies. I bring strawberrys, apples, bananas grapes or cherries to work. Ad for lunch and supper, I just boil up some freezer veggies (better than nothing), or I have some carrots or mushrooms with a low cal ranch. That's the best I can do lol

AReasor

I am sneaky with veggies. I have been known to dice carrots, squash, celery, etc. really fine and add to foods. It adds some flavor to spaghetti sauces, meat loaf, chicken soup and gets everyone eating those nutrients.

tripitena

I do spend time one day a week cutting and chopping and storing my veggies so I can make a salad or stir-fry or saute or rice dish very quickly any time (because everything is already chopped/diced/sliced and ready to throw into anything).
I also have been taking the time to learn to cook better. That's the only way I can control what I put into my mouth and know what's in the food I eat. (I have to watch the salt.) I'm learning to really like it. I've gotten way more creative about vegetables and have learned to use endive, kale, bok choy, all sorts of veggies I never tasted before.

This^^^^ Spending a little time doing several meals worth of veggies makes it much easier. I also keep bits and pieces of various veggies to steam, blend and freeze in cubes. Then I drop a couple of cubes into whatever I can such as pasta sauces, casseroles, soups and beans.

ProTFitness

Fruits can be One of the best fast foods you can eat. Peel and eat or just eat. Veggies well you need those too but its not that much added work.

Cheese is so bad for you

last1turtle

Lisa, After you chop and dice your veggies, how do you store them? In the frig or freezer? How long can they be stored in the refrigerator after they'v e been chopped? My husband buys vegetables every week, forgets about them, and next we see them in the refrigerator they are spoiled already. How can we remember we have vegetables to eat in the frig? Any tips ? Alice

cersela

The way I started eating more vegetables was to buy a rice cooker with a steamer basket. I just throw in 2-3 vegetables in the basket while my rice or quinoa is cooking. I don't spend much time chopping them, just wash them and remove the parts that need to be removed.

lisabinco

Lisa, After you chop and dice your veggies, how do you store them? In the frig or freezer? How long can they be stored in the refrigerator after they'v e been chopped? My husband buys vegetables every week, forgets about them, and next we see them in the refrigerator they are spoiled already. How can we remember we have vegetables to eat in the frig? Any tips ? Alice

I had that same problem until I started the chopping/cutting/slicing ahead of time. I store them in the frig in clear containers and I set them all at eye level or where I can clearly see them. You can store them in your crisper in their containers, too. I have some containers from Rubbermaid and Tupperware that store veggies very well, for over a week, without any spoilage. Plus now it is a habit to check the veggie containers to see what I can toss together. I always plan my veggie dish (or dishes) first, then plan everything else around that. To make sure I get a veggie at every meal.

lisabinco

The way I started eating more vegetables was to buy a rice cooker with a steamer basket. I just throw in 2-3 vegetables in the basket while my rice or quinoa is cooking. I don't spend much time chopping them, just wash them and remove the parts that need to be removed.

Good idea. I actually steam a whole head of cauliflower in my rice cooker (shorter time than rice) and I use it to steam fresh green beans and asparagus, too. Once veggies like this are cooked, they will store for a week in the frig in a see-through container. Already cooked and ready to eat as a snack or to toss in a sauce or whatever. You can just nuke 'em to reheat them.

skonly

Smoothies. I started making them everyday to get more fruit. Now I'm hooked. I was using almond milk but used green tea the other day when I was out. It was great and very sweet. I buy frozen fruit or freeze fresh fruit when it's in season. Blenders are easy to clean and there is no chopping or preparing. Just toss in what you like and hit a button.

IsisRosa

I am also a smoothie drinker. Every morning I drink a green smoothie.

1cup frozen mixed fruit
1 handful spinach
1 banana
4 baby carrots
Water

Blend and drink.

Jesse_Hunter

Fruit is nature's fast food.

With none of the ammonia or cholesterol.

thelovelyLIZ

Frozen vegetables are awesome, and often just as nutritious as fresh. I always keep a few bags in my freezer. Toss them in the microwave a you have a quick side dish in about two minutes.

I also drastically reduced my meat intake in an effort to get more vegetables in my diet, since I ate a ton of veggies back when I was vegetarian. It worked fairly well and I feel much better these days, but it's certainly not an option for everyone, and you can easily start replacing those calories from meat with carbs instead of fruits and veggies. But it's been good for me!

themedalist

I used to eat a modest amount of fresh vegetables and fruits every day and my weight loss was fairly steady and respectable. But with the influx of seasonal produce and farmer's markets, I decided to significantly increase my intake, just to see what would happen. I've lost 7 pounds in 7 weeks and am now at my goal weight. Coincidence? I doubt it.

One of the few "rules" I have is a daily salad. Fresh spinach as the base, then whatever strikes my mood: tomatoes, peppers, avocados, mushrooms, carrots etc...all good candidates. I make sure I add at least 4 veggies to my salad. That way, with the spinach, I know I've gotten at least 5 servings of fresh veggies. Salads are magical.

If you'd like to eat more veggies, how about a month long challenge? The Vegetables ROCK group (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/7149-vegetables-rock) is sponsoring "Veggie August" where many of us will be aiming to get 6+ vegetables a day. We'd love to have you join us!

skonly

Do you use a regular blender? I have been thinking about trying some green smoothies but only have a blender.

IsisRosa

No, I have a blendtec. Before I bought my Blendtec, I used a regular blender for about a month. The trick with a regular blender is to blend the greens first with juice/milk/water. Blend until u have green juice, then add the fresh/frozen fruit. U are going to have to stop a lot and stir the smoothie until its well blended. And more liquid will help it blend smoother.

miss_ally08

An easy way to incorporate a serving of fruits & veggies is to drink a V8 fusion - one glass has one serving of each and it tastes great! Just a suggestion if there are things you can't eat, that might be an option for ya.

dono1323

The way I started eating more vegetables was to buy a rice cooker with a steamer basket. I just throw in 2-3 vegetables in the basket while my rice or quinoa is cooking. I don't spend much time chopping them, just wash them and remove the parts that need to be removed.

Good idea. I actually steam a whole head of cauliflower in my rice cooker (shorter time than rice) and I use it to steam fresh green beans and asparagus, too. Once veggies like this are cooked, they will store for a week in the frig in a see-through container. Already cooked and ready to eat as a snack or to toss in a sauce or whatever. You can just nuke 'em to reheat them.

I do the same thing and is so quick and easy! I also keep an arsenal of Mrs. Dash in my cupboards because of the healthy and yumm factor of them. My favorite meal is squash, asparagus, and a salmon fillet with lemon pepper Mrs. Dash!

gramacanada

for no real reason I don't eat enough of these. I do not know why. Too lazy to cut and chop maybe. I like them but..... Any one else? I can't eat , onions, garlic, peppers of any kind herbs, spices, seasonings or flavorings of any kind. And I don't like oils or vinegars either. So adding things to them doesn't help. Well cheese does. :laugh: Ideas? Thoughts?
:sad: maybe I'm just kinda weird. : (

lustergirl

I have been buying and eating alot of frozen vegetables. I like the broccoli and cauliflower, and especially the stiry fry ones. Instead of using butter on them I put a little light salad dressing on instead. They are quite good this way.

ars1300

Veggies in steam bags are fast and easy.. I like cooking fresh vegetables on the grill. Use foil and wrap up the veggies in a pouch spray the foil with nonstick, add what ever type of seasoning. Im a fan of sea salt on fresh veggies.

skybird455

for no real reason I don't eat enough of these. I do not know why. Too lazy to cut and chop maybe. I like them but..... Any one else? I can't eat , onions, garlic, herbs, spices, seasonings or flavorings if any kind. So adding things to them doesn't help. Well cheese does. :laugh: Ideas? Thoughts?

I really like the birds eye steam fresh frozen bags I can pop in the microwave....they dont have sauces, salt or cheese (unless you want to buy them that way) I can just pop in a bag of what I want (peas, broccoli, carrots, green beans, mixed veggies, cauliflower etc) while my chicken breast is baking

FelicityEliza36

If youre too lazy to chop or cut - buy the containers (even though they are more expensive) that are already diced up. In the produce department in my store there is always containers and containers of fresh cut fruit mixtures, onions, peppers, fruits, veggies....

It makes putting together meals much quicker