Veggie Haters, how do you get your veggies in?

Marc713
Marc713 Posts: 328 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So, I’m not a big fan of veggies. I think it’s partly because my step dad used to be way overbearing about forcing me to eat things, and I was strong willed and wasn’t having anyone FORCE me to put things into my body. The sad thing about this was, I ate more veggies BEFORE he started doing this than after. Some things the texture just gets to me, I think that is my biggest problem…it seems to be mental, not palate related.

Regardless of why I don’t eat many veggies, I’m curious how you folks deal with getting in those food groups. I met a friend here that juices, and I’ve wanted to go buy some veggies and try out a few concoctions. I have read that if you also blend veggies with fruit, it can mask some of the bland tastes.

As it stands, I love baked potatoes and yams. I can eat some grains like rice, oats, quinoa…I just want to eat more veggies. It’s the biggest obstacle I have (in my opinion) between me & my goals.

Maybe I need a shrink, lol? At least I’m trying!
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Replies

  • Will210
    Will210 Posts: 201 Member
    I make stir fry and enjoy vegatables via that method (cooked with chicken and I fry brown rice).


    I also have a vitamix blender where I make green drinks using spinach/kale as my primary vegatable. It is correct - you cannot taste the green when mixed with fruits - almost like a fruit juice drink.

    PS - I like the high powered blender over a juicer for two reasons - keeps the fiber and much easier to clean.
  • debbiekuhn123
    debbiekuhn123 Posts: 67 Member
    I agree, fry them or roast them, mix them up into other foods,

    Use spices/herbs/garlic to flavour them

    start of small & add more gradgually over time
  • Calimegan85
    Calimegan85 Posts: 1 Member
    I use a food processor to make my scrambled eggs mix. I throw in spincah or kale into that and it tastes great and makes them more nutritious!
  • IamOnMywayNow
    IamOnMywayNow Posts: 470 Member
    Make these- http://yourlighterside.com/caulitots-baked/

    Then make this recipe with them -http://yourlighterside.com/chili-cheese-tots/

    You will never taste the cauliflower and you will get your veggies:) It is awesome with some pickled jalapenos on top!
  • katcunock
    katcunock Posts: 664 Member
    BLEND!

    Blend blend blend.

    I hate veggies, and will pick them out given any kind of chance. So make that im[possible by blendng them into your sauces :)
  • HotMummyMission
    HotMummyMission Posts: 1,723 Member
    So, I’m not a big fan of veggies. I think it’s partly because my step dad used to be way overbearing about forcing me to eat things, and I was strong willed and wasn’t having anyone FORCE me to put things into my body. The sad thing about this was, I ate more veggies BEFORE he started doing this than after. Some things the texture just gets to me, I think that is my biggest problem…it seems to be mental, not palate related.

    Regardless of why I don’t eat many veggies, I’m curious how you folks deal with getting in those food groups. I met a friend here that juices, and I’ve wanted to go buy some veggies and try out a few concoctions. I have read that if you also blend veggies with fruit, it can mask some of the bland tastes.

    As it stands, I love baked potatoes and yams. I can eat some grains like rice, oats, quinoa…I just want to eat more veggies. It’s the biggest obstacle I have (in my opinion) between me & my goals. This s what happend o me I don't eat them unless on a roast inner now :(

    Maybe I need a shrink, lol? At least I’m trying!
  • Beethoven1827
    Beethoven1827 Posts: 102 Member
    Soup is good! I admit that I do like veggies, but any soup with lots of veg in it, then blended is a winner with me.
  • Drussander
    Drussander Posts: 266 Member
    Just put cheese on your veggies (parmasan, Velveetta, Cheddar). Most kids learn to love vegetables that way. Then wean off of the cheese when you get used to the texture.

    I'll be honest, I don't understand peoples aversion to common vegetables. If food was short and you were in a survival situation, you probably wouldn't survive - unless you are a good hunter!
  • SF2514
    SF2514 Posts: 794 Member
    Cheese makes everything better =). The only vegetable I really like is broccoli. Everything else has to have cheese or be in stew form lol.
  • MissCarter79
    MissCarter79 Posts: 227 Member
    I bought a juicer and honestly unless you have a lot of money to spend on food every month it's useless. It takes quite a bit of fruits and veggies to get juice and the juicer itself is kind of a pain to clean. I buy this stuff called Bolthouse Farms Green juice and it is filled with fruits and veggies and it tastes amazing! I think it's like $4 a bottle, but it lasts me about 2 weeks and that's drinking 1-2 small glasses a day. I hate the taste of most veggies and this stuff is good!
  • rowyourboat
    rowyourboat Posts: 125 Member
    When I left my parents, I only ate corn and potatoes. Now I eat much more of a variety, but am still learning! I LOVE roasted vegetables. Cauliflower, broccoli covered with reduced fat shredded cheese. I also like to sprinkle rosemary over roasted red potatoes, onions with baby carrots (which I can't eat raw). Stir fry peppers and onions for fajitas. I also like making kabobs out of tomatoes, peppers and onions and grilling them. Try the Olivia's Organics salads. Much better than the iceberg lettuce crap. Frozen already made butternut squash is good with a dash of cinnamon and tsp of butter. Also try some of the birds eye frozen vegetables with the sauces and fit the overall nutrients within your daily goals. If that's the only way to get some veggies in, then so be it. You will get there. If I did, you can too! Good luck!
  • Pedal_Pusher
    Pedal_Pusher Posts: 1,166 Member
    Sack up and eat them...........No, seriously.
  • kristiteeter
    kristiteeter Posts: 12
    Soup is the way to go!
  • crazyellybean
    crazyellybean Posts: 999 Member
    I don't! ... I just work around eating veggies and try to get a piece of fruit in here or there... I don't believe in forcing myself to eat something just because every says I should... there is a right and wrong to everything, but really it just comes down to what works for you..
  • v3x1m2
    v3x1m2 Posts: 10
    hummus….everything is great with hummus.
  • jengoe
    jengoe Posts: 2 Member
    my fave trick: get a veggie peeler and make zucchini strips that you mix in with pasta - I add the zucchini into the pot for the last 2-3 minutes of boiling the noodles. Drain and add marinara. You can start off using more pasta and less zucchini and gradually increase the zucchini and decrease the pasta. I did this and my husband didn't even notice for a while and by then, he realized that it wasn't bad! Now we eat zucchini marinara - no pasta at all - as a side dish with a lean protein and he doesn't miss the pasta.

    And as many others have said... blend then in to sauces, soups and anything else... it's ok to start small and work your way up to adding more.
  • joytron
    joytron Posts: 103 Member
    Well, I am a veggie lover, so you don't have to listen, ;-) , but I agree with the guy who mentioned stir-fries, and also, you can fit an extraordinary amount of leafy greens into a drink! Seriously, bunches and bunches and BUNCHES of spinach -- it looks massive on a plate but if you dump it in a blender with your liquid of choice (I like soy milk; others will say almond or cow; all good) and add some nuts and avocado, you've got a great-tasting super-drink, no need to mask with fruit.
  • pixtotts
    pixtotts Posts: 552 Member
    what works for me is have them in things rather than with things...

    i like - carrots, parsnip, potatoes, asparagus ... hate anything else!...

    but love things like veggie lasagne, ratatouille, stir fry, soups, stews
    the veggie lasagne my gran used to make me the only ingredients i liked on their own was pasta and carrots, i dont even like cheese and yet i love it all together... vegetables dont have to taste like vegetables :)
    you've really just go to try things out and see what works for you
    x


    oohh also experiment with how you cook them... asparagus steamed - i hate! done in a griddle pan with a bit of lemon = love, and i find alot of veg much easier to eat a little al dente
  • Corryn78
    Corryn78 Posts: 215
    Yup on the green smoothies. You can easily drink 3 cups of spinach mixed with frozen strawberries, banana, juice or milk.

    Zucchini can also be shredded and used in many recipes and you'll barely notice.

    Somtimes I'll use eggplant sliced thin instead of lasagna noodles.

    Blend them up with tomato sauce for pastas.

    Cauliflower rice. Chunk up the florets, put into food processor and microwave until soft. Don't add water.
  • cspinney
    cspinney Posts: 81 Member
    I have never been a meat/potato/veg meal lover - I tend to prefer combination dishes, and I do my best to throw veggies in there. So stir fries, chilies, soups, curries, pasta - just figure out what veggies you can throw in those kids of dishes and enjoy. Also, while I don't tend to enjoy eating a pile of cooked veggies, I have always loved salads and eating raw veggies. So I will often pack raw bell pepper, cauliflower or carrots to eat with my lunch and have a salad as part of my dinner.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    Anything I cook in a skillet or frying pan I add a cup of chopped spinach leaves to. Spinach has no real taste once it's cooked and takes on the taste properties of whatever it was cooked in.

    I make a homemade pasta sauce from spinach leaves, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, and olives sauteed in coconut oil that I use regularly.
  • Morgaan12
    Morgaan12 Posts: 7
    Look up some green smoothie recipes. That's what I've been doing! Most recipes just call for a couple hand fulls of baby spinach or lettuce/celery. Then you pair it will a couple fruits like bananas and strawberries. It looks awful! But don't let that scare you away! You can't taste the vegetables. It just tastes like a banana-strawberry smoothie! You can find all different recipes out there!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Sauces and marinades, and having them with pasta or rice. IE, last night I had ravioli and chicken with a pesto alfredo sauce, and some sundried tomatoes and "Italian blend" (carrots, broccoli, snow peas, squash, I think) frozen vegetables mixed in. The veg taste like the sauce. And it makes me eat less of the pasta or rice, since it bulks up my meal.
  • dearprudence78
    dearprudence78 Posts: 27
    You may need to find the preparation that you like best. Certain veggies I like raw but can't stand cooked and vice versa. Experiment. Another tip for my when feeding DH who has the same distaste of veggies - I hide them in stuff.
    Make roll-ups.
    Take one slice of lunch meat, put a small amount of 1/3 less fat cream cheese on one edge (just enough to "glue" it closed), on the opposite end, lay down a few leaves of fresh spinach. Then lay one green onion (tops cut off) and a piece of celery on top of the spinach. Start on the veggie end and roll all the way and gently press the cream cheese to keep it closed. I always cut the veggies to the length of the meat so there isn't a big hunk of onion hanging out for the first or last bite.
    Make baked oatmeal.
    Mix 240 grams of old fashioned oats with cinnamon and/or nutmeg, and the sweetener of your choice (or not). Add a pinch of salt. Mash one banana in a separate bowl and add a teaspoon of vanilla. Then blend in two eggs. Add 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin puree. Next (and here's the fun part), add in a cup of shredded carrots blended to a near mush with a blender. Blend the wet ingredients into the oat mixture. You can add died apples or some raisins for extra fiber and sweetness if you like. Now add enough water to make the batter like a very moist porridge. (Add a little at a time and mix well). Pour into a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. I've served this for breakfast, for snacks and even as a dessert with some Cool Whip Free on top.
  • NikkiSmo
    NikkiSmo Posts: 180 Member
    I personaly love most all food, however my family does not so.... I put whatever veggies I have in the food processor and blend it till its very fine - now strong flavors wont work like green peppers. I mix it into hamburger patties, meatloaf, meatballs, sauces, soups. Heck I made cupcakes the other day and use pumpkin puree and the kids had no clue - they loved them! There are pleanty of books / websites that give you ideas of how to sneak it into recipies. Since I'm assuming your cooking you will know its there but shouldn't be able to really taste it. Good luck, I love to see what I can trick my family into eating and only after they say they LOVE it do I tell them - or sometimes NOT.
  • laurasimmons
    laurasimmons Posts: 575 Member
    I don't really hate veggies anymore. But having seasonings, sauces, and marinades help a lot!
  • mconway79
    mconway79 Posts: 49 Member
    my fave trick: get a veggie peeler and make zucchini strips that you mix in with pasta - I add the zucchini into the pot for the last 2-3 minutes of boiling the noodles. Drain and add marinara. You can start off using more pasta and less zucchini and gradually increase the zucchini and decrease the pasta. I did this and my husband didn't even notice for a while and by then, he realized that it wasn't bad! Now we eat zucchini marinara - no pasta at all - as a side dish with a lean protein and he doesn't miss the pasta.

    And as many others have said... blend then in to sauces, soups and anything else... it's ok to start small and work your way up to adding more.

    Jenjoe how long does it take the zucchini to cook? I would like to try this. I am also going to bake spaghetti squash and try it with my spaghetti sauce I make with jennie o 93% lean ground turkey
  • MissMormie
    MissMormie Posts: 359 Member
    Sack up and eat them...........No, seriously.

    Yes, this. You say it's not the taste that gets you but it's some mental thing. Well, just eating it will help you get over it.

    ---
    I don't eat anything from Italy, definitely a mental thing, perhaps I should try my own advice ;)
  • MaleyaB
    MaleyaB Posts: 25
    I am not a veggie person (seriously, just look at my diary). Sometimes we eat raw vegetables or frozen broccoli (they come in a steamed bag so all you have to do it microwave!) But recently, I found that zucchini is amazing in moderation. I usually peel them, and then I grill them in my little George Foreman. I add on .5 teaspoon of McCormick Grilling Mates (invest in this- it has so much flavor and can be added to anything to make it edible- plus they have many flavors. I highly recommend the Montreal Steak Seasoning). And then I serve.

    Also, there is a recipe for Zucchini Fries, which I tried and were pretty good.
    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/01/baked-zucchini-sticks-13-pts.html
  • bluelena
    bluelena Posts: 304 Member
    Make these- http://yourlighterside.com/caulitots-baked/

    Then make this recipe with them -http://yourlighterside.com/chili-cheese-tots/

    You will never taste the cauliflower and you will get your veggies:) It is awesome with some pickled jalapenos on top!

    I am a total veggie LOVER but totally trying this. OMG.

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