Fruit & Veggie 1-Day Challenge-Saturday Jan 4, 2013

:flowerforyou: Does your weight loss need a kick in the you-know-what? Mine does!! Would you like to learn to like fresh fruits and veggies? I do!! How many of us are queens of mindless eating? Can you use some support and good ideas? Me too!!

We all know that "fresh fruits and vegetables" are good for us. But what are we doing about it?

Here is how the challenge works:
-EAT vegetables and fruit at every meal and snack time for the day.
-SUBSTITUTE the starch / meat / dairy food portion in a meal with Fresh Vegetables (where possible)
-Have only a (fresh) fruit or vegetables for snacks
-Drink 8oz of water and no alcohol

-Use common sense - Retrain your senses !!

(If you can't do a whole day, do one meal)

YOU decide to be in! YOU benefit!
1. Post if you are in and what you are going to do.
2. Report back how you did at the end of the day or – better yet - the next morning!

:heart: Rebel Renny
Location: Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
p.s. I am posting this early on Friday Evening for our "down-under" friends, so everyone who is interested can participate.
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Replies

  • Cjoseph03
    Cjoseph03 Posts: 107 Member
    I'm in on this but for me it will be Saturday Jan 5th (currently 10:29pm on 1/4/13). I just got back from the store from buying some veggies because I need to up it. I think if anyone has an interesting recipe to please share that as well. I do great with whole grain breads/rice and fruit...but I need to learn new ways to incorporate veggies into my diet. I bought carrots, celery, lettuce and fresh spinach. I also have russet potatoes (looking forward to some baked potatoes with some light butter only tomorrow!).
  • RebelRenny
    RebelRenny Posts: 1,073 Member
    I'm in on this but for me it will be Saturday Jan 5th (currently 10:29pm on 1/4/13). I just got back from the store from buying some veggies because I need to up it. I think if anyone has an interesting recipe to please share that as well. I do great with whole grain breads/rice and fruit...but I need to learn new ways to incorporate veggies into my diet. I bought carrots, celery, lettuce and fresh spinach. I also have russet potatoes (looking forward to some baked potatoes with some light butter only tomorrow!).

    Sorry....this should read, January 5th!!! lol. oh wow. what a good start to a Saturday:bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • I'm in! Went to the store tonight and loaded up on brocolli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, apples and bananas. I'm ready!
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    I am in. Having a slim fast and a banana for breakfast. A salad for lunch, yes will have croutons but only 6 pieces fo them (yes I count them out haha). And then going to do 2 veggies with the tilapia for dinner instead of potatoes.
  • LinCharpentier
    LinCharpentier Posts: 1,122 Member
    Hi all I'll give this a try.

    But today breakfast I already had a tst with a fried egg.

    But snack fruit. Then i'm a making a pot of vegetarian spaghetti sauce to have on spaghetti squash for lunch and supper.
    I had a vegetable day planned anyhow. So if I can by pass breakfast I'll be fine.

    So on to cut up vegetables.

    Linda C
  • djhobs
    djhobs Posts: 200 Member
    I'm in but will have to do it tomorrow...took ds to airport at 4am and already have had toooo many carbs...:sad: thanks for posting
    :heart:
    jen
  • exermom
    exermom Posts: 6,528 Member
    I'm going to give this a try. To be honest, it looks like what I already do for the most jpart. But who knows? I'm hoping to at least get some good ideas.

    Michele in NC
  • to Cingram03

    spinach lettuce w/some apples or pears thinly sliced, add some nuts if you have those on had & use a raspberry walnut vinegrette dressing. can also add some feta or blue cheese or gorganzola cheese - super yummy

    cleery w/peanut butter or cream cheese sticks

    bake some carrots (baby carrots or cut the carrots) & potatoes in w/some chicken, chicken broth & litpon garlic & herb seasoning packet

    i have a butternut squash & apples recipe too if u want that. PM me
  • I'm in! Had a greek yogurt for breakfast but I'm up for veggies and water the rest of the day! Think i'll have raw only.
  • Sounds like a wonderful challenge. I already had oatmeal today so I'll see what I can do about the rest of the day.
  • Just saw this will be doing this on Sunday January 6, 2012
  • yoyonomore55
    yoyonomore55 Posts: 350 Member
    I'll join in! I am only going to do all veggies for 1 meal and all snacks. Love some of the ideas already!
  • RebelRenny
    RebelRenny Posts: 1,073 Member
    :smile: Good Morning from the West Coast! Love the participation already. I am starting off with a mushroom/veggie/snap pea/eggwhite omelette. A little salt and pepper and tumeric and it tastes delicious. It is about 100 calories.

    :flowerforyou: I will check back later!

    :heart: Renny
  • So far so good. Breakfast was what I fondly refer to as breakfast crap. 1 egg mixed with whatever the refrigerator will donate. Today was: 1 egg with broccoli, onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, 1/2 of a leftover baked potato, and 1 ounce of ham. That was followed by a trip to our local farmers market (believe it or not we have an active FM here in southwest Missouri in January!) and picked up a few more fresh vegi's for later.
  • I'm in ..been doing pretty well with veggies today

    Breakfast: 1 egg & 2 egg whites scrambled w/onion & green peppers / clementine
    Lunch: Brown rice w/asparagus stir fry, garlic, onion / clementine

    Have a party tonight but really going to try and eat well.

    Colleen
  • I wanna try too!! First day here! Just joined . Had salmon for lunch but no veggie! will go get some celery . Am having greek salad for dinner with lots of veggies and greek chicken!
    Had some pineapple with my Smart ones breakfast! Great Idea!
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Did a good job with this. Did two servings of veggies and a serving of fruit at dinner instead of the starch. And had fruit instead of chips alongside my sandwich at lunch.
  • auntiebk
    auntiebk Posts: 2,614 Member
    Missed it but its never too late, right? Breakfast was a Luna protein bar, lunch was a chicken sandwich, w/salad but alas also had a winter ale and half a bag of snap pea crisps. Will skip the evening wine and have tea, twig and fruit instead. Next week, honest!

    Hugs
  • lizmil79
    lizmil79 Posts: 566 Member
    Ok I have almost missed all of Saturday on this but will apply it rest of day
    I do a lot of this already but can see areas to take it up a notch.

    Liz from idaho
  • RebelRenny
    RebelRenny Posts: 1,073 Member
    For anyone thinking you missed it, you can take any other day and add your feedback on this page :flowerforyou: Some people find a weekday works better. For me, I struggle on the weekends, so this is a great way to keep me on a healthy path.

    :heart: Had grand baby visiting today, so just now getting back to checking in with you all. I had a huge salad for lunch with flax seed sprinkled in. For supper we had made 9 bean ragout in which we included butternut squash, onions, garlic, and tomatoes; I may still eat some more of that. For fruit, I ate blackberries, 2 mandarin oranges, a kiwi and blueberries. Had some pecan halves.

    Had no wine today:smile: Drank water :drinker: My diary is open in case anyone wants to see how that all added up. I don't log my water since that is not really an issue for me. I have not been exercising, and hope to add that in the near future.

    I will check back in in the morning!

    Renny
  • RebelRenny
    RebelRenny Posts: 1,073 Member
    :smile:
    Cingram03 – My daughter and I were discussing recipes today that include more veggies in our daily meals. She brought her American Test Kitchen cookbook with her, and I have copied a few recipes. One for “Acorn Squash” and one for “Stir-fried Broccoli and Red Peppers”. I would not be surprised if you can google for them.

    Mouth5667 – that is such a good thing to load up on the fruits and veggies. If you have it handy you are more likely to utilize it. A farmers market in January? You are so lucky! Best thing to buy farm fresh.

    Rduhlir – Nice planning for the day, and wonderful follow through!

    LinChrpentie – I figure too, if you can add veggies at other meals and use fruits as snacks, that sets the tone. Love vegetarian spaghetti sauce on spaghetti squash. Until recently, I had never even eaten spaghetti squash before. Now I love it.

    Djhobs – anytime and any day you want to jump in is fantastic!

    Michele – Thanks for joining. Yes I agree, we can always get more good ideas

    Rcolours7- I love your idea for the salad. I think I will experiment with different dressings like the raspberry walnut vinegrette.

    Amandaepope – Great that you jumped in. Raw only is fabulous. Post how you did with it.

    X_ItNeverEnds – I used to posts these challenges in years past, then got away from it. I am glad to have started it again. How did it work out for you?

    Serryrona – That’s the idea!

    Yoyonomore55 – Thanks for joining. You are an inspiration, given how much weight you already lost.

    cOcOnnOr – Yay that you are doing well with the veggies. I would be interested how you prepared the asparagus. Those have been a bit of a mystery to me.

    Ileen327 – First day?? Love it!!! I remember when I joined. One of the first things I did was try to find a group of supportive women in my age group. This can be different for each person however. All the best on your journey. MFP is certainly helpful.

    Auntiebk!!!! – my friend. You may have missed today, but really, you can do this any day (even tomorrow). I hope to faithfully start a thread every Saturday from now on. And we both will see how things go.

    Lizmil79 – You are so right, you can apply this to the rest today, or any day. I love how you do this already and want to kick it up a notch. Sounds like me!

    :heart: Renny
  • Sasha4427
    Sasha4427 Posts: 196 Member
    OK, completed the day, whey isolate protein shake, almond milk and blueberries for breakfast, vegetable soup for lunch, fruit for snack, some almonds, and because I got carried away with the veggie soup making, I had it for dinner too. I liked doing this and will be on board for next weekend.
    Lila
  • This was (is) a great challenge for me. I tend to not eat as many fruits and vegetables as I should so this really helped me focus on that. I still had a little meat (1 ounce in my egg this morning) but one of my best days for not feeling hungry and I just looked at my calorie count and I still have 300 to spare! Thanks Rebel for the challenge!
  • Looks pretty good. I'm trying the juice diet actually, which consists of the exact same ingredients although there's more cleaning involved lol
  • LinCharpentier
    LinCharpentier Posts: 1,122 Member
    I tried to it but by three in the afternoon was dizzy and not feeling good but that could be just me and not the food. I will have more veggies but need a bit of meat for me that is. But then your not saying not to. Your saying up the veg. and fruit. I will do that. But do a lot of that as a whole.

    Linda C.
  • RebelRenny
    RebelRenny Posts: 1,073 Member
    Good Morning!

    Sasha4427 – Lila, so good to see you. You did very well. What all did you include in your veggie soup? Care to share the recipe? I know more people who drink almond milk, and am wondering how you like it. Happy to have you on board for next week.

    Mouth5667 – Glad you liked the challenge. I also tended not to eat as many fruits and veggies as I should. The challenge helps put the focus on plant based foods.

    Clauduchinno – Welcome. I heard that a juice diet gets the cleansing going. It is all about discovering what works for you. A big part for me was learning how to eat healthy hi-nutrient foods.

    Linda C – You are right, you don’t necessarily need to cut other things out, although if a person eats processed foods, that would be good to substitute with fresh fruits and veggies. The idea is to put the focus on fruits and veggies with the emphasis on fresh. Drinking enough water is also important.


    Personally, I chose not to eat meat and bread for the day, but had an eggwhite omelette for breakfast, a huge salad for lunch, fruit in between and a 9 bean ragout for dinner. In addition, I ate some nuts and seeds. The beans, nuts and seeds are high in protein, without the animal fats. Furthermore, legumes, veggies and fruit are very high in a range of nutrients and fiber. What I have also learned that, in general, we north-americans do not take in enough fiber. It should be set at 30g per day. I find it is a very good gauge for me. If I hit that, it means I have most likely also have had sufficient whole plant foods.

    I lost 2 lbs this past week, and I logged my new weight this morning.

    Best of luck to all of you on the rest of your journey!

    Renny
  • exermom
    exermom Posts: 6,528 Member
    Veggies for breakfast? To me, that might be hard. The only thing I can think of is to incrporate them ointo an omlet.

    Say, does anyone have a good recipe for chicken soup with lots of veggies? I find that if I have a lot of protein first thing in the morning, I'm not nearly as hungry as the day goes on. Perhaps I can incorporte chicken (or turkey or even beef) with veges. I would like it to be fairly low cal.

    Michele
  • Sasha4427
    Sasha4427 Posts: 196 Member
    Hi all
    Renny - I threw every veggie I could find into my soup which was in my fridge or freezer

    Saute for flavour in vert small amount of EVOO (I have a pump spritzer that I use)
    1 chopped onion
    1 cup chopped celery (3 or so sticks
    1 medium/large chopped carrot

    add
    3 cups of veg (or low sodium chicken broth)
    sage or thyme or tarragon, star anise, basil - any type of herb you happen to like
    1 small chopped jalapeno
    1 cup chopped savoy cabbage
    1 cup chopped kale

    when the vegs are mostly cooked, add
    frozen green beans, edamame, peas, whatever you have in the freezer
    simmer for 5-10 minutes more for the frozen vegs to cook

    This makes a lot of soup, so scale it down if you don't want it for a couple of meals or to freeze.
    I usually serve it then add a tiny bit of butter or greek yogurt or sour cream and 1/4 cup milk in the bowl (Mennonite thing).

    To change it up you can thicken with some mashed potatoes (adds calories though)
    Today I plan to add low sodium canned tomatoes just to change it up a bit.
    Works out to about 130 or so for a fairly large serving.

    I agree that focussing on adding whole veg and fruit will up the fiber intake, which is usually a challenge for me.

    Michele - I'm not sure about veg for breakfast although I know Nancy on the 50+ board has a green veg shake in the morning. I tend to think protein and fruit in the morning rather than veg.

    I think I'll do this for today as well as I would like to get rid of a bit of bloat. But I really like the idea of adding a whole lot more veg so I will attempt to have at least 6 servings per day this week. The fruit might be harder for me - we'll see.

    Lila
  • djhobs
    djhobs Posts: 200 Member
    Today was my first attempt at a challenge like this...so not perfect but this is what I did...
    breakfast was Greek yogurt with homemede unsweetened muesli
    snack was baby carrots
    lunch - homemade Manhattan style clam chowder, large salad with 1oz chicken breast, clementine and apple
    dinner - homemade chicken /rice soup, large salad with 2 oz chicken breast and 2 oz cheddar cheese

    I felt pretty hungry most of the afternoon but kept pushing water and doing chores around the house...now after dinner I feel pretty full. We normally have a regular dinner but dh is under the weather so soup was the order of the day.

    Glad I did this and will try to do a better job next week

    Thanks Renny!
    :heart:
    Jen
  • bjmcq
    bjmcq Posts: 305 Member
    Hello everyone!

    I missed the first week, ( it was just too busy with the holiday company...still) but I would like to try for next weekend!

    BJ, SWO, CA