I hate healthy food.

I'm pretty picky, too. I do love cucumbers, however so I use those all the time. Also spinach. I use it in salads or sautee it with garlic in a little olive oil and coarse black pepper. I cook asparagus the same way - drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled with coarse black pepper. I've cut romaine hearts in half lengthwise and grilled them, then added either chicken or pork slices on top, drizzle with a little salad dressing, and have that as opposed to salad style.

It could be that you just don't like the WAY you've had veggies in the past...this is what I'm finding out. Luckily for me, though, my husband's a chef so he tries out new things on me all the time!

You might try juicing if you really don't like a lot of veggies and fruits.

Several options I think.....

Roasted, with olive oil

Dice some chicken breast. Chop up potatoes, parsnips, courgette, onions, peppers, carrots and anything else. Put everything in a roasting bag. Add a generous amount of mixed herbs and a good glug of olive oil. Seal up the bag and roast in the oven until the meat is cooked. Carefully open the bag (the steam will easily scald you if you are not careful) and serve.

Gently steam.

Chop it up small and put it in something meaty like chilli. I got my kids to eat all manner of things like this, particularly onions and mushrooms.

Eat it or go hungry is an argument that you can use on the kids, but is a little harder to apply to yourself!! It does work though!!

Grow your own - there is nothing better and you don't have to be a genius in the garden!

Do you like cabbage? Get some turkey bacon and cook it then crumble it with some cabbage throw it all in a pan and cover. Cook on low heat. Do not add a ton of water maybe a teaspoon or so, but the cabbage will cook and steam itself. Honey carrots are yummy with some cayenne pepper. Broccoli is good with lemon on it. I didn't think it would be at first and after I tasted it I loved it. Another way is to just sneak it into whatever you are making. Shepherds pie is what I think some call it, but you can use ground turkey and add in all kinds of veggies. Throw in peppers in different foods ( eggs, chicken, burgers, spaghetti). Make alfredo and add in some mushrooms, broccoli and spinach. Cook the spinach and mushrooms in a pan first, then boil, steam or cook the broccoli to your liking and add it all together. My children love, love, love it. There are a ton of ways to enjoy veggies. You just gotta try them and find out what works for you.

I don't know about you, but I found all my veggies taste so much better since I stopped eating processed foods. I did a compete detox a while ago and since then I have been practically living of veggies and salads. I hardly use any sauce or seasoning any more, and raw or cooked everything just tastes so much better than it used too. Usually on diets I get bored of salad after a week, but this year I can't get enough of the green stuff, or the red yellow orange........Only thing I add is my protein, dairy tofu or fish :-)

I'm pretty much the same. I have always hated most veggies. My parents always made me eat every veggie on my plates, even if they made me gag, which I think turned me off veggies. I have tried many vegetables many times, and I do not like them. I do like some, such as carrots, cauliflower, and celery, but only raw. And I love cucumbers soaked in vinegar. Textures ruin it for me too!

I tried a fruit smoothie with spinach and I was really surprised at how you cannot taste the spinach at all. I also made a soup in my slow cooker recently and I chopped up veggies super small, and I could eat them that way.
Like others have said, use a bit of dip, or season them. I don't have much advice to offer, but I do know how you feel!

I don't think anyone thinks that broccoli tastes as good as a chocolate cake. [...]

Broiled broccoli with a little oil and salt is better then chocolate cake on most days.

Way to miss the point.

I'm going to second the person who mentioned Sneaky Chef, there are several other similar books that "hide" veggies in other things.

Jessica Seinfeld wrote the one we have (whose name escapes me). You can add some extra fiber when you're making brownies (for the occasions when you do) by using a can of DRAINED black beans pureed with a cup of water. It takes the place of the oil and the brownies are still really moist. *I* couldn't tell the difference but someone else insisted they could (but only AFTER I told them they were in there....so it might be psychological on their part).

It also calls for using various vegetable purees inside of other foods and reduces fats etc. to make healthier meals.

I know this sounds kind of goofy but next summer, plant some of your own with your kids, even in a container garden. I struggled with veggies until I learned how much I liked growing them and learned how good they tasted fresh and unprocessed right out of the garden! It totally changed me how I felt about veggies. It was fun to eat each in their own season. I also love going to farmers' markets. It's also fun to do with kids and it's educational. For me, simple is better and I just don't really like cooked veggies too much so I stick to raw.

Tomatoes with balsalmic vinegar and olive oil is a fave of mine.

That is a fantastic idea!! With kids it would be so amazing!

I am a picky eater too. If you don't mind investing about $5-$10 in spices, heres some Indian curry recipes. They are super cheap, very low cal, lots of nutrition and are extremely tasty too. Even a picky eater like me chows them down like crazy. Alternatively, you can "hide" veggies in stews, pasta sauce, soups etc. Pretty much anything really.

Eggplant Curry
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/eggplant-curry-449974

Okra Curry
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/bhindi-spiced-okra-curry-422688

Potato Curry
www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/aloo-ki-subzi-indian-potato-curry-274866

Kidney Beans curry
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/lobia-indian-curried-kidney-beans-266369

Lentil soup
www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/lentil-soup-laal-daal-251611

Fruit Salad:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/fruit-chat-tangy-fruit-salad-233811

Chicken Jalfrezi (chicken with LOTS of veggies)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/chicken-jalfrezi-226129

Salan (Indian style stew. Good amount of nutrition and veggies in it if you use okra. Even with potatos its good)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/salan-stew-221609

Good luck. Experiment with veggies. You can also get those frozen mix veggie packs, thaw them out, cook them with rice with some chicken stock.

Thank you for this! I adore curry, and I just bought some eggplants. Perfect timing. :bigsmile:

I love vegies but especially for kids, I have ways to taste vegies more tasty.

First of everything can be pickled. If you don't have any problem with salt, you can eat pickles. Pickling doesn't change the nutrition value of vegies.

If you slice really thin and roast the root vegies like potato, carrot, beet etc. they become chips even though they are not fried. Before roast them prepare a spice mix (I use salt, pepper and cumin mostly) and cover every slice with the mix. You can prepare it for your own taste.

I also steam carrot, zucchini, eggplant, corn, beans, peas, broccoli, brussels sprout etc. (you can add whatever you want but leaves) and prepare a cheese sauce for them. I use cheddar, parmesan, cream cheese and cream. You can find the light versions of them. Vegies become soooooooooooo tasty with cheese.

Another one... Pour some lemon on broccoli and cauliflower, roast them, and eat them with honey mustard sauce. Especially mustard is so good for those two.

And for all the leaves try cream. More precisely light cream

Last of all... I thing cabbage is tasty when it's raw. You can try coleslaw maybe. You can prepare a sweet sauce (with honey, sweetener or fruit aroma) and try cabbage with it. Cabbage is good with sugar actually.

By the way sorry for my English if there are mistakes.

Enjoy your meal!

living with a 40 yo picky eater i can tell you what has worked to get him to eat vegetables. Fried vegetables he will eat okra, green beans, and zucchini. Dried vegetables he will eat tomatoes and peas this way. Vegetables chopped very fine and not a lot. Basically what has worked best for him is exposure. I never lie about what I'm cooking, and we've only had a blow up twice with meals once when we were first dating and I bought an enchilada with corn in it (ungrateful *kitten*) and the second when I made spaghetti sauce and thinned it with V8.

Ungrateful *kitten*, LOL! I know exactly how you feel. I'm living with a 23 year old picky eater and am having the same problems. It's so hard to eat healthy when you have a significant other who is 5'11, 155 pounds and needs to gain weight if anything!! So frustrating!!

With that said, I can get him to eat veggies by drinking them! Every morning I have a "green-ish" smoothie that consists of raspberries, baby spinach, orange juice (50 trop), 1/4 avacado, a little pineapple, and ground flax seeds. I also make one with raspberries, blueberries, almond milk, banana, and flax. So good, good for you, and it's easy to get down fast!

Good luck girly!

I really do. I hate most vegetables.. lots of fruit.. I'm a SERIOUS picky eater. I guess my family never forced me to eat it as a kid and I just don't like it.

What are healthy ways to spice up your veggies? IMO it's not fair for me to force my kids to try a bite of veggies.. (they love them) before their main meal.. And me not eat any at all.

I need some ideas please!

Do you like smoothies or blended vegetable/fruit soups cooked or raw? That is a great way to get veggies and you don't even really taste them. I just made a green smoothie with a bunch of spinach and couldn't even taste the spinach.

Just learn to consider meat healthy.

This might seam odd... But you can also 'hide them'... because honestly... No one said we had to eat vegetables as a main dish... My mother did that to her kids... cousins... even friends over... None of them notice.

What you do, is you cut them up as small as possible and put them in foods you normally eat. Once you start getting them somewhere you can start getting more later.

Some Dishes to alter or Try:
Spaghetti: Add Green peppers, Onion, or even a little garlic. Start with a small amount, and chop as tiny as you can... One clove of garlic, Half a onion, Half a green pepper... (me and my husband use 1 onion, 1 green pepper and 3 Cloves of Garlic). Fry in Olive oil (or any oil) Until they are tender... Throw in your normal Spaghetti.
Alfredo: You can add Mushrooms, Peas, Onion Or Broccoli... To any Alfredo. My personal favorite is Peas, Onion, And Mushrooms Together. You can used canned or fresh. Again start with small amounts. Boil the broccoli until you can put a fork though it.
Chicken Tetrazzini : Mushrooms, Onion, Green Pepper
Salisbury Steak: Put Onions in the meat itself. Mushrooms in the sauce.
Chili: chili beans, Kidney beans, Onion, Green Pepper, Hablano, Garlic.
Macaroni and Cheese: Peas, Mushrooms, Tuna
Strogonoff Hamburger Helper: Peas, Mushrooms, Onion.
Stir Fry : Green Pepper, Onion, Garlic, Baby corn, Mushrooms, Been sprouts, Squash, Carrots... Broccoli... I really don't know of anything you can't put in a stir fry... I hate Squash, with a passion... But I eat it in stir fry.
(tip... you can also use a blender on vegetables to get them really small.)

Random Items to try:
Baked Potato: Cut up Fresh broccoli small, and boil until tender. Then Microwave a whole potato (put fork holes in it first). When done... Mash potato with a fork. If the skin bothers you you can remove it but its the most nutritional part. Cover with Shredded Sharp cheddar cheese. Put broccoli on it... Cover with more cheese. Miro wave Until cheese melts. Enjoy!
Cucumber dip: 2 cucumber, 1 onion, Use a shredder or a blender to cut really fine... the onion finer then the cucumber. Drain well. Mix equal parts Mayo and Sour Cream. (I use half of the smallest container of sour cream to measure the amounts with). Add Cucumber and onion... Mix. Refrigerate until cold... Put on potato chips... Yumm.