Veggies in my diet.

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burnie_34
burnie_34 Posts: 11 Member
edited May 2015 in Food and Nutrition
I love vegetables but when I make my food for the week...I find it hard to cook them and try to eat them soggy. I'm not home a lot during the week. I know raw veggies are an option but I don't like a lot of then raw. Any input would be appreciated.
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  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I cook mine every night. It takes like 5 minutes. I've considering chopping them all for the week though, because for me that is the most annoying part.

    For lunch I just eat raw spinach/mixed greens.
  • burnie_34
    burnie_34 Posts: 11 Member
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    Thanks I always forget about those. I use some when I bake egg whites for my breakfast.
  • DMLC2014
    DMLC2014 Posts: 71 Member
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    Here is something you can try. You cut up broccoli, cauliflower, celery, carrots(have to boil to take some of the crunch out). You pour some of the dressing on the veggies and let it sit over night. I think you can add almost any veggie to it that you like. The veggies get soft without the boiled thing.

    Dressing--http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-italian-dressing/
  • burnie_34
    burnie_34 Posts: 11 Member
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    Thanks!
  • demonelle
    demonelle Posts: 12 Member
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    Chopping them up for the week is a good idea, something I do when I get home after food shopping. Certain vegetables hold up better than others. I found if I lightly steam them so they are almost cooked but still slightly hard like broccoli or something, then when I take them to work and reheat in microwave they can fully cook there. If you have a microwave where you are outside of work then you can actually get microwavable steaming bags which you can put your raw veg in then microwave there and add to your meal, otherwise there are some vegetables that do taste pretty good raw that you could take in bags like bell peppers, carrots etc.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    I understand because sometimes I am not in the mood for soggy vegetables. Maybe find some super easy ways to cook them like slicing them ahead of time and baking then in the oven or cooking them on a skillet/ grill.
  • DMLC2014
    DMLC2014 Posts: 71 Member
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    Most people cook their vegetable way too long. You have to let the water boil and throw them in. You want to get them out before they change their colour and still have that crunch.
  • burnie_34
    burnie_34 Posts: 11 Member
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    Thank you for all your input :#
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    burnie_34 wrote: »
    I love vegetables but when I make my food for the week...I find it hard to cook them and try to eat them soggy. I'm not home a lot during the week. I know raw veggies are an option but I don't like a lot of then raw. Any input would be appreciated.

    Do you have access to a microwave? If so, get veggies you can steam in the bag. Or I think Ziploc makes some bags that are specifically designed for you to use for steaming veggies. Hopefully then they wouldn't be too soggy ;)

    ~Lyssa
  • dmkoenig
    dmkoenig Posts: 299 Member
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    There are lots of different ways to prepare and eat veggies. I rarely boil them as I find they taste rather dull.

    Some ideas:
    - Raw vegetables (carrots, celery, bell peppers) become far more interesting if you have something to dip them into. Try a Greek tzatziki sauce (Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, cucumber, dill). Takes 5 minutes to make and is very healthy
    - Grilled vegetables, especially red bell peppers or asparagus. cut them into strips, drizzle on a bit of olive oil, shake on some dried herbs like herbes de Provence and grill them on your gas grill for 5 minutes. They're a great condiment on burgers, salads, just about anything
    - Roasted vegetables, like cauliflower, sweet potato and root vegetables. Roasting caramelizes vegetables (brings out their sugars. Cut them up (or break up into flowerets), drizzle olive oil, salt & pepper, lemon juice, maybe a little minced garlic and stick on a cookie sheet in the oven for 25 minutes @ 400 degrees or until they are nicely browned. When they come out add a bit of grated parm on top and you have a great side dish.
    - Vegetable stir fry with chicken
    - Sauteed mushrooms. Sautee some nice earthy crimini mushrooms or baby bellas in olive oil or butter. Sauteeing works especially well in a cast iron skillet. Makes a great topping for burgers, salads, etc.
    - Smoothie - if you have a nutri-bullet or similar product, add a packed cup of spinach or baby kale, frozen pineapple, chocolate protein powder, unsweetened almond milk, small chunk of ginger, maybe some flax seed, chia, etc, and buzz. Great way to get your daily dark greens.
    - If you like soups especially in the fall or winter you can make a very hearty chicken soup with chopped tomatoes, butternut squash, onion, french green beans, red pepper.

    Bottom line; endless ways to prepare and make vegetables interesting and palatable. Happy cooking!
  • Tubbs216
    Tubbs216 Posts: 6,597 Member
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    If you boil them until just tender, and then plunge into iced water they won't go as soggy. Drain well before packing into Tupperware.
  • Gianfranco_R
    Gianfranco_R Posts: 1,297 Member
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    What about frozen vegetables? Commercially packaged are easy and quick to prepare.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    burnie_34 wrote: »
    I love vegetables but when I make my food for the week...I find it hard to cook them and try to eat them soggy. I'm not home a lot during the week. I know raw veggies are an option but I don't like a lot of then raw. Any input would be appreciated.

    You need different recipes, where vegetables are not just boiled as a side dish, but part of the main meal. There are literally thousands of recipes, from super complicated to super easy, where vegetables are part of the main dish. Try googling for some vegetarian recipes, as most can be modified by also adding meat if you are not a vegetarian.
  • burnie_34
    burnie_34 Posts: 11 Member
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    This is all great information thanks!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Frozen veggies rock.
  • burnie_34
    burnie_34 Posts: 11 Member
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    :D
  • myepi
    myepi Posts: 12 Member
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    I make ratatouille for several days. Then fat and starch free fat free cream soups, then Italian caponata. I really don't like just steamed veggies, they are soooo boring to eat. I have been for ever grilling veggies like zucchinis, eggplant, peppers, then toss them in home made fat free vinaigrette dressing. Yum!
  • LoupGarouTFTs
    LoupGarouTFTs Posts: 916 Member
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    Put a little water in the bottom of a saucepan, toss the vegetables in a strainer, and steam them instead of boiling them.
  • DMLC2014
    DMLC2014 Posts: 71 Member
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    These spice ideas for veggies might help with people that don't like their veggies. Add spices!!
    http://www.wikihow.com/Match-Herbs-and-Spices-to-Vegetables

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