tips for introducing veggies into diet

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  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,171 Member
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    I'm pretty ambivalent about vegetables personally. I can't think of a single vegetable I eat without some kind of sauce, spice, topping, or dip. If you're introducing new foods, I'd probably start with the flavor and then add the vegetable. If say, Italian is familiar and popular in your home, season the vegetables with marinara sauce, or oregano, basil, and garlic. If you try a stir fry, use the sauce you usually use. For me, familiar flavor profiles make vegetables much more palatable.

    I'd also check out skinnytaste.com. There are lots of relatively quick and easy recipes and the author mentions in many of them that she's developed the recipes specifically to get her picky family to eat more vegetables. I'm particularly partial to her eggplant balls. Even my sister, who is an eggplant-opposed vegetarian will scarf those puppies down! They also freeze pretty well, so can be good for batch cooking. Recipe here: skinnytaste.com/eggplant-meatballs/
  • Sunshine_And_Sand
    Sunshine_And_Sand Posts: 1,320 Member
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    Just gonna post a few easy to prepare veggie sides using veggies that (per google) are low carb appropriate.
    Ever tried mashed cauliflower? You can use the microwave bags of steamed cauliflower to save some time over using fresh cauliflower. Once it's cooked, drain it thoroughly and throw it in the food processor (does best if processed while still steaming hot) with some cream cheese and grated Parmesan. I'd be lying if I told you that you can't tell it isn't mashed potatoes, but it's still good in its own right. My seven year old eats it, so maybe your picky eaters will too?
    Cut up some zuccini, however you like. I usually slice it thinly like chips. Lay it out on a pan in a single layer. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and bake. I like to use the canned crumbly kind of Parmesan in this recipe bc if you cook it until the cheese browns it gives a texture that mimics breaded/fried zuccini but for a lot less calories.
    Hope this is useful for you. Good luck!
  • Limath
    Limath Posts: 89 Member
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    I like using a bed of baby spinach as a base for saucy proteins (creamed tuna, thai peanut chicken, italian meat sauce, chili, etc). There isn't a lot of taste in spinach. I also like raw veggies with or without ranch or hummus.
  • firlena227
    firlena227 Posts: 86 Member
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    If you're ok with a "crispy" kind of texture you could try making kale chips - pretty low cal if you use a spray oil, also you can roast chickpeas til they're crispy, and add any spices/flavours you like. Feels like a snacky food but still veggie & high protein as well.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Incorporate tomato/spaghetti sauce into foods. For low carb, put spag sauce on top of sausages/meatballs, pizza burgers, etc.

    I blend fresh baby spinach into a protein shake w/ greek yogurt and chocolate protein powder. It's green-ish, but not spinach tasting at all. Blend it VERY well and it will become homogeneous.

    Cauliflower "rice" when sauteed in a pan Asian-style is quite good and not traditionally veggie-like.

    Incorporate veggies as toppings like lettuce as a burger wrap.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    Cauliflower "rice" when sauteed in a pan Asian-style is quite good and not traditionally veggie-like.

    Bleh.

    Wife tried to fool me like that once. It wasn't rice.

    (again, some may like it but I know I don't).
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    Cauliflower "rice" when sauteed in a pan Asian-style is quite good and not traditionally veggie-like.

    Bleh.

    Wife tried to fool me like that once. It wasn't rice.

    (again, some may like it but I know I don't).

    I tried cauliflower rice out of a packet.... it was absolutely disgusting.

    Cauliflower mash (head of cauli, 1 medium potato) with loads of butter and a spoonful of cream cheese however is one of my favourite low carb discoveries!
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    Cauliflower "rice" when sauteed in a pan Asian-style is quite good and not traditionally veggie-like.

    Bleh.

    Wife tried to fool me like that once. It wasn't rice.

    (again, some may like it but I know I don't).

    I tried cauliflower rice out of a packet.... it was absolutely disgusting.

    Cauliflower mash (head of cauli, 1 medium potato) with loads of butter and a spoonful of cream cheese however is one of my favourite low carb discoveries!

    I made that mistake once, too. It was absolutely vile!

    Cauliflower roasted with olive oil is delicious though. Just goes to show how much difference preparation can make.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited October 2018
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    I love roasting my vegetables and then sprinkling generously... or a better word would be 'dousing' them in everything bagel seasoning. I do carrots, red onion, broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, and asparagus that way.

    Spaghetti squash is pretty tasty but has a weird texture so that might be a bad suggestion lol.

    Also, bacon and cheese are both good ways to make veggies taste better. I personally don't care for cheese but bacon, yes. I like cooking up some chopped up bacon, and then sauteing diced onion, and then throwing already cooked green beans in there with some salt, pepper and onion powder. Or like, a green bean casserole is a good way to make it less vegetable-y.

    As for raw, I love cucumbers and tomatoes for that. I eat those with cottage cheese and, again, with that everything bagel seasoning. (yum). of course it's not summer anymore, so that's a bummer. Raw peppers are good as well. I like getting those little sweet peppers and dipping them in ranch or something. If you get the mini ones you don't have to cut them up. I just eat them whole off the stem. Baby carrots are good for snacking but I have to say I'm just not a fan of raw carrots.

    Making soups and casserole type meals is a good way to sneak in vegetables. shredded carrots can be thrown into spaghetti sauce, chili, etc.
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
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    It might help you to think of meals that are regulars in your household. From there, remove the carb element consider a vegetable that is either similar or that can replace the carb in terms of size/texture/function etc. For me, I have a hard time digesting vegetables so I either look for really well cooked veggies or ones that have been made into something else. Some things I've considered in my hunt for vegetables

    BBQ chicken with cauliflower mash (instead of regular mash)
    hamburger patty with roasted portabella mushroom caps for a bun
    baked eggplant slices with cheese, sausage and marinara. hide some additional spinach in there too
    fried green beans (use almond flour, not regular flour)
    fried zucchini sticks (use almond flour, not regular flour)
    omelette with spinach, tomato and onion
    Baked turkey with pureed squash

    Roasting helps a lot with vegetable flavoring but sauces and spices will be even better. Cauliflower is pretty mild vegetable and can be hidden easily by flavoring. If you have a favorite sauce or seasoning packet, put it on some roasted cauliflower with a little oil/salt/pepper.

    Vegetables also do really well in soups and chili. Cabbage is very mild in soup and the texture becomes soft, like a noodle. You can also mix in diced bell peppers, onion and corn into chili or chicken tortilla soup. Kale can also be used in soup and it isn't as rough to chew. Try kale, diced carrot, peas and sausage in vegetable broth.

    Or when in doubt, add bacon.

    Best of luck. I hope everything gets better.

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