Need help with vegetables!

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just2liveagain
just2liveagain Posts: 121
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys, I need help! I don't normally eat vegetables other than lettuce, tomato and different peppers, ( sad I know) the problem is I just don't know how to cook, or prepare them, and I don't know what kind of meals to make with them! I know I like broccoli, cuz I love it in the bird's eye chicken alfredo meal, but that has soo much sodium, it would be nice if I could find a recipe I could make like that. I just need to know what kind of vegetables would be good with grilled chicken and what kind of sauces or spices some of you might use with them! How do you cook them, in the pan or do you steam them or does it depend on what you're making? Any and all help with vegetables and preparation, or any meal ideas with veggies and chicken or would be greatly appreciated!! Also I need vegetables that are on the cheaper side but will last for more than just one meal.
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Replies

  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Take a bell pepper, two tomatoes and half an onion. Chop them up into little pieces.
    Put some chicken breast in a skillet and brown it. (I usually try to get it as cooked as possible to start with so I don't have to worry about whether its cooked all the way through.) Add in your chopped up pepper and onion and cook until your onions are starting to look see-through. Add in your chopped up tomato with as much juice as possible. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until tomatoes reach your preferred consistency. Season to taste. You can serve it on its own or on a bed of rice or with mashed potatoes.

    No need for oils or huge amounts of salt. Super easy and super delicious.I've been cooking since I was 11, so I experiment a lot. I made this one up a few years ago, so I don't have exact nutritional value, but when I cook it, I enter everything separately.
  • kirstysnan
    kirstysnan Posts: 47 Member
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    Stir fry veg could be your best friends. You like onions? garlic? both very good for you. You can use a little bit of olive oil in a pan or you can get spray oil. Cut up small and quickly cook broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, courgettes, carrots - only takes few minutes. Add a dash of soya sauce if you like it or get some spices - 5 spice is great sprinkled on.
  • Breathe_Glamour
    Breathe_Glamour Posts: 136
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    You should sign up with allrecipes.com, it is free and there is also an app for it, if you have a smartphone. The recipes are rated and they come from regular people just like us. With allrecipes.com you can type in the dish you want to make or the food you have, like chicken or broccoli, and a TON of recipes will appear with that specific ingredient. People leave comments about how to improve or substitute certain ingredients in the recipes.

    The best thing for you to do is experiment. If you don't have a lot of money, then I recommend visiting Wal-Mart for frozen veggies that you can use in cooking "experiments." Good luck.
  • sdgmom4
    sdgmom4 Posts: 17 Member
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    I like steaming my veggies. Broccoli, green beans, asparagus! If you look in the produce department you can even find veggies that you can steam right in the bag. I am not a great cook, so I just keep it simple.
  • CLotfy
    CLotfy Posts: 31
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    If you want to just start introducing different vegetables I'd buy some of the Green Giant or Bird's Eye frozen vegetable mixes. Some of them come lightly sauced with like garlic or cheese, or you can get them plain. They're easy to make, just steam right in the bag in your microwave for maybe 5 or 6 minutes. I just ate with my lunch 3/4 cup of cauliflower, carrots, and broccoli in a light cheese sauce for 64 calories.
  • littlewords
    littlewords Posts: 43
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    Almost all vegetables can be prepared many ways - steamed, sauteed, roasted. It's all about your preference. You can also grill them, if you have a grill (bbq).
  • GeneveSparkles
    GeneveSparkles Posts: 283 Member
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    Roasted veggies are the best! Toss just about any veggies in a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and minced garlic, place on a baking sheet, and place under the broiler until veggies are tender and a little charred (turn halfway through) I discovered brussels sprouts this year and became addicted, I cook them this way and they are so good!
  • JamesonsMommy
    JamesonsMommy Posts: 771 Member
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    allrecipes is a great place to start :) As far as chicken goes just about any vegetable will go with it :) You can roast just about any vegetable which gives it amazing flavor.. I found out over the summer i LOVE brussel sprouts ;) turnips can be peeled and cut into french fries and baked :) taste better than fries and very high in potassium :)
  • suzikay
    suzikay Posts: 50
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    I've bought a brilliant book by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, "River Cottage Veg Every Day". You might be able to get it via your library? He's a meat-lover who took the challenge to eat only veggies for a period of time, and it has resulted in some great recipes and meal ideas, many of which are light in calories and cost but not in flavour. We've been eating loads of meals from it since it arrived here, and I'm also adapting recipes to fit what we've bought in. A few days a week without meat or fish protein do no harm and the food tastes great!
  • vjrose
    vjrose Posts: 809 Member
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    Busy person here, so I add veggies to everything, chopped in my eggs in the morning, any veggies in my salad at lunch, tons of spinach (doctor's orders) and a huge amount of steamed veggies. I am on salt restriction, you likely aren't but I use lots of the different Mrs. Dash seasonings, shake on's are multiple spice blends from hot n spicy to sweet n spicy. They have a Zesty Garlic and herb Marinade that is amazing, just chop up some sweet potatoes, peppers and onions, put on some foil, drizzle with that and seal it all up so it steams, in the oven (400 for like 20 minutes) or on the grill. Look on allrecipes like someone else said. I have to keep it simple, meet myself coming and going some days, lol.
  • 16mixingbowls
    16mixingbowls Posts: 205 Member
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    Broccoli + garlic

    In a pan on medium high, pour a teaspoon of oil. (I use coconut.) Turn it around to coat the pan.
    But the broccoli in the pan and stir like crazy. You want the broccoli to sizzle and steam quickly. You want the stove hot enough so that the moisture from the broccoli does NOT bubble in the pan. You want it to quickly turn into steam and float away. This will keep the broccoli crunchy. If you don't stir it, it will burn.

    After about 3 minutes, add a few cloves of minced garlic. Stir it around for 30 seconds and then take off of the stove. Garlic burns SUPER FAST, so really, the heat in the pan will be enough to cook it. It's done!

    You can substitute other veggies in this same method. I often do brussel sprouts, cauliflower, fresh beets, carrots, or combinations this way.

    Make sure each piece if veggie is cut to about the same size. They will all cook in the same amount of time. No pieces too big or small.

    You can switch up the flavor by using balsamic vinegar, sweet chili sauce, or no garlic.
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
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    I steam my fresh veg mostly but also you can chop up carrots parsnip swede potato peppers onion peppers etc put them on a baking tray and drizzle a little olive oil over them sprinkle with herbs and roast in the oven (don't forget to log the oil though)

    Veggies are very versatile get yourself a cook book.:drinker:
  • tracikearns
    tracikearns Posts: 138 Member
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    I keep a 9X13 cake pan full of cut fresh feggies (carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, tomatoes etc..) and take it out of the fridge at every meal just to get in a few extra veggies, it keeps me from snacking on whatever it is that I am cooking as well.

    A couple of my favorite veggie recipes though:

    take a boneless skinless chicken breast and place it in a decent size piece of foil. Add whatever veggies you like, I use mushrooms, tomatoes, small potato, green beans & carrots. Season with salt/pepper. Wrap up in a couple layers of foil and you can bake in your oven for about 45 min to an hour. Once the veggies are tender, open it up and add a slice or two of your favorite cheese, close it for a few mins to melt cheese.

    Sautee mushrooms, zuchinni, squash in a pan with olive oil, season with salt/pepper. Once tender add 1 pint grape tomatoes and cover until tomatoes are soft and some of the juice has come out of them. Add a serving of cooked penne noodles and stir, add a little parmesean cheese and enjoy :)
  • 16mixingbowls
    16mixingbowls Posts: 205 Member
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    Look at the veggies that are on sale in your town and get them. Or get the veggies on sale at the farmer's market. Many veggies are not meant to be eaten all year round, and the are grown out of season but just for convenience's sake. The foods IN SEASON will taste best!

    Right now, in the US, root veggies and squashes/gourds/pumpkins are in season. Butternut, acorn, kombucha, and pumpkin squashes are in season. All of these can be roasted and turn out amazing! Peel, scoop out seeds, and cut into 1 inch square pieces. Place in a bowl and pour a tablespoon oil over, toss to coat. Sprinkle on salt, thyme, oregano, or whatever seasoning you like. Pour the bowl on a cookie sheet and spread out. The pieces should be barely touching. If it's too packed together, they won't cook right. Put into a PREHEATED oven that is at 425. Roast them for 12 minutes. They will look browned, wrinkly, and shrunken when they're done. Sometimes I sprinkle a dash of cinnamon on if I'm feeling in a sweet mood.

    Oh, frozen veggies are often great too! I just got a bag of 5 pounds of organic green beans at Costco for $6, which is less than a dollar a pound for organic!
  • acdeed
    acdeed Posts: 36 Member
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    Hey guys, I need help! I don't normally eat vegetables other than lettuce, tomato and different peppers, ( sad I know) the problem is I just don't know how to cook, or prepare them, and I don't know what kind of meals to make with them! I know I like broccoli, cuz I love it in the bird's eye chicken alfredo meal, but that has soo much sodium, it would be nice if I could find a recipe I could make like that. I just need to know what kind of vegetables would be good with grilled chicken and what kind of sauces or spices some of you might use with them! How do you cook them, in the pan or do you steam them or does it depend on what you're making? Any and all help with vegetables and preparation, or any meal ideas with veggies and chicken or would be greatly appreciated!! Also I need vegetables that are on the cheaper side but will last for more than just one meal.

    try http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/
    it is a blog that is full of easy vegetable recipes.
  • NuMe46
    NuMe46 Posts: 128
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    Steaming veggies like broccoli or cauliflower is easy. You can place them in a bowl, add a teaspoon of water and cover with cling wrap leaving a vent. You can season them after they are steamed. Lemon is especially good on broccoli.

    Root vegetables, like carrots, turnips, rutabaga and butternut squash are best roasted. For easy roasting, line a pan with foil, place cut up peeled vegetables in a large ziploc bag and add a tablespoon or two of olive oil, salt and pepper. Shake it good to cover the veggies with the oil. Place the veggies in the pan and cover with foil. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, uncover and continue roasting until the veggies are tender when you stick them with a fork. If you want to add onions, cut them in wedges and add them after the other veggies have cooked for 30 minutes.
  • yeabby
    yeabby Posts: 643 Member
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    We roast everything; broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, brussel sprouts , parsnips, carrots, potatoes, green beans.....

    Cut to bite size-ish (except, asparagus and green beans). Toss with a little olive oil, sea (or kosher) salt and pepper. Spread on a cookie sheet and put in oven for 25 minutes (except asparagus and green beans - 13 minutes) at 350 degrees. Yum!
  • ninjakitty419
    ninjakitty419 Posts: 349 Member
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    Bump

    I need to be able to look back at this thread too because I have the exact same problem as the OP. I like veggies but when I go to the store I just stand there because I dont even know what to buy, or what to do with it when I get it home.
  • just2liveagain
    just2liveagain Posts: 121
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    Wow, a lot of responses so quickly! Thank you all for answering and giving ideas and recipes, gonna go to the store in a bit and see what I can get to last me all week! I also don't have any seasonings but salt n pepper and a steak seasoning, so I will be looking for some of the ones mentioned, thanks so much again! Can't wait to try these ideas and see what I like, it would be great to be able to incorporate more veggies into not only my meals but also if I could find a way to get them into my kids and boyfriend's meals too! :)
  • LivLovLrn
    LivLovLrn Posts: 577 Member
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    I used to not like veggies, then I started eating them raw are realized I liked them! Salads are a great way to eat veggies, and there are so many types (with and without lettuce)
    My favorite way to eat cooked veggies is grilled, YUM!
    I agree that your best bet, if you are intent on cooking them, is to find a good website. You could get the veggie you want to cook then google recipes for it (eg "broccoli recipes") that way you find a wide variety of ways to cook it, and different options of other ingredients. I usually look through recipes until I find one that sounds tasty using mostly ingredients I already have or use on a regular basis.

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