Easy ways to include vegetables in diet?
 

I'm rather picky because while I love cooked vegetables of all kinds, I don't like raw vegetables. Hving cooked vegetables around takes a bit of forethought. Often, I end up grabbing a V8 because at least that's an easy way to get some vegetables in the diet. That's all well and good, but it only provides one serving of vegetables.

So I'm wondering, if anyone has some sneaky or super easy tips for adding more vegetables to one's diet. Also, how do you do your meal planning so you are sure to eat some vegetables every day?

carrot sticks with salt and pepper, celery and almond butter, plain fennel (actually quite pleasant raw) are some of my stand-bys.

I guess "potato chips" isn't among the answers you're looking for :p

I agree with the veggies
 

I so agree with you on the raw veggies. All I've been doing is just telling myself to eat them because I'm hungry! I'm hoping that over time I will acquire a taste for them and want to eat more. So far the only one I've found that I like raw are bell peppers.

If we make vegetables in some interesting but healthy way then we always feel happy to eat them. my friend cook veggies in healthier and tasty way.;)

slip some red and yellow bell peppers into your sandwiches. Make up a cucumber, tomato and onion salad with a light vinaigrette; let it marinate overnight and it will be delicious for lunch the next day. Make homemade salsa, you can incorporate all sorts of good veggies into it.

One really good salad that has been a hit with my folks recently is a base of arugula, with sliced avocado, mango, red onion and jalapenos thrown in. Add orange champagne vinegar just before serving. It has made believers out of skeptics :D

We like to bake or grill sweet potatoes as a bunch and just heat them up as needed. Personally I like to add a little spice (I use pureed chipotle with adobo sauce).

For salads I use a 50/50 blend of lettuce with spinach. The spinach adds a lot of nutrition that the lettuce does not have (I hardly consider lettuce a vegetable).

I also like Brussel sprouts cooked in a little olive oil with onions. Again we will cook up a larger batch at a time to make several servings.

While I don't do have this very often, a little ranch dressing makes a great dip to get some raw veggies in...carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.

I guess I am a little bit of the opposite of you, I would rather have raw veggies then the cooked ones. They are simple and fast, always ready for me. I am trying to like more variety of cook vegetables.

Frozen vegetables are a great stand by and are quick as they are already partially cooked.

I purchase fresh vegetables from the farmer's market or the grocery store. When i bring them home I clean them and cut them up so that I do not have to deal with prep work on the days I need to get a quick meal on the table

One of the things I have found is making a wonderful vegetable soup. Make a HUGE batch and freeze in single serving containers. You start by cooking down some onion, celery, garlic and carrots then add water and the seasons that you like. Throw in tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, beans really anything that you like just make sure there is a lot of things in the soup -- it should be chunky almost like a stew but with out the thickening agent and meat. It makes a great meal to take to work (just pop it in the microwave and eat) or as an appetizer or a middle of the afternoon snack.

Another thing I have found is adding vegetables to everything. I add them to my egg white omelets (spinach, mushrooms, asparagus really anything left over from the night before)
I add it to pasta sauces. I even make a whole wheat pasta and while I am waiting for the water to boil I saute (with very little olive oil) garlic, red pepper flakes, green peppers, onions, asparagus celery, then when the pasta is al-dente I throw in some halved cherry tomatoes chopped up spinach, fresh basil, oregano and the pasta and toss it together until the spinach is wilted and the tomatoes are warm. Serve with a small amount of Parmesan cheese as a side with some grilled chicken or pork. I will even do the same but use the left over meat from a earlier meal tossed into the pasta. It really doesn't take much longer then just the cooking of the pasta.

A really fast, easy (and cheap) way to get in the cooked vegetables that you already like is to buy the frozen ones without sauce or salt added. Buy whatever veggies you like (peas and carrots are easy), and toss a handful or two into whatever you are having for dinner: rice, pasta, casseroles, soups, spaghetti sauce, burritos, mac & cheese.....so many options and so easy! When I don't feel like cooking, I will sometimes throw a bunch into a diet frozen dinner so I get the added nutrients along with bulking up the skimpy meal. Some of those "dinners" are so small and have a pathetic amount of veggies!

Frozen veggies have gotten a bad rap that really isn't earned. They can be just as nutritious as the fresh kinds, sometimes even more when you consider how long many of our "fresh" veggies sit in a truck or on a boat before they get to us, losing vitamins along the way.

Edit: Just realized that wasranch said pretty much the same thing I did. For some reason I didn't see the last few posts when I read the thread. Didn't mean to repeat! ;)

Get those steamer packs, either in the produce section or in the freezer section, that you can pop in the microwave. They cook quickly (just be careful opening them). Try to include a vegetable with every meal and you'll eat fewer overall calories.

I once saw someone on a cooking show puree the veggies. It was a way she got her kids to eat vegetables. I prefer to eat vegetables whole (like beans and brocolli) but it would be a way to get vegetables in.
Pesto would be an idea too because you could use whatever greens you like.

How about a green smoothy?
http://www.fitday.com/fitness/forums...e-recipes.html

Steamed
 

Hi,

I found a very quick, easy & cheap way of having my veg was buying it frozen. Then all I have to do is weigh it out & stick it into the steamer.

easy way to include vegetables diet. I also like Brussel sprouts cooked in a little olive oil with onions. Again we will cook up a larger batch at a time to make several servings.

I always.......Cook vegetables in bulk and refrigerate separately. Mixing is hard to count calories....Juice all vegetables I hate (I hate most of them ). Carrot/apple mixed with a hated green.....Crockpot=my bean maker, super easy to over night cook......I also started pureeing vegetables with cottage cheese, sounds weird but I wolf it down. Since Im never gonna sit around snacking on vegetables I had to figure ways to cook them easily in bulk and get them in me........thats whats most important to me. Oh, I usually cook about every 4 days, for 4 of us.

Insalata russa (russian salad in Italian) is cooked diced vegetables bound together with mayonnaise (homemade, of course!). Very tasty! Make it with light mayo that you buy. Add some lemon juice to the mayo to make it more citrusy and tart. Yumm.

You can always put vegetables in egg whites.I pour about a cup of egg whites from a carton into a microwavable dish,and add vegetables.
You can use any veg that you have cooked first.Maybe add a little light cheese.Fast easy protein and veg.
Green Giant creamed spinach, with some 2% Swiss cheese is great.

Raw veggies
 

What I do is cut up some celery, cucumbers, yellow squash put them in a zip lock and add some onion powder close and shake. Put it in the and ready to eat at anytime. Not many calories or carbs

I've blended cooked white beans into eggs when I make a breakfast dish. No one is the wiser, even me! Higher protein and fiber, low G.I.

This simple rice dish with artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and green onions is fast, low in calories, and low-fat. This recipe qualifies as a diet recipe, but it is quite tasty and will appeal to all.
Ingredients:

1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, undrained
1 can (16 ounces) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1-1/2 cups uncooked instant rice
3 green onions, with tops, sliced

Preparation:
Mix artichoke hearts, tomatoes, rice, and green onions in 10-inch skillet. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until rice is tender.

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Juicing Veggies
 

I get mine by juicing. My favorite is 1 carrot, 2 stalks celery, 2 tomatos, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 apple. Delicious and instant energy! Also a great drink before or after a vigorous workout.:D