ILiveInFlipFlops Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 I need to work more veggies into our diet. We all like fresh veggies, but we get burned out on them very quickly if we're eating them constantly. How do you keep the veggies in rotation without getting sick of them? Does anyone have any good recipes for cooking/preparing them? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymonster Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 I only wish my children would be enthusiastic veggie and fruit eaters. I am reduced to "sneaking" them into everything -- mostly muffins, quick breads and the like. I make pumpkin muffins and zucchini muffins weekly (just a banana muffin recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook where I trade out bananas for other fruits or veggies). Everything is served with the "option" of "spaghetti sauce" that has tons of veggies pureed into it. Every chocolate cake we have has four ounces of steamed, pureed spinach and one cup of pureed blueberries in it. It isn't enough, but it does add some veggies they wouldn't otherwise eat. I am interested to hear other suggestions, as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 I only wish my children would be enthusiastic veggie and fruit eaters. I am reduced to "sneaking" them into everything -- mostly muffins, quick breads and the like. I make pumpkin muffins and zucchini muffins weekly (just a banana muffin recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook where I trade out bananas for other fruits or veggies). Everything is served with the "option" of "spaghetti sauce" that has tons of veggies pureed into it. Every chocolate cake we have has four ounces of steamed, pureed spinach and one cup of pureed blueberries in it. It isn't enough, but it does add some veggies they wouldn't otherwise eat. I am interested to hear other suggestions, as well! Ugh. I'll admit that I'm grateful I don't have to resort to this! My kids will eat them, but we seem to be stuck in a rut of little tomatoes, roasted cauliflower, cut-up peppers, etc. Even I'm sick of looking at this stuff. I need some new ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Soup. I make a lot of soup. I usually only make soup in the winter so I use frozen veggies. I throw them all into a pot with some water and various seasonings I have on hand. When the veggies are tender I puree them with my hand blender to give it an even texture. Yesterday's soup: Artichoke hearts Asparagus Peas Broccoli Spinach Cabbage Onion *Hominy I forget I threw in a can of hominy to thicken it For seasoning I used: garlic powder Curry powder Salt Pepper Chicken grill season mix (homemade mix) Italian seasoning (homemade mix) I browned the onion and cooked the cabbage with a bit of olive oil. ETA: Added one forgotten ingredient and I just wanted to say that not only did my DS eat it, he went back for 3rds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Just saw this on a friend's Facebook page and I thought it was a good reminder about roasted vegetables. My family loves them but somehow we get out of the habit. http://www.thekitchn.com/5-cooking-tips-to-help-skeptics-fall-in-love-with-vegetables-199387 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 We... steam carrots or green beans. roast potatoes, sweet potatoes or mushrooms. make fries out of zucchini or sweet potatoes saute for stir fry or frittata mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, and broccoli. make smoothies using frozen fruit with kale or baby spinach. make chicken soup with carrots, celery, potatoes, or whatever else is handy. And DS actually will eat frozen peas unthawed. For eating raw, consider some different veggies (cucumber? jicama?) and different dips (hummus? a honey mustard dressing?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 A while ago, I told myself I was going to try a new veggie every week until I had tried them all. We had a good diet, but there were things I'd never tried because I didn't grow up with them. I learned we love parsnips and brussel sprouts! :) I always have available raw veggies with dipping sauce. I make it up on the day I go shopping and the kids are welcome to snack from the tray anytime. I put- Celery Broccoli Cauliflower Carrots Grape tomatoes Sugar snap peas Cucumber In the tray. Not all of them every week, but I try to get 4-5 things. Everyday, with dinner, we have a salad. Some of the ones we like are- Romaine, shredded asiago, croutons, creamy caesar dressing Iceberg, tomatoes, red onions, red wine vinegar or lemon and olive oil dressing Spinach, feta, cucumber, sunflower seeds, red onion, poppyseed dressing Iceberg, tomatoes, shredded carrot, broccoli, a bit of shredded purple cabbage, ginger dressing Purple cabbage, apples, peanuts, slaw dressing Tomato, mozzarella, basil pesto, balsamic glaze I make a cooked vegetable every night for dinner. Roasted, pan fried, steamed, grilled, baked... I make sure I have five different vegetables per week. Some that we love Artichoke-steamed, scrape the meat off the leaves dipped in mayo Asparagus-grilled with lemon and garlic Acorn squash-sliced in half and baked, top with butter, or in soups or stews Broccoli-steamed, with butter and garlic, baked into quiches, covered with melted cheese Brussel sprouts-pan fried in bacon grease, with chopped bacon thrown in Butternut squash-sliced in half, baked, then scoop out the insides, mix with butter and garlic. Or you can make a delicious soup, after you bake it, mix the insides with chicken stock and heavy cream, purée them and add salt and pepper. Celery-goes into soups and stews Carrots-flash boiled then mix with honey and roast Cabbage-in a salad or pan fried for stir fry Cauliflower-riced, in place of mashed potatoes, roasted, steamed Green beans-steamed, baked in casserole, or breaded and fried Kale-in soups, or drizzled with olive oil and salt and baked into chips Parsnips-roasted with other root veggies Peas-I out them into pastas, soups, or just steam them on the side Peppers-we don't really like them cooked, but will eat them raw Potatoes-endlessly versatile lol Sweet potatoes-mashed, roasted, cubed into soup Spaghetti squash-baked and shredded with butter, sugar and ginger or used in place of pasta Spinach-sautéed, made into spinach artichoke dip, in quiches, in soups Yellow squash-I love this and zucchini sautéed with onion and butter. In stir fry, in baked goods Zucchini-same as yellow squash, also love these breaded and fried or baked Again, we haven't tried all of them, there are still so many I want to experiment with! It's been fun experimenting and trying new things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Today's menu: lunch salad made of canellini beans, frozen peas and corn (lightly steamed) and chopped tomatoes, dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Served with ciabatta rolls. Supper: ham hock pea soup, with raw small carrots on the side and fruit to follow. Another good recipe: 7 vegetable tagine. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Dinner tonight is: Frozen artichoke alfredo sauce over spaghetti squash and steamed yellow squash ribbons. To make the yellow squash ribbons you just slice the yellow squash into thin ribbons and steam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 AMDG We don't eat meat so, I suppose if it weren't for veggies, we'd get pretty hungry! We just finished eating and had Salad Mashed potatoes Green beans/onions Roasted butternut squash Tofu We had the salad as soon as we got home b/c it takes a couple of hours to make the green beans. Then we had the rest. We often have mujadarra with a huge heaping of isreali salad on top. My point there is that the our meals are mostly veggies with a smaller portion of protein. We also have soups very often and most of those have a ton of veggies. Happily, my kiddo was born into a veg family and doesn't know any other way to eat. Unfortunately, that means I don't have anything in the way of transition advice. Sorry about that. Well, I will say this: If you want someone to enjoy veggies, they should be delicious and flavorful. In our opinion, that usually means fresh, sautéed, roasted, et c. With the exception of soups and a very few other things, boiled isnt very flattering for a veggie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilma Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 I gave myself a cookbook for Christmas. It's all veggies, written by Mollie Katzen. It's called The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without and everything I've tried out of it has been amazing! There is such a variety of dishes and flavors in that book. I highly recommend it. Vegetables do not have to be boring. And you don't have to eat the same ones every week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Don't forget vegetable juice. We always have some low sodium V8 in the fridge...and it gets eaten, lol. I just always plan the veggies first for any meal. I do find they get eaten more if they are prepped and ready to go. So, I have baby carrot in the fridge and prewashed green beans and I cut up celery etc. I buy a huge bag of chopped up broccoli and use that in lots of things. I sometimes buy packaged 'broccoli slaw', which is shredded broccoli stems and carrots and maybe some cabbage. It gets tossed into lots of things. It is shredded so it cooks almost right away. For some reason my kids like eating whole romaine lettuce leaves instead of salad. I think they find it amusing to eat the big leaves. I am not going to argue. For lunch I often give them 4 or 5 romaine lettuce leaves with some dressing as 'dip' as their vegetable. Someone already mentioned soups. It is good to have a dependable minestrone recipe. Don't forget that tomato sauce is a vegetable, I found a pasta sauce that doesn't have any added sugar or corn syrup. I always put some in the bottom of their bowl under the pasta and then more on top. That way they are getting more than they think. I want them to get a lot of sauce. If the kids mention wanting a snack I always offer veggies first. Every lunch and dinner has veggies as the side dish. If I make muffins etc it is zucchini muffins, but I don't count that as eating a vegetable. I see that as more making vegetables part of our every day eating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 We roast all kinds of veggies, from eggplant to okra. I roast the eggplant with a fair amount of olive oil, for about an hour, then add it to spagetti sauce with pasta. It's excellent! Roasting seems to take away the slimy aspect of the okra. DS10 loves it. I also roast all kinds of squash, rutabagas, and turnips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy in Australia Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I don't know if you use Pinterest, but I found a huge amount of vegetable recipes. I also found I could narrow down the recipes to suit our family's taste, (e.g. I typed in "mediterranean vegetable" and got quite a few ideas - that seems to be the winner for us: lots of olive oil & garlic :drool: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staceyshoe Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Green smoothies in the morning help. We also love any veggie roasted. I put *a lot* of veggies in soup. The chili I just made is chock full of carrots, beets, kale, and zucchini along with the typical ingredients. It looks a little different, but it just tastes like chili. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I need new ideas also. We all prefer roasted veggies, especially Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and brocolli. I also like doing it with purple cabbage (tossed in EVOO and salt/pepper) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 For lunch this afternoon, I sauteed some onions, thinly sliced cabbage and thinly sliced green apples. About halfway through I poured in a little white wine. Seasonings were some salt and a little celery salt. Added some sauteed chicken breast. It was really good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 A while ago, I told myself I was going to try a new veggie every week until I had tried them all. We had a good diet, but there were things I'd never tried because I didn't grow up with them. I learned we love parsnips and brussel sprouts! :) I always have available raw veggies with dipping sauce. I make it up on the day I go shopping and the kids are welcome to snack from the tray anytime. I put- Celery Broccoli Cauliflower Carrots Grape tomatoes Sugar snap peas Cucumber In the tray. Not all of them every week, but I try to get 4-5 things. Everyday, with dinner, we have a salad. Some of the ones we like are- Romaine, shredded asiago, croutons, creamy caesar dressing Iceberg, tomatoes, red onions, red wine vinegar or lemon and olive oil dressing Spinach, feta, cucumber, sunflower seeds, red onion, poppyseed dressing Iceberg, tomatoes, shredded carrot, broccoli, a bit of shredded purple cabbage, ginger dressing Purple cabbage, apples, peanuts, slaw dressing Tomato, mozzarella, basil pesto, balsamic glaze I make a cooked vegetable every night for dinner. Roasted, pan fried, steamed, grilled, baked... I make sure I have five different vegetables per week. Some that we love Artichoke-steamed, scrape the meat off the leaves dipped in mayo Asparagus-grilled with lemon and garlic Acorn squash-sliced in half and baked, top with butter, or in soups or stews Broccoli-steamed, with butter and garlic, baked into quiches, covered with melted cheese Brussel sprouts-pan fried in bacon grease, with chopped bacon thrown in Butternut squash-sliced in half, baked, then scoop out the insides, mix with butter and garlic. Or you can make a delicious soup, after you bake it, mix the insides with chicken stock and heavy cream, purée them and add salt and pepper. Celery-goes into soups and stews Carrots-flash boiled then mix with honey and roast Cabbage-in a salad or pan fried for stir fry Cauliflower-riced, in place of mashed potatoes, roasted, steamed Green beans-steamed, baked in casserole, or breaded and fried Kale-in soups, or drizzled with olive oil and salt and baked into chips Parsnips-roasted with other root veggies Peas-I out them into pastas, soups, or just steam them on the side Peppers-we don't really like them cooked, but will eat them raw Potatoes-endlessly versatile lol Sweet potatoes-mashed, roasted, cubed into soup Spaghetti squash-baked and shredded with butter, sugar and ginger or used in place of pasta Spinach-sautéed, made into spinach artichoke dip, in quiches, in soups Yellow squash-I love this and zucchini sautéed with onion and butter. In stir fry, in baked goods Zucchini-same as yellow squash, also love these breaded and fried or baked Again, we haven't tried all of them, there are still so many I want to experiment with! It's been fun experimenting and trying new things! Thank you for this list, it has inspired me to make a list of all of the vegetable dishes I make and see where I can add new, we are getting in a rut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I gave myself a cookbook for Christmas. It's all veggies, written by Mollie Katzen. It's called The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without and everything I've tried out of it has been amazing! There is such a variety of dishes and flavors in that book. I highly recommend it. Vegetables do not have to be boring. And you don't have to eat the same ones every week. Oh..it is by the lady that wrote the Moosewood Cookbook. Nice, I will look into that. ETA: Looks like my library has it. Hooray! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambam Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 For afternoon snacks, I wash and tear off bite-sized pieces of kale, dry thoroughly, spray with olive oil, sprinkle lightly with salt, bake about 10 minutes at 350. Watch closely because you don't want them to get too crispy. Yummy! They disappear almost instantly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I made mashed sweet potatoes and carrots for lunch. Everyone seemed to like it. Well DD ate her portion and didn't ask for more but I'll still consider that a win. Peel and slice about a pound of carrots - then boil for about five minutes and drain Peel and dice about a pound of sweet potatoes In a 9x11 baking pan add a tablespoon of olive oil, a cup of chicken broth, a few tablespoons of brown sugar and mix. Then add potatoes and carrots. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for about an hour. Basically until everything is soft. Pour into mixer and beat with 4 oz of room temperature cream cheese. We had it with pork chops. Next time I think I'm going to add a bit of cinnamon and maybe no brown sugar. I might try light cream cheese also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Dd's favorites: I cook with sweet potatoes quite a bit, I usually dice them, I then throw them into a roasting pan with olive oil, fresh rosemary, salt, and pepper. Butternut squash is also good this way but we usually use it for soup. She also likes roasted asparagus and Brussels sprouts. I roast things quite a bit, we like the flavor and it can be healthier than other methods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewber Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I've finally found a veggie heavy breakfast I like. I use a pre-cooked chicken sausage and frozen peppers and onions which makes it very easy. Just saute the peppers, onions and sausage until veggies are tender and sausage is heated through. Then add in several generous handfuls of baby spinach and sliced campari or cherry tomatoes, and cook until spinach is wilted and tomato is warm. Season with pepper. I have been using the jalapeno or other spicy sausage so it has plenty of flavor. At that point you can also break an egg on top and bake until set, but I've just been doing the veggies and sausage. Veggies at breakfast is a bonus in my world for sure! I'm going to look into that cookbook too. I need more dinner veggie recipes. Seems like I always make the same ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I try to get veggies into us at every meal. It all adds up. Veggie Fritatta- amazing what one can cram into this. Good veggies for a frittata or quiche: sauteed bok choy, kale, chard, collard greens, tomatoes (a fruit, but yummy lol), onions, garlic, chopped broccoli, spinach. Sometimes I use a few different greens in one dish. A mild chard is fine with arugula or kale etc. Sauteed peppers are nice as well. You can treat scrambles eggs the same. (Baby bok choy is so mild-- very easy to add without strong flavor (unlike arugula, which is peppery. Some children aren't sure about it.) Lunch-- all the dipping veggies: sliced peppers, carrots etc. I often chop arugula and parsley into tuna or chicken salad. Dinner almost always includes a green salad. I chop a good handful of parsley (I try to use lots of parsley, and cooked garlic & onions in as many dishes as possible as they have antibacterial and antiviral properties), chopped arugula (if you like a little spice). I might shred red or green cabbage over it. In winter I skip the tomatoes. A nice olive oil and lemon or balsamic dressing with salt and pepper really all I manage most nights (unless it's summer :)). In stews I will often use squashes instead of potato. I limit white potato, but do sweet potato a couple of times a week. Zucchini, yellow squash, turnips, rutabaga, hard squashes are good ins soups and stews as well. So is eggplant, for that matter. If you cook eggplant long enough it disappears. Kids won't even notice. Last night I made chicken soup with chard and mild kale, onions, sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, chopped tomatoes. Simple salad as stated above. If you saute the veggies first, they will have a nice sweetness. Tonight is meatloaf. I plan to saute diced red peppers, chard, onions, garlic ,parsley, and roasted (canned) tomatoes together and add it to the meatloaf mixture. Side is roasted baby broccoli. I don't have lettuce in the house right now, so we'll skip a salad. I usually start supper by slicing up an onion, and at the same time cut up some carrot sticks. I pass them around right before I start sauteing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solascriptura Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Consider ethnic foods. When I eat Asian cuisines, eating veggies is effortless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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