Vegetable consumption

[Ausmumof3]

Well, anyone wanting zucchini just has to show up at (my) church tomorrow. We'll be taking a pretty large bag there to give away to anyone wanting it. I'm getting about 8 per day (and summer squash has just started too), far more than we can use even eating it for breakfast and lunch and we're not really fond of that frozen. In a little bit - perhaps already - it will be tough to give it away as so many will have more than they need. :lol:

 

I suspect in the Apocalypse squash plants produce the most food for the space!

 

I still love it for breakfast (sauteed in olive oil) and lunch (microwaved in butter with salt added) though. I'm pretty sure I got my three cups for the day right there not even counting the peas, pepper, onions, mushrooms (does fungus count?) or blueberries and cherries we also had today.

 

If it weren't so hot I'd be making squash soup soon using a recipe from my mom. That stuff is really good, but not on 90+ degree days.

Lol... I sometimes suspect in the apocalypse a giant zucchini plant is gonna take over the world!

[Ausmumof3]

Is it possible that people don't know what a serving of veggies is? I mean, you can eat one salad and get three servings.

 

I think I'm a supertaster. This makes beer and coffee too bitter to drink, but I still appreciate a bit of bitterness as a flavor. I can't eat brussel sprouts (even if they're "cooked right") but I eat and enjoy most other foods.

 

I grew up on a "Southern" diet, but to me that meant a LOT of meals from the garden and a lot of beans and cornbread for dinner. Yes, the green beans were cooked too long and the chicken was fried, but meat was never the bulk of our diet. We had a lot of salads in the summer and a lot of stews in the winter. My parents grew up with huge gardens too and they LIKED vegetables. All four of us kids LIKE vegetables. I like salads, but I LOVE soups. They're just more work.

 

My garden is ridiculous by comparison, but I can walk to a farmers market on Sunday and drive to one in five minutes on two other days. My theory is that there are a lot of people who have only had grocery store veggies so they don't understand what really good vegetables taste like. I'm sure everything in the store is grown for hardiness during shipping and appearance, but local gardens varieties are often grown for taste and meant to be eaten the day they're harvested.

According the the gov campaign a serve is 1 cup of chopped salad or 1/2 cup of cooked veg. If anything it's more than what many think is a serve. Though ours is "go for 2 and 5" so 2 of fruit and 5 of veg. We usually get our 3 of veg at dinner and on good days we'll have two at lunch but on rushed days when we are out were more likely to just end up with something carb based as it's cheaper than buying pre prepped salad for all of us.

 

When you are pregnant or feeding the recommendation is 7 and 8 serves of veg which I found really hard as a lot of veg would make me want to throw up.

 

I think convenience is the biggest issue with people eating enough veg. Some days it's just too much effort to take the extra five minutes to dice up something healthy and clean up.

[Ausmumof3]

I think another thought that leads to not having vegetables is tight budgets.

 

I know that everyone says that eating vegetables isn't more expensive, but for us, it definitely is. I can feed my kids a box of mac and cheese (the cheap stuff) for about 75 cents or 2 packages of ramen for 40 cents. That fills them up for about 3 hours. The same kid will need a lot more than 75 cents worth of fruits and vegetables to fill up. And if you have picky kids, maybe you spend a dollar on their portion, and then, they DON"T EAT IT. So you have to spend more money on things that they actually will eat, so that they aren't hungry. And now, instead of your kid being full on 40 cents of ramen, you've thrown away a dollar of vegetables, plus served them 40 more cents of something they'll eat. It seems so, so hard when your grocery budget is very, very tight.

 

I know that at the bottom of our tight grocery budget days, I had a goal of 5 fruits and veg for my kids every day. I only bought the things that I knew they liked. We never tried anything new, because I didn't know if they would like it or not, and I couldn't waste the money on trying it out. It made their diets pretty limited, but at least we got our 5 servings.

 

Now, our budget is much looser, and i can introduce new things. Which is hugely liberating. But that feeling isn't something I can quickly forget.

This is so true for us. I like a wide range of veg so I can always find something seasonal that I will enjoy eating. My girl is like me but my boys are picky. They like beans and snow peas some lettuce but not too much and a little bit of celery. However when those veg aren't in season it gets a lot dearer to feed them healthy food they will actually eat. When I go frugal and seasonal the Chickens thrive on the leftovers! One option that is always cheap and they will always eat is carrot although I struggle to eat them on the off season when they get that strong taste. Yuck.

[FaithManor]

Lol... I sometimes suspect in the apocalypse a giant zucchini plant is gonna take over the world!

If you read David Barry's "History of the Millenium", you will find out about the dangers of apocalyptic zucchini!

[Ausmumof3]

I don't want to argue against any particular person's reasons for finding vegetables too expensive for children; we all have different budgets, time restraints, cooking skill, kitchen facilities, and even grocery availability, so this is NOT meant to be personal in any way. I just want to share a few ways I managed vegetables for my children when my budget was very, very low:

 

1. If a picky child's "yes" list has been determined, then fruit/veg on that list aren't going to waste. If he's only willing to eat peas and green beans and applesauce, then he should get them as often as he'll eat them. Trials of new fruit/veg are "just one bite" of a serving that someone else in the family WILL eat if he doesn't, so there's no significant waste in trying that way.

 

2. (On to non-picky) Some veggies are not quick to spoil and can substitute for less nutritious starches. When my boys were little they liked sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash (marinara), and winter squashes. The sweet potatoes and squashes will keep for a long time.

 

3. I didn't make salads ahead of time. I washed and trimmed the greens, and washed and chopped or diced the other ingredients, but put them all in separate containers, and made each plate right before dinner. Two reasons -- nobody's picking through their salad and wasting it just because they hate carrots and mushrooms, and then the leftover salad veg won't cause the greens to wilt and spoil too quickly because they're being put back in the fridge separately.

 

4. If the children will eat soups and stews, the vegetables go into these, with a little meat and some good broth and beans. Leftover soup can be frozen for another day. Frozen vegetables work very well for soups, because of all the flavors melding together, so you can only take what you need from the bag and save the rest in the freezer. Watch for sales at Kroger and Aldi, and stock up on your frozen soup veg. (If the fresh veg are cheaper than frozen -- for soup veg they aren't cheaper here -- then all at once, yourself, wash, chop, blanch, and freeze for convenience later, and to prevent wasting fresh veg.) Add fresh onions and celery, a garlic clove or two...this IS cheap food. Add some sort of bread and this is very filling food, as well.

 

Again, no need to portion out huge bowls for little kids. If I wasn't sure my boys would like a new soup recipe, they got half a mugful to start. If they finished that and wanted more, they could have as much as they'd eat. But people over-serve children all the time and then get upset at the waste! Start with a spoonful of a new food, or a child-sized portion of a favorite food, and then allow seconds.

 

I don't see vegetables as optional. I'd skimp on meat, first, and add more beans and other vegetarian proteins. The health that comes from "two greens and a yellow" every day is more than I want to risk for my children, and we're talking about such a small amount of food to hit the recommended servings. Also my boys have celiac disease so all the nutrients count; complex carb veg take the place of bread here in most meals.

 

Please don't take this personally, anybody, if none of these suggestions apply and you still can't afford vegetables for your children, and you are not willing or able to utilize food stamps, WIC, and local food pantry resources to get any vegetables at all, then that is your reality. I'm just sharing what I have done.

Thank you. This is a very practical and achievable approach to kids and veg eating.

[Bluegoat]

I don't want to argue against any particular person's reasons for finding vegetables too expensive for children; we all have different budgets, time restraints, cooking skill, kitchen facilities, and even grocery availability, so this is NOT meant to be personal in any way. I just want to share a few ways I managed vegetables for my children when my budget was very, very low:

 

1. If a picky child's "yes" list has been determined, then fruit/veg on that list aren't going to waste. If he's only willing to eat peas and green beans and applesauce, then he should get them as often as he'll eat them. Trials of new fruit/veg are "just one bite" of a serving that someone else in the family WILL eat if he doesn't, so there's no significant waste in trying that way.

 

2. (On to non-picky) Some veggies are not quick to spoil and can substitute for less nutritious starches. When my boys were little they liked sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash (marinara), and winter squashes. The sweet potatoes and squashes will keep for a long time.

 

3. I didn't make salads ahead of time. I washed and trimmed the greens, and washed and chopped or diced the other ingredients, but put them all in separate containers, and made each plate right before dinner. Two reasons -- nobody's picking through their salad and wasting it just because they hate carrots and mushrooms, and then the leftover salad veg won't cause the greens to wilt and spoil too quickly because they're being put back in the fridge separately.

 

4. If the children will eat soups and stews, the vegetables go into these, with a little meat and some good broth and beans. Leftover soup can be frozen for another day. Frozen vegetables work very well for soups, because of all the flavors melding together, so you can only take what you need from the bag and save the rest in the freezer. Watch for sales at Kroger and Aldi, and stock up on your frozen soup veg. (If the fresh veg are cheaper than frozen -- for soup veg they aren't cheaper here -- then all at once, yourself, wash, chop, blanch, and freeze for convenience later, and to prevent wasting fresh veg.) Add fresh onions and celery, a garlic clove or two...this IS cheap food. Add some sort of bread and this is very filling food, as well.

 

Again, no need to portion out huge bowls for little kids. If I wasn't sure my boys would like a new soup recipe, they got half a mugful to start. If they finished that and wanted more, they could have as much as they'd eat. But people over-serve children all the time and then get upset at the waste! Start with a spoonful of a new food, or a child-sized portion of a favorite food, and then allow seconds.

 

I don't see vegetables as optional. I'd skimp on meat, first, and add more beans and other vegetarian proteins. The health that comes from "two greens and a yellow" every day is more than I want to risk for my children, and we're talking about such a small amount of food to hit the recommended servings. Also my boys have celiac disease so all the nutrients count; complex carb veg take the place of bread here in most meals.

 

Please don't take this personally, anybody, if none of these suggestions apply and you still can't afford vegetables for your children, and you are not willing or able to utilize food stamps, WIC, and local food pantry resources to get any vegetables at all, then that is your reality. I'm just sharing what I have done.

 

I think really the point, or mine at least, was about straight cost.  Even if someone doesn't have issues with spoilage and waste, I don't think veg are particularly cheap on a calorie for calorie basis. 

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I think really the point, or mine at least, was about straight cost. Even if someone doesn't have issues with spoilage and waste, I don't think veg are particularly cheap on a calorie for calorie basis.

I don't understand figuring it that way, when nutrients are essential to life and health, not just calories...I'm a person who lives in a food desert, according to the usda map, and when my boys were little we were far below the poverty line. I agree with what Amy dacyczyn said in the tightwad gazette, which was printed while I was in that circumstance, that 1/4 cup of peas or beans, half a carrot, 1/2 cup of cooked cabbage, an apple, and 1/2 a yam do not cost enough to break the budget - those are children's fruit/veg portions for a day...

 

Less veg than that? What are the children eating instead, that is more nutritious and cheaper? It seems that if there is any food money at all then some veg can be part of the menu, without inefficiency calorically and without waste. Because they are nutrients, not condiments. We have to choose produce in season when we're in poverty, for example cabbage in winter instead of fresh zucchini, and whole carrots that we have to scrape and chop instead of packaged ready-to-eat.

 

These are examples. I know on a board this size we have people in all locations and circumstances, if anyone wants to talk about particulars.

[Bluegoat]

I don't understand figuring it that way, when nutrients are essential to life and health, not just calories...I'm a person who lives in a food desert, according to the usda map, and when my boys were little we were far below the poverty line. I agree with what Amy dacyczyn said in the tightwad gazette, which was printed while I was in that circumstance, that 1/4 cup of peas or beans, half a carrot, 1/2 cup of cooked cabbage, an apple, and 1/2 a yam do not cost enough to break the budget - those are children's fruit/veg portions for a day...

 

Less veg than that? What are the children eating instead, that is more nutritious and cheaper? It seems that if there is any food money at all then some veg can be part of the menu, without inefficiency calorically and without waste. Because they are nutrients, not condiments. We have to choose produce in season when we're in poverty, for example cabbage in winter instead of fresh zucchini, and whole carrots that we have to scrape and chop instead of packaged ready-to-eat.

 

These are examples. I know on a board this size we have people in all locations and circumstances, if anyone wants to talk about particulars.

 

I've got good access to a lot of food choices close by, thankfully.  But on a really tight budget, calories win out, in my experience.  You may not be able to buy a cabbage and a box of no-name pasta, and of the two, the latter is the one that will keep a belly filled.  Cabbage, despite all it's good nutrition, won't.

[kiana]

I don't understand figuring it that way, when nutrients are essential to life and health, not just calories...I'm a person who lives in a food desert, according to the usda map, and when my boys were little we were far below the poverty line. I agree with what Amy dacyczyn said in the tightwad gazette, which was printed while I was in that circumstance, that 1/4 cup of peas or beans, half a carrot, 1/2 cup of cooked cabbage, an apple, and 1/2 a yam do not cost enough to break the budget - those are children's fruit/veg portions for a day..

 

I'm very serious when I say that if I did not have a car, there would be absolutely nothing available other than canned vegetables (80c/can) and fruit (1 dollar/can) at the local dollar store, and even that is a fair walk. Nutrients from vegetables are important in the long run. But calories and macronutrients are important today. If there isn't any fat or protein in the diet, or if there just isn't enough calories, I won't be able to function. I won't get scurvy overnight. 

 

I'm not in a bad place now -- when I was, I had a grocery store nearby, but when I looked at chicken legs for 50c/lb, or vegetables for 99c/lb, and looked at the few dollars in my pocket that had to last me all month, I bought chicken legs, beans, and flour. I'd be full and "ok" on one chicken leg (50c), half a pound of beans (50c), and a lot of biscuits (difficult to quantify, let's say <50c for sure). 

 

It took me a long time to be able to eat beans or biscuits again after I got a job. 

[FaithManor]

We have a bit of a food desert here. 54000 population for the county. Wal-Mart in the county seat, and only two other grocery stores plus one meat market. Some citizens have a 20 mile drive to food that isn't from Dollar General or a gas station.

 

I can afford to drive, so can get to the Mennonite Bulk Food store which is 21 miles from here, and 34 miles from the center of the county. The produce is wonderful and super reasonabl priced. Additionally, I have the luxury of buying some produce in big bulk from an Amish farmer, and then freeze, can, and dehydrate for winter use. But that of course means we have had the income to invest in a double stacking canner which is not cheap, many dozens of jars, lids and rings, a food dehydrator - again a fairly substantial cost for anyone on a tight budget - and a small chest freezer. So there is a lot of money tied up in being able to "put up the harvest". It is not something I would expect very many can afford.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I'm very serious when I say that if I did not have a car, there would be absolutely nothing available other than canned vegetables (80c/can) and fruit (1 dollar/can) at the local dollar store, and even that is a fair walk. Nutrients from vegetables are important in the long run. But calories and macronutrients are important today. If there isn't any fat or protein in the diet, or if there just isn't enough calories, I won't be able to function. I won't get scurvy overnight.

 

I'm not in a bad place now -- when I was, I had a grocery store nearby, but when I looked at chicken legs for 50c/lb, or vegetables for 99c/lb, and looked at the few dollars in my pocket that had to last me all month, I bought chicken legs, beans, and flour. I'd be full and "ok" on one chicken leg (50c), half a pound of beans (50c), and a lot of biscuits (difficult to quantify, let's say <50c for sure).

 

It took me a long time to be able to eat beans or biscuits again after I got a job.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize you don't categorize beans as vegetables! I thought I must be missing something, and that is it.

[Bluegoat]

I'm sorry, I didn't realize you don't categorize beans as vegetables! I thought I must be missing something, and that is it.

 

Usually green or yellow beans are considered veg, but dry type beans (or the canned equivalent) are counted as protein or starch.  I am pretty sure kiana meant the latter.

[creekland]

Creekland, would you post your zucchini bread recipe to me by PM? Eldest ds loves zucchini bread but none of the rest of the family does so I never make it/no recipe in my collection that I would know for certain is yummy.

 

He leaves Tuesday for another road trip, and I'd like to send some along.

 

It's no secret.  I'll post it here in case others are interested - doubt one can say they got a serving of veggies from it though!

 

I'll confess that our supper tonight consisted of two slices of out-of-the-oven fresh zucchini bread and 15 cherries each... - really - no veggie servings (but we easily made our "3" quota earlier today) and we did at least get a fruit serving...  We also have this loaf to finish at some point and three more for the freezer.   :coolgleamA:

 

Zucchini Bread recipe - makes two 8x4 loaves: (T = Tablespoon, t = teaspoon)

 

3 eggs

2 cups unpeeled, grated zucchini

1 cup salad oil

3 cups flour

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 T vanilla

2 T orange juice

1 t salt

1 t baking soda

1/4 t baking powder

2 t cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

 

Beat eggs

Add all other ingredients except nuts and mix 

Fold in nuts

Pour into buttered and floured bread tins (two 8x4 inch)

Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes (pending oven - mine is 50 min, mom's is 60 min)

Take out of oven and let cool for 5 min

Dump out of bread tins and let cool in general - usually cutting into one loaf to pass around to make sure it turned out ok.   :closedeyes:

 

This thread has caused me to eat more veggies in the last couple of days. :)

 

:hurray:  I've actually added more to my diet since reading The Blue Zones.  My health issues had me no longer caring about my diet, but eh, I think my body does better eating things it's designed to eat rather than a bunch of other stuff.  I'll also add that many of the typical "diet" issues most are concerned with (diabetes, bp, etc) that run in my family have not yet hit me.  Other than what's "wrong" health-wise (not considered diet related), everything else is doing pretty darn good.  I rarely get colds and never have gotten the flu even working in our local public high school exposed to sick kids/teachers on a daily basis (in season).  Diet may have played a decent part in it.

 

I'm sticking with healthy - mostly.  I'll still enjoy fresh made zucchini bread at times!

Edited July 10, 2016 by creekland

[kiana]

Usually green or yellow beans are considered veg, but dry type beans (or the canned equivalent) are counted as protein or starch.  I am pretty sure kiana meant the latter.

 

Yep. Although I see they're now counted as a vegetable if you've gotten enough protein food. But they're certainly not green or yellow (one reason that uk guidelines stipulate that they should only count as a max of one of your five a day -- I hadn't realized that that wasn't universal) and I wouldn't classify that diet as healthy in any way other than by getting enough protein/fat/calories to keep going. At least it was low in added sugar, lol.

 

We're kinda getting sidetracked from the point that I (and I think bluegoat) were trying to make, which is that adding vegetables to a diet is more expensive than not. 

Edited July 10, 2016 by kiana

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I've got good access to a lot of food choices close by, thankfully.  But on a really tight budget, calories win out, in my experience.  You may not be able to buy a cabbage and a box of no-name pasta, and of the two, the latter is the one that will keep a belly filled.  Cabbage, despite all it's good nutrition, won't.

 

If I had to choose between a cabbage and a box of no-name pasta, if they were 49 cents each, I'd go for neither and buy a scoop of bulk navy beans if that were possible. It may not be, I've noticed the price of dry beans has gone up a LOT and many stores (even not in food deserts) don't sell in bulk anymore. If I'm down to a box of pasta with no veg, no beans, no oil, and I have small children who are hungry, just so you know I'd be begging for help with no shame. Because that 1/2 cup serving of white flour pasta is not either filling that belly for the night.

 

If I can utilize a food pantry to buy a day or two's time in order to save, and then have a few dollars instead of 50 cents (or if I'm on food stamps as I should be if I have a food budget for 50 cents for a family's meal), I can buy the pasta, and the cabbage, and the beans, for 2-3 meals. Only I'd go even cheaper and buy rice instead of pasta.

 

I don't want to sound as if I don't have a clue what it's like to be out of grocery money. Believe me, I do. I was homeless as a child, and again as a minor (teen) who left home. I am just putting this out for information's sake, for those who do have a few dollars and not 50 cents for their family's food budget, so they can see how to extend that with nutrition instead of only empty calories.

 

If our society does not help people who can't afford 49 cents' worth of cabbage to feed their tiny children, then I'm for any political reform on the table. Anything. Sort it out later if we get it wrong, and feed the children. If anyone reading this has no grocery money and faced with the dilemma of white flour pasta v. cabbage, please start a thread about it and we can talk about how to find food. There is government aid available, summer servings programs with free lunch for children under 18, church food pantries...

[kiana]

BTW, Tibbie, I'm not disagreeing with your point about how important it is to economize elsewhere to fit vegetables in if at all possible. I think nutrition is incredibly important and as soon as I got my first paycheck at my new job, I went out and filled my fridge/freezer with vegetables and made up for lost time. I also really like your suggestions for trying to avoid waste with children.

[TrixieB]

Yeah you have a much bigger family.  Here it is only 4 of us and one won't touch celery.  My husband will eat it cooked or in a salad, but he isn't one to just snack on it.  The other kid eats small amounts of food.

 

In our house, I am the only one who eats raw celery.  I buy a bag of 2 hearts every week, $1.99.  Sometimes the last couple stalks get thrown out, but not usually, especially if I can figure out something cooked that disguises them.

 

[Rosie_0801]

The other thing about nutrients is our bodies can't make serotonin and dopamine without the ingredients. I loves me a bit of serotonin and dopamine.

[creekland]

If our society does not help people who can't afford 49 cents' worth of cabbage to feed their tiny children, then I'm for any political reform on the table. Anything. Sort it out later if we get it wrong, and feed the children. If anyone reading this has no grocery money and faced with the dilemma of white flour pasta v. cabbage, please start a thread about it and we can talk about how to find food. There is government aid available, summer servings programs with free lunch for children under 18, church food pantries...

 

This is another reason I don't mind taking our excess to church (or giving it to friends, etc).  Who knows if whoever is picking it up is doing so simply because they like zucchini (or whatever) and don't want to have to buy it or actually need it and don't mind skipping the stigma that comes along with "food programs" for a change.

 

We have room to grow things.  I don't need to cut back to one plant (we have four).  We can share.  It's really not any more difficult to take care of four plants than it is to take care of one.  We have six cherry tomato plants too, so guess what else will be going to church before long.  Whatever we have excess of (and don't freeze for our own use later) gets given away.  There are close to 1000 people who go to our church (3 services) on any given week.  Someone (or several someones) takes the bounty.  I think it any is ever left over someone also takes that to a local food kitchen.

[creekland]

The other thing about nutrients is our bodies can't make serotonin and dopamine without the ingredients. I loves me a bit of serotonin and dopamine.

 

Rosie, we really need to be able to like your posts!

[KungFuPanda]

In our house, I am the only one who eats raw celery. I buy a bag of 2 hearts every week, $1.99. Sometimes the last couple stalks get thrown out, but not usually, especially if I can figure out something cooked that disguises them.

 

I shove those last two lonely celery stalks into the freezer with chicken bones, onion scraps, and raw carrots that are starting to get a little past their prime. Then I dump it all in the crockpot with water and make stock. It's convenient and I can get away with letting it cook until almost lunchtime the next day. I use stock for everything, so it always gets used up. I like that I don't have yo throw out the veggies OR deal with them right away.

 

My MIL, however, does it overnight on the stove at a very low simmer. She ends up with a very concentrated stock that takes up less space and needs to be reconstituted a bit for most recipes. This fascinates me, but I think I'll try it during the day first.

[SKL]

I don't know about anyone else, but for me, veggies are an acquired taste.  It takes work to build the habit of eating much veggie.  I put in the effort years ago and I was doing pretty well, but then I had kids and I had to cater to what they could eat.  It was years before they would even consider tasting a leaf.  :P  I did force them to eat kid-friendly veggies (and I'd eat with them), but eventually that kind of petered off too ... now I just require a fruit or veggie (offered) at each meal, and give them a vitamin.  And I don't eat all meals with them - only dinner.  The rest of the day I am grazing on work breaks, usually whatever is easiest to grab.  I need to re-build the habit of eating veggies and fruits like I used to.  I just don't have the discipline right now.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I find that if I just cut up the celery into snacking size and stuff it in a container in the fridge, it is very easy to get it eaten up fast. Stick it out with some hummus or ranch dip and it'll get eaten FAST, especially if you set it out before a meal when people are hungry and wandering the kitchen . . .

 

Oh, another trick . . . The yellowy insides (heart) of celery and the leaves are great for vegetable stock (for soups, etc.)  So, every few weeks, I make up a big batch of vegetable stock (in a HUGE stock pot) for the freezer. I take the whole head of celery, wash it all, cut off the pretty parts and put them back in the fridge for later (now they're washed and trimmed and will be eaten very quickly) . . . and use the "ugly" parts for the stock. 4 or so stalk-equivalents along with all the leaves. Those leafy ends are great for stock. This gets *all* the edible (non dirty) parts of the celery eaten. And, homemade stock is so delicious. And having good stock inspires me to make more soup, which is also delicious and a great way to eat tons of veggies. :)

 

Nobody here will eat it but me though.  Nobody else likes hummus either.

 

I guess my family is picky!

[SparklyUnicorn]

What veggies are you buying in winter? 

I found that sweet potatoes, all the different winter squash, carrots, parsnips, any root vegetables, and some cabbages are fine all winter long. Brussel sprouts are actually better if harvested after they got a freeze.

 

Other veggies are better saved for their season - tomatoes in winter are just awful, and I would consider zucchini a summer veggie as well.

 

A variety of things.  Problem is my husband does not like any kind of winter squash and he does not like sweet potatoes.  I get tired of just cabbage and carrots all winter long.  I do buy Brussels sprouts sometimes. 

 

Really at this point in winter I mostly buy frozen. 

[FaithManor]

I did manage to get my family to eat brussel sprouts. They eat them only one way, but I do oblige.

 

Pastry brush dipped in maple syrup and butter, drizzled over sprouts, and toasted until golden.

 

There's more than one way to get a veggie into a kid!  :D

 

My husband's palette required some retooling when we married. His grandmother and father - the two main cooks of their family - believed that everything was better with brown or white sugar. Everything. Cooked carrots? Brown sugar and butter. Peas? Brown sugar and butter. Sweet potatoes? Brown sugar and butter? Green Beans? Spaghetti or any tomato sauce? Cauliflower? You guessed it. Sugar and butter. Rice usually had molasses on it.

 

Grandma even made something called spiced beef. It wasn't barbecue. It was a roast beef with sugar on it along with some other things. I couldn't stand the stuff.

 

Ai yi yi yi yi yi yi yi yi yi yi yi yi yi

 

So I don't feel so bad about the brussel sprouts as its the only sweetened vegetable that I make.

[Shellydon]

Veggies taste bitter!  Super bitter, that is why I don't eat them.  We grow tomatoes, squash, cukes and I don't eat any of it.  My kids love them though. 

[regentrude]

I did manage to get my family to eat brussel sprouts. They eat them only one way, but I do oblige.

 

Pastry brush dipped in maple syrup and butter, drizzled over sprouts, and toasted until golden.

 

There's more than one way to get a veggie into a kid!  :D

 

Brussel sprouts was one of two veggies (the other is red cabbage) my DH hated for the longest time - until I prepared the sprouts by shredding them, sauteeing in butter, and serving them with toasted pecans glazed in salty maple syrup.

Now I cannot cook enough of them.

Edited July 11, 2016 by regentrude

[SparklyUnicorn]

One of mine won't eat them.  He says the same, that they are super bitter.  I've tried so many things for years, and I think at this point he is just too afraid to even try anymore.  I feel bad about it, but I can't think of anything to do!

 

 

[Tanaqui]

My husband's palette required some retooling when we married. His grandmother and father - the two main cooks of their family - believed that everything was better with brown or white sugar. Everything. Cooked carrots? Brown sugar and butter. Peas? Brown sugar and butter. Sweet potatoes? Brown sugar and butter? Green Beans? Spaghetti or any tomato sauce? Cauliflower? You guessed it. Sugar and butter. Rice usually had molasses on it.

 

Well, admittedly, carrots ARE better with brown sugar, but.... rice and molasses? green beans? *shudder*

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Brussel sprouts was one of two veggies (the other is red cabbage) my DH hated for the longest time - until I prepared the sprouts by shredding them, sauteeing in butter, and serving them with toasted pecans glazed in salty maple syrup.

Now I cannot cook enough of them.

 

That's how I do mine minus the nuts.  I've had Brussel sprout haters tell me they like them that way.

[creekland]

To those of us who are naturally lacking a sweet tooth, y'all are making me gag when you talk about adding sugar and/or syrup to veggies.  :ack2:  I don't even like syrup or sugar on sweet potatoes.

 

I like my veggies either plain (peas, beans, cukes, etc) or with butter (corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes - no others I can think of), or with salt (greens, beets, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, probably some others).  You can add some salted ham or similar if you must add something, but definitely NOT anything sugary or sweet.

 

The last two days I've been adding fresh basil and cilantro to my morning sauteed veggies and I tossed in a LOT more purslane.  So the final was, summer squash (one whole small one), about 2-3 oz of fresh mushrooms, some sliced onion, about 4 sprigs of purslane (probably equal to 1 cup raw if squished into a measuring cup - maybe more), 1 large basil leaf broken apart, and 1 sprig of cilantro (equivalent to typical parsley in size) all sauteed in olive oil (the mushrooms and squash for longer than the rest).  Then I added salt and a little bit of black pepper.  On the side I had a slice of bakery whole grain bread with butter.  It was all very, very good!

 

Summer eating around here is both cheap and tasty.

 

FWIW, I had to break apart our sugar yesterday to make the zucchini bread.  The lack of use had made it harden like a brick.  There's very, very little we put sugar in... homemade spaghetti sauce gets a little (teaspoon or two), but that's all I can think of for things I make.  I think hubby uses it when he makes pancakes, but that's rare.

[FaithManor]

Well, admittedly, carrots ARE better with brown sugar, but.... rice and molasses? green beans? *shudder*

I felt bad at their family get togethers when we were first married because I can't gag down veggies smothered in that stuff. I was labeled as picky!  :huh:

[FaithManor]

To those of us who are naturally lacking a sweet tooth, y'all are making me gag when you talk about adding sugar and/or syrup to veggies.  :ack2:  I don't even like syrup or sugar on sweet potatoes.

 

I like my veggies either plain (peas, beans, cukes, etc) or with butter (corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes - no others I can think of), or with salt (greens, beets, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, probably some others).  You can add some salted ham or similar if you must add something, but definitely NOT anything sugary or sweet.

 

The last two days I've been adding fresh basil and cilantro to my morning sauteed veggies and I tossed in a LOT more purslane.  So the final was, summer squash (one whole small one), about 2-3 oz of fresh mushrooms, some sliced onion, about 4 sprigs of purslane (probably equal to 1 cup raw if squished into a measuring cup - maybe more), 1 large basil leaf broken apart, and 1 sprig of cilantro (equivalent to typical parsley in size) all sauteed in olive oil (the mushrooms and squash for longer than the rest).  Then I added salt and a little bit of black pepper.  On the side I had a slice of bakery whole grain bread with butter.  It was all very, very good!

 

Summer eating around here is both cheap and tasty.

 

FWIW, I had to break apart our sugar yesterday to make the zucchini bread.  The lack of use had made it harden like a brick.  There's very, very little we put sugar in... homemade spaghetti sauce gets a little (teaspoon or two), but that's all I can think of for things I make.  I think hubby uses it when he makes pancakes, but that's rare.

LOL, right there with you.

 

I have to go to the store to buy flour and sugar in order to make your zucchini bread. I can't remember the last time I purchased any.

 

So there you go....I am not a baker. Seriously just not a baker! But, ds is excited to have the bread with him on the trip, so I will do my part for him.

[regentrude]

FWIW, I had to break apart our sugar yesterday to make the zucchini bread.  The lack of use had made it harden like a brick.  There's very, very little we put sugar in... homemade spaghetti sauce gets a little (teaspoon or two), but that's all I can think of for things I make.  I think hubby uses it when he makes pancakes, but that's rare.

 

I had noticed that my sugar jar is nearly empty... several weeks ago. I have not bought sugar in many months.

Summer is so easy to live added sugar free. Now come winter, there will be fewer sweet fruits available and I will want to bake sweet stuff...

Edited July 11, 2016 by regentrude

[creekland]

Now come winter, there will be fewer sweet fruits available and I will want to bake sweet stuff...

 

The only sugar we use in the winter is for our Christmas cookies - one type that I make.  It uses 1/4 cup brown sugar per dozen cookies.

 

I am not fond of most baked sweets and definitely not fond of baking at all.  I differ from my grandparents that way as both grandmothers were terrific bakers always having pies or cookies or cakes around.  They tried their best to teach me.  It just didn't work.  I kept four cookie recipes.  That was it for baked things.  We rarely use three of them (sugar cookies, coconut sugar cookies, molasses cookies).  The other is the Christmas cookies.

 

The rare times that I want a pie, I'm pretty partial to Edwards.  Our grocery store carries terrific cakes for birthdays or any other reason.  They also have fruit pies if we need one.   :coolgleamA:   We rarely have any here at our house though.  It's not because I'd eat too much if they were here.  Hubby and middle son would, but sweet things can go bad here if it's up to me or youngest to eat them.

 

I did keep some recipes (all in my mind) from my grandparents - but those were for things like stuffed chicken/turkey, gravy, pot roast, etc.  We don't do those all that often either.  They're quite tasty, but not necessarily up there on the healthy scale.

 

I love my mom's squash soup recipe and that's healthier, but we're about to enter another heat wave, so...

[GloriaMS]

"Ruined palates. I think many people can't taste much unless it's greasy or sweet."

 

What an interesting concept.  I've never heard of this before but it makes perfect sense.  My relatives in their 90s that live with us now had one heck of a time when they first moved up.  They found it easier to go out to eat (and actually still do almost every day for lunch)  As a result, they found my food (healthy, veggies, very little salt, hardly no oils compared to fast food fried foods...) very unappetizing. 

 

When I first visited my mother in law in the US I was shocked with how salty she was eating.  Fast forward ten years later and after she almost died from contacting E coli, she now can eat only a little bit of salt  (close to what I eat normally).  Her palate too was ruined from the salty foods.  That is also the case with sweets.  Americans eat waaaay too sweet. Now I know taste in older people is very diminished due to age.  My grandma who had been an excellent cook all her life started complaining in her eighties that food didn't taste good any more.  She was constantly complaining of her own cooking.  To me, her food tasted as good as I remembered it.

[FaithManor]

Creekland, you must be my twin separated at birth! LOL

 

I have a singular brownie recipe, your zucchini bread recipe, a chocolate sheet cake recipe, a banana bread recipe, and two cookie recipes. Its been about six years since I last made the cookies. The boys bake them for themselves though! I think it has been four years since the sheet cake.

 

I do love chocolate. Dark chocolate. Dark, dark chocolate. I do like a little ice cream now and again. But one would be hard pressed to catch me baking much. Brownies are maybe the only thing that happen multiple times per year. This is year I took them to campus a couple of times for ds when he had fundraisers and volunteer work he and his friends were doing. I thought they'd like the treat, and despite the 1.5 hr. drive to campus, don't mind the excursion. Apparently, I am a fairly popular college mom among his friends.

 

Since I am now gluten intolerant, my aversion to baking has grown. I am not so super sensitive that I have to break out benadryl or an epi pen for being around the stuff, not at all, but it also doesn't inspire me to bake. Ds probably needs to learn to make this zucchini bread because it might be his only for the whole season if he doesn't. Thanks again for sharing the recipe. He is pretty excited about it.

[creekland]

Ds probably needs to learn to make this zucchini bread because it might be his only for the whole season if he doesn't. Thanks again for sharing the recipe. He is pretty excited about it.

 

We'll make banana bread a couple of times per year if bananas are starting to go bad, but I use a cookbook recipe for that.

 

The banana bread and zucchini bread recipes are two our German exchange student took back to Germany with her.  When I talked with one of her friends prior to her wedding fairly recently, she told me both get quite a bit of use there.  ;)

 

I have squash soup on my mind now... seriously contemplating making it (sigh).  Probably the only thing stopping me is I'd have to go to the store to get some ground beef.  I'm not sure we have ground deer left in our freezer.

 

But I'd best not.  Our house only has one window AC unit downstairs and we're entering a long heat wave later today.  It's important that we conserve the nighttime coolness that came in via our open windows.  My cat is already lounging out with me inside.  He rather enjoys creature comforts during heat waves.

[SparklyUnicorn]

To those of us who are naturally lacking a sweet tooth, y'all are making me gag when you talk about adding sugar and/or syrup to veggies.  :ack2:  I don't even like syrup or sugar on sweet potatoes.

 

I don't like sweets and the thought of sugar on any of that...nooo.  Once in awhile I like something sweet.  I like a bit of brown sugar on something like acorn squash.  But that's about bit. 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Hollaindaise sauce is so good on vegetables. OH MY WORD

 

Good thing it's kind of a pain to make.  Otherwise I'd make it often.  LOL 

 

 

[KungFuPanda]

I like sweets when I'm in the mood for them, and I have no fear of sugar or flour. My true love, however, is savory foods and once I've eaten those I'm usually full and not interested in dessert.

[regentrude]

The only sugar we use in the winter is for our Christmas cookies - one type that I make.  It uses 1/4 cup brown sugar per dozen cookies.

 

I am not fond of most baked sweets and definitely not fond of baking at all.  I differ from my grandparents that way as both grandmothers were terrific bakers always having pies or cookies or cakes around.  They tried their best to teach me.  It just didn't work.  I kept four cookie recipes.  That was it for baked things.  We rarely use three of them (sugar cookies, coconut sugar cookies, molasses cookies).  The other is the Christmas cookies.

 

 

I love baking. Christmas cookies are actually my least favorite, and I never make cookies otherwise.

But starting in fall, when I get boxes of apples from the orchard nearby, I make a lot of muffins, crumbles, sweet breads, apple streusel cake, apple biscuit sheet cake (wonderful light sponge with just eggs, sugar and flour)... And oh boy, when DD gets home, she bakes up a storm. She is a brilliant baker and can do all kinds of different doughs and techniques.

[regentrude]

Hollaindaise sauce is so good on vegetables. OH MY WORD

Good thing it's kind of a pain to make.  Otherwise I'd make it often.  LOL 

 

I have a secret for you: Sauce Hollandaise mix by Maggi or Knorr, available in any grocery store in Germany. I bring back a stack of bags every summer, to last me through the year. It is the only packaged mix I every use. You add it to water and a stick of butter. Hollandaise from scratch is a pain.

 

Edited July 11, 2016 by regentrude

[SparklyUnicorn]

I have a secret for you: Sauce Hollandaise mix by Maggi or Knorr, available in any grocery store in Germany. I bring back a stack of bags every summer, to last me through the year. It is the only packaged mix I every use. You add it to water and a stick of butter. Hollandaise from scratch is a pain.

 

 

Yeah I don't know if it would be the same though!!

 

Although with a stick of butter it can't be terrible.  LOL

 

They have that here, but maybe it's not the same.

 

On another note, my BIL once made Hollandaise with grapefruit instead of lemon.  That was really good!

[regentrude]

Yeah I don't know if it would be the same though!!

 

Although with a stick of butter it can't be terrible.  LOL

 

They have that here, but maybe it's not the same.

 

I tried the mix available here once, and it was awful. Get a baggie in Germany and try it out. :)

[creekland]

I love baking. Christmas cookies are actually my least favorite, and I never make cookies otherwise.

But starting in fall, when I get boxes of apples from the orchard nearby, I make a lot of muffins, crumbles, sweet breads, apple streusel cake, apple biscuit sheet cake (wonderful light sponge with just eggs, sugar and flour)... And oh boy, when DD gets home, she bakes up a storm. She is a brilliant baker and can do all kinds of different doughs and techniques.

 

Well, somebody has to do it I suppose.   :lol:   We all have our niche in life.

 

Hubby and middle son would probably like it if you lived closer... He (hubby) takes oodles of our apples and bakes them with pecans, then freezes them to eat at his leisure.  I don't care for them at all.  I don't even like the apples once they get ripe as they're Red Delicious and way too sweet for me.  I can eat them before they are ripe though.  Otherwise, I buy Cortlands and Macs for myself.  The ponies eat my share.

[Zinnia]

If I didn't have a sweet tooth, perhaps I wouldn't be fat.

 

Or if I didn't like savory foods.  

 

Shame that I like both pretty equally and with great gusto!  :)

[SKL]

I don't add sugar, or salt for that matter (for myself).  I prefer veggies raw.  Besides, there is no way I'm going to the effort of cooking a fancy side dish that nobody besides me wants to eat.

[Carra]

Regentrude,

 

Can you go in detail about  the cooked vegetables?

 

My family eats vegetables in 3 ways:

 

1. vegetable soup;

2. salad made with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onions and sometimes raw cabbage;

3. stew with different vegetables.

 

I would love to eat more vegetables if I would learn how to prepare them differently.

Edited July 11, 2016 by Carra

[SparklyUnicorn]

Regentrude,

 

Can you go in detail about  the cooked vegetables?

 

My family eats vegetables in 3 ways:

 

1. vegetable soup;

2. salad made with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onions and sometimes raw cabbage;

3. stew with different vegetables.

 

I would love to eat more vegetables if I would learn how to prepare them differently.

 

roasted vegetables are yummy