High veggie, low prep meals

[SamanthaCarter]

Is this even very doable? Please help me think how to make that work. The food budget doesn't allow for many pre-prepped veggies. Ways to make frozen veggies more appealing?

 

 

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[mamaH]

We like frozen peas, corn and green beans the best. You could prep veggies once a week. I often wash cut and bag greens in those green plastic bags... And they will keep all week. Instant salad in a bag that is cheaper and better then the commercial bagged salads. I also prep cut veggies to roast once or twice a week. Then just dump on the pan and put in the oven. Broccoli, cauliflower carrots and asparagus are all good. Potatoes and squash can be roasted whole and eaten with a spoon right out of the skin. We like acorn, butternut, spaghetti, sweet and white potatoes this way. How old are your kids? Mine take turns cutting veggies from about age 7 or 8.

Edited March 16, 2017 by mamaH

[KungFuPanda]

I use red potatoes so I don't have to peel. It also helps if I do veggie prep earlier in the day before I run out of steam. It never takes as long as I imagine it will. If you have a good processor planning out and prepping the week's veggies is fairly quick.

[wintermom]

Canned corn isn't horrible. You can stuff baked potatoes with them. Canned diced tomatoes are great for adding to sauces, soups, chili, sloppy joes, tacos.

 

Fresh carrots and celery are quick and easy to wash and cut. They're great raw with hummus or peanut butter. 

 

Sorry, I don't think frozen veggies are that appealing. I'll use them when I'm stuck, but I much prefer fresh. Frozen peas and corn isn't too bad. Frozen broccoli is fine to make soup, but fresh is just better. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I do some prep in the morning.  I bought some air tight bowls and find salad stuff (I keep wet ingredients separate from stuff like greens) lasts about 3 days.  I can't get unchopped veg to last a week so I'm highly skeptical that I could cut them and store them to last that long.  But that depends on the time of year.  In winter stuff in the store tends to just be older. 

 

I alternate too.  Some meals I just heat up frozen veg with some butter..done.  Some meals I go through the trouble to prep fresh. Some meals I double so we eat it 2x in a row. 

 

Any veg that is too annoying to prep I save for special occasions (for me those would be spinach and asparagus).  

Edited March 16, 2017 by SparklyUnicorn

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't mind frozen veg.  I grew up on canned so to me that's a pretty big improvement.  And oddly I like most vegetables any which way.  Even just boiled and thrown on a plate.

 

 

 

 

[SamanthaCarter]

No, frozen veggies are not appealing, the only ones I really use are peas, corn and spinach. I don't mind green beans too much, but the kids won't touch them, only fresh green beans for them.

 

 

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[SparklyUnicorn]

Ah now green bean prep annoys me to no end so I buy those bags of already prepped fresh green beans.  But those are EXPENSIVE.  Worth the money to me though. 

 

 

[Laura Corin]

Veggie Chili

 

http://greatist.com/eat/recipes/quick-and-easy-veggie-chili

 

Can you get frozen cauliflower cheese in a bag?  I also buy frozen roast veg - often cheaper than roasting fresh veg myself.  

 

I always keep frozen sliced peppers too.  I made a pasta sauce the other night with just sliced onions and garlic sauted, then frozen sliced peppers added, lentils and chicken stock with mixed herbs.  Simmer until the lentils are done.  It worked really well.

[solascriptura]

If you're looking to incorporate frozen veggies, you may need to stick with soups or casseroles. I've tried frozen in stir fries and blech. A watery mess

[happi duck]

I didn't like frozen veg until someone here shared that frozen veg can be roasted. It's been a time saver for me.

[solascriptura]

I have had luck with the frozen French green beans at Costco.

[displace]

Frozen veg plus sauces you may use for meats (veg chili, veg Tikka Masala, maybe veg teriyaki, marinara, etc). Put in crock pot x 4 hr low and done. Or, if you're eating meat, put in any veg you can think of into every dish.

[MinionMom]

We usually just chop up and place a large plate of assorted veggies or a salad on the table at dinner. 3 out of 5 of us refuse to eat almost any cooked vegetable, but love crunchy raw ones. So we have whatever the main course is and veggies. Seconds can be taken after all the veggies are eaten. It's drastically cut down on the dinner drama, and I get to cook one less thing.

[regentrude]

I have not found pre-prepped veggies to be worth the extra price (with the exception of butternut squash since I am very allergic to the juice and cannot prep it myself). 

 

What part of the prepping do you find time consuming? Getting the veggies ready, or making the actual food?

 

Many veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots are just wash and cut. No peeling or taking out seeds.

Potatoes and sweet potatoes can be cooked and eaten with skin on.

Asparagus is prep-less - cut off ends and rinse. Grill or sautee in butter.

The only thing I use canned is tomato because it is a lot cheaper and tastier when tomatoes are not in season.

 

Soups are great for having large quantities of veggies with little effort. So are stir fries and salads.

 

Learning some knife skills and having a quality knife and cutting board go a long way towards speeding up prep.

Edited March 16, 2017 by regentrude

[cjzimmer1]

I have had luck with the frozen French green beans at Costco.

I was going to suggest the French cut green beans too.  Logically they should taste the same as the regular beans but for some reason they don't  Mine won't eat regular cut but french cut are inhaled (as in we cook 3-4 pounds for a meal).  I use a little coconut oil and garlic salt on them.

 

I wish our Costco carried them, unfortunately ours only carries the regular cut.

[Artichoke]

If you're looking to incorporate frozen veggies, you may need to stick with soups or casseroles. I've tried frozen in stir fries and blech. A watery mess

 

 

We've found the large bag of costco stir-fry frozen veggies to work well.  All of the others we've tried have been a mess.. 

[El...]

I just found "riced" cauliflower in the frozen section at Sams!  I'll let you know if it's too soggy; maybe I could defrost it in a strainer before I cook it.

[Zinnia]

I buy frozen cauliflower to make mashed.  That works well, and I think of myself as pretty picky on veggies, but for mashed, it works fine.

 

Baked potatoes are no-prep.  

 

I buy pickling or Persian or European cucumbers so I don't have to peel.  One less step.

[Catwoman]

I just found "riced" cauliflower in the frozen section at Sams! I'll let you know if it's too soggy; maybe I could defrost it in a strainer before I cook it.

I tried a sample of it at Sam's last week and it wasn't soggy at all. It was quite rice-like.

 

I don't think rice-like is a word, but you know what I mean, right? ;)

 

I need to stay away from those sample carts. I always end up buying stuff I don't need.

[ktgrok]

I didn't like frozen veg until someone here shared that frozen veg can be roasted. It's been a time saver for me.

 

I think that was me!

 

I adore roasted veggies, but I'm lazy. I buy the California mix and put it on a baking pan I've lined with foil and coated in olive oil. Toss around in the oil, stick in the oven...I do usually 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, but it varies. I like them VERY roasted and caramelized.

 

Also works with brussel sprouts.

 

Oh, and in that same vein, you can buy the bags of pre cut peppers/onions and broil them, to make them taste fire roasted!

[umsami]

Egyptians cooked frozen veggies (can be mixed, peas and carrots, or green beans) in a tomato sauce mixture which really improves their taste IMHO.

 

Basically, you start by sauteeing a chopped onion in some ghee, olive oil, or butter/olive oil mixture with salt and pepper.  When clear, add in a can of tomato sauce (or tomato paste).  You can then dilute with chicken or beef stock, water, etc.  Then add in the veggies and cook until done.  My husband would boil chicken legs or a cut up chicken first to make stock....use that stock with the tomato sauce...and then add in the chicken pieces at the end.   It was a cheap (especially if you buy chicken leg quarters), easy meal that was filling.  Can serve over rice or with bread as well.

 

 

I love the frozen pepper onion blends for making fajitas with, but now that I can get a big bag of mini peppers cheap at Costco, I don't buy it as much.

[happi duck]

I think that was me!

 

I adore roasted veggies, but I'm lazy. I buy the California mix and put it on a baking pan I've lined with foil and coated in olive oil. Toss around in the oil, stick in the oven...I do usually 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, but it varies. I like them VERY roasted and caramelized.

 

Also works with brussel sprouts.

 

Oh, and in that same vein, you can buy the bags of pre cut peppers/onions and broil them, to make them taste fire roasted!

Thanks!!

[mathnerd]

Some things that are easy with least prep:

1. Power Greens mix (Kale, chard, spinach etc pre-washed and bagged) from costco - I add it to anything and everything - in salads, soups, chili, pasta, fried rice, stir fries

2. Baby tomatoes, persian cucumbers, peppers in salads - minimum prep work needed for these

3. baked sweet potatoes (I use my instant pot and cook 5 of them in one go and store in the fridge)

4. roasted eggplant, red bell peppers - slice, coat with olive oil and salt and roast in the oven - when done, add them to your recipes or salad

5. Trader Joe's Frozen French Beans - they are the best that I have eaten amongst frozen beans

6. Use frozen stir fry mixes while making fried rice, fried noodles etc and you will not notice the texture

7. Frozen precut spinach is an easy one to add to various recipes without the flavor or texture being noticeable

8. Buy a lot of fresh herbs and add them to your recipes - they enhance flavor and are nutritious too

9. Baby Sugar Snap Peas, cauliflower florets in a bag, broccoli are good for a snack with some ranch dressing or sunflower seed butter for dipping.

10. Roasted baby potatoes with herbs and spices - I just wash the potatoes well and let them air dry overnight and coat with oil, spice, salt and herbs and roast in the oven.

11. Corn on the cob - just wash and boil (can add a little milk to the water for enhancing the flavor of the corn)

12. I buy bags of organic beets, wash and steam them with the skin in the InstantPot. When cooled, I use a paper towel to wipe/scrape off the skin. I store them in a ziplock in the fridge and make salads with them or add them to stir fried. I make red food one night of the week and all the food has a little beet or tomato paste added to make them red.

 

 

[Katy]

Try the frozen green beans at Sam's Club.  I've had many guests surprised they weren't fresh once coated in a tablespoon of real butter and topped with real bacon bits and a tiny bit of salt and pepper because they are so long and crisp. You do have to be careful with random bits of stem still stuck to some beans though.  The frozen broccoli and kale/quinoa superfood mix frozen there is pretty good too, though a little more oily than it would be if I made it from scratch.

 

I usually just either steam veggies in the microwavable bag or throw them still frozen into soups or stir fries.  For green beans I often throw them in a pan on the stove the same way I would for fresh ones, they're just done a bit faster.  If I'm in a hurry sometimes I use the microwave the frozen veggies them hot into whatever I'm making. 

 

I throw the mixed veggie mix into pasta dishes and soup.

 

The mixes with broccoli, carrots, and other stuff into stir fries.

 

I nuke spinach and then add it to eggs and omelettes.

 

I also get pepper and onion mixes and add them to fajitas, omelettes, and stir fries, but I wait for those to go on sale to stock up because they aren't cheap.

 

 

Edited March 17, 2017 by Katy