How many vegetables do you really average in daily consumption? Raw vegetables?

[AngelaGT]

I confess to a green smoothie several times a week that includes about 2 cups of frozen organic spinach; a salad several times a week that includes 5 ounces of organic mixed greens; and about 2 cups of steamed organic broccoli several times a week. 

I work until 7pm several evenings a week and have no appetite for vegetables when I get home, no longer have dc at home to cook for, and have a small appetite. 

I also have a history of Crohn's disease making the consumption of too much fibrous foods at the same time difficult to digest.

I need to increase my vegetable intake and I primarily want to increase the live raw enzymes from uncooked organic vegetables.  

Any thoughts on how I might easily do so?

Thanks!

[Jean in Newcastle]

I have a fresh salad daily for lunch. 
 

I have raw fruit or veggies for an afternoon snack (with some nuts for protein). 
 

I have a veggie heavy dinner. (Don’t eat grains so the veggies take the place of grains). 

[Pam in CT]

Salad with every dinner.  For me this is an easy habit, not a discipline I need to push myself to maintain, since my body pretty much longs for it.  So much so that because COVID I have literally planted a Victory Garden to ensure ongoing fresh supply, and my husband is right now literally designing a long row of cold frames so I can keep basic essentials going over the winter. So that is 1-3 portions/ day depending on what besides greens I've got to put in it.

My husband OTOH doesn't so much care about fresh salad, but did grow up with a green vegetable at every dinner.  He's A-OK with various frozen stuff (spinach, green beans, brussel sprouts) and is even OK with canned peas ( puke emoticon ), but in his mind it has to be, specifically and literally, GREEN.  So I've had to work hard on wintry vegetables that I love like spaghetti/butternut/acorn squash, beets, roasted carrots & parsnips.  But we do have a proper side vegetable with every dinner, so 1 more portion/ day there.

One of the kids went vegetarian at age 7, so I've long instituted Meatless Mondays.  The stuff in that rotation -- shakshouka, felafel, veg lasagna, mushroom casserole, quiche -- tends to shoehorn in at least 1 more portion/person there, in addition to the nightly Green Veg and salad.  Since CoronApocalypse we've also, for simplicity and sanity's sake, done Taco Tuesdays, whose fixings also generate another portion or so.

Other than dinner... a lot of fruit, not much veg.  Every so often I have a salad for lunch, or hummous & crudities, but much more often it's bread & cheese, or yogurt & fruit. I eat a TON of dairy, which doesn't work for everyone.

So I guess it works out to 3-4 portions of veg on an average day, with a bit more in fruit: a little less than optimal, but not bad.

[Pawz4me]

I'm a mostly vegetarian, but most of the veggies I eat are cooked. I almost always have a large bowl of homemade veggie soup for lunch that I suspect would count as several veggie servings, and usually have at least two veggies for dinner in amounts that would likely equal several servings. We have at least one fresh fruit every night at dinner.

I don't know a lot about Crohn's disease, but I think one key would be to take things very slowly when increasing any type of fiber?

[medawyn]

I have to actively work on this.  My family is picky, which doesn’t help.  I find that the easiest way for me to ensure vegetable consumption is to start the day with vegetables.  My three go-to breakfasts are kale, box choy, and broccoli sautéed topped with avocado and sometimes an egg; an arugula salad with salmon cake; and salad greens chopped with leftover roasted vegetables.  I’ll also eat last night’s dinner for breakfast, often tossed on top of a salad.  It took a little while to reframe my idea of breakfast, but it works for me.

[Selkie]

A lot. We eat whole food plant based and go through at least 50 lbs. of produce a week. 

I'm not sure how to advise you, though, because of your problem with fiber. A veggie-heavy diet is very high in fiber, so that's a tough one.

 

[J-rap]

Ugh, I can't stand lettuce salads!  But I'll put most of those (raw) ingredients into a blender and drink it as a smoothie.  I drink a smoothie every day, mostly consisting of veggies:  cabbage or lettuce or spinach, often broccoli, just a tiny bit of fruit to sweeten.  (So, maybe two servings with my smoothie?)  Then, two cooked veggie servings at dinner.  Often broccoli and then another veggie cooked in with the main dish.

[Mbelle]

I eat a veggie or fruit at every meal.  I do have to be careful about too much raw or my guts will hurt.

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Oh and as to how much- I just happen to be doing a fruit and veggie challenge right now so I count servings every night. I average nine servings a day. But that includes fruit. 

[marbel]

I have been eating a lot of salads lately, but it has not always been so for me. I haven't really begun to love vegetables until recently.  Not necessarily lettuce-based salads, but heartier vegetables like cabbage, fennel, radishes. I can't say  how many servings I get, but I eat at least one large portion of salad each day, plus various raw vegetables. I love celery with cheese, for example, and will have that for a snack while I work.

But, my gut issues are very different from yours. I need a lot of fiber and liquid, so things like celery are helpful to me. 

Edited July 7, 2020 by marbel

[AngelaGT]

I am so impressed with everyone's daily vegetable intake.

I am inspired to figure out how I might increase my vegetable intake in spite of my digestive woes.

Thanks so much!

[Laura Corin]

My norm is half a cup of fruit or veg with breakfast, two cups raw as mid morning snack, at least a cup with lunch, an apple in the afternoon, and at least two cups with supper.

[math teacher]

We eat a lot of salads and I make them assembly line style. Here is a list of what they usually include: small amount of lettuce, squash, zucchini, radish, pepperocinis, olives, beans, carrots, cucumber, walnuts, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, raisins, turnips, bell peppers, cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, and meat. Sometimes I include corn and or green peas if I have some in the fridge. I usually have blue cheese dressing with mine. 

I also cook at least one vegetable with dinner, sometimes two. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I am surprised you can do broccoli with Crohns. It is actually on the “no” list generally. Have you tried switching to more low fiber veggies like red peppers and squash?

If you are trying to up raw nutrition, I would look at packing carrots and red pepper slices for a snack during the day. I would really analyze veggies according to the insoluable fiber and Target from there.

[Jean in Newcastle]

16 minutes ago, angelaguptathomas said:

I am so impressed with everyone's daily vegetable intake.

I am inspired to figure out how I might increase my vegetable intake in spite of my digestive woes.

Thanks so much!

I want to point out that a serving of cooked vegetables is only 1/2 a cup.  A serving of raw veggies is 1 cup. 

[marbel]

1 hour ago, Seasider too said:

Also, green salad with breakfast. It seems weird but it gets them in right off the bat. Just a lot of leafy greens with a drizzle of olive oil, I don’t stop to chop other stuff.

This is not a green salad exactly, but if I have arugula I will wilt some while cooking an egg (sunny side up style) in a little olive oil.  Somewhere I saw the suggestion to add a splash of vinegar at the end of cooking which I sometimes do. I like my eggs and greens, and it is an easy way to get started on the day. I like arugula because it is fast and I like the bitterness. A sprinkle of feta goes well with this, but I don't do that every time.

ETA: when I was a kid in Buffalo, NY, winter breakfast before heading out to catch the school bus was often vegetable beef soup. Fond memories even though most people thought it was very weird. 

Edited July 7, 2020 by marbel

[Laura Corin]

18 minutes ago, marbel said:

This is not a green salad exactly, but if I have arugula I will wilt some in while cooking an egg (sunny side up style) in a little olive oil.  Somewhere I saw the suggestion to add a splash of vinegar at the end of cooking which I sometimes do. I like my eggs and greens, and it is an easy way to get started on the day. I like arugula because it is fast and I like the bitterness. A sprinkle of feta goes well with this, but I don't do that every time.

ETA: when I was a kid in Buffalo, NY, winter breakfast before heading out to catch the school bus was often vegetable beef soup. Fond memories even though most people thought it was very weird. 

I quite often make ratatouille oatmeal for breakfast - I eat it with zero fat Greek yoghurt.  I normally set up a batch and then reheat it for a few days.

[KungFuPanda]

Right now I’m harvesting a lot of kale, cucumbers, and zucchini so that’s what I’m pushing lately. I’m really into this Israeli chopped salad because I have parsley in my garden too and my lettuce is over. I’m still buying tomatoes, but I hope that changes by next week.

I don’t put away a lot of produce so I pretty much force feed it to people while it’s in season. 😬
 

[SKL]

Do whole foods vitamins count?

Honestly, there are many days when I don't eat any veggies at all, not even as a sauce ingredient.

I used to be so good about eating many fruits and veggies - I would have a minimum of 4-5 servings (whole, organic, fresh) every day.  Now I am just bad.  I sit at my computer and eat cashews and corn chips and drink coffee.  But some days i am good and eat big salads etc.  😛

[TravelingChris]

1 hour ago, angelaguptathomas said:

I am so impressed with everyone's daily vegetable intake.

I am inspired to figure out how I might increase my vegetable intake in spite of my digestive woes.

Thanks so much!

Why raw???  You can eat cooked and that would be better.  In most cases, lightly cooked is much more nutritious than raw.  

[TravelingChris]

I eat mainly cooked vegetables.  I often eat a celery sticks with peanut butter for either a snack or lunch.  I also eat both raw and cooked tomatoes.  And I eat both raw and cooked salads too-  I prefer cooked actually.  Other veggies eaten raw are cucumbers,  Otherwise, I cook just about everything.

[Soror]

Minimum- 5 servings veg(2 greens/1 cruciferous, 2 ny other veg)/4 fruit (at least 1 berry)

1 cup serving for raw veggies/1/2 cooked

I feel best with 10+ servings. I started using the Daily Dozen app 3 months ago to help keep my nutrition up as it is easy to slack some time and I was slacking in the spring. I love knocking all those boxes off. I do a mix of raw and cooked. Sometimes I will do a smoothie but most servings are eaten whole.

[AngelaGT]

53 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

An adjunct question along the lines of the vitamin one, do any of you use powdered green supplements?

OP, I would think that with Crohn’s and the caution over too much fiber, a little supplementing might be good for you. But I don’t have a lot of experience with that, I’ve just been given small sample packets here and there and usually forget to even try them. I just know they're out there.

I actually do add powdered greens to my smoothies-organic chlorella powder, organic wheat grass powder, organic spirulina, organic barley grass powder, and "superfood" powders.  I also take high quality, bioavailable, food based supplements.

[AngelaGT]

1 hour ago, TravelingChris said:

Why raw???  You can eat cooked and that would be better.  In most cases, lightly cooked is much more nutritious than raw.  

Just learning about live food enzymes in raw vegetables and was hoping for the nutritional and healing boosts.  Honestly, don't know enough though.

[ScoutTN]

I average 6 servings a day of veggies, but not all raw. Cooked veggies with my eggs for b'fast. Salad for lunch ir at dinner. Usually 3 veggies at dinner. 

Plus some fesh fruit for a snack.

Edited July 7, 2020 by ScoutTN

[mathnerd]

4 hours ago, angelaguptathomas said:

I also have a history of Crohn's disease making the consumption of too much fibrous foods at the same time difficult to digest.

I need to increase my vegetable intake and I primarily want to increase the live raw enzymes from uncooked organic vegetables.  

Any thoughts on how I might easily do so?

I have one useful tip: buy yourself a masticating juicer. I have had the Omega brand juicer for over 18 years with no problems. The quality of the juice is far superior to the juice from centrifugal juicers. They put a lot of pressure on the fruit or vegetable and extricate the juice and spit out most of the fiber. You basically get the enzymes and minerals without the bulk of the fiber. They are also called "slow juicers". This is one way that you can avoid the bulk in the fibers and drink fresh pressed juices (there are so many recipes for these juicers out there with greens like kale and vegetables like cabbages with extra carrots or lemon added for taste). My DH skips lunch or eats a protein bar a lot of days due to the commute between his 2 jobs and and I make him a vegetable+fruit juice to drink before dinner to make up for the lack of vegetables in his lunch. When I do make these juices, I add close to 10 vegetables and fruits combined. I don't use the recipe book anymore, I pretty much wing it, and I make as per taste preference, but the recipe book that comes with the machine and youtube are good places to start.

Edited July 7, 2020 by mathnerd

[Corraleno]

I usually have a couple of servings of fruit for breakfast (plus toast, oatmeal, or yogurt), a big chopped salad for lunch, and then dinner is some form of vegetable-based curry, pasta, or grain bowl. I also eat a LOT of fruit for snacks, and sometimes hummus with carrots & red pepper strips. So there's at least 4 cups of raw veg in the salad, another 3-4 cups of cooked veg in dinner, and probably 5-6 servings of fruit throughout the day.

I find it much easier to eat healthy if I do a big meal prep thing a couple of times/week. My salad "base" is cherry tomatoes, red & yellow peppers, cucumbers, and green onions, so I will chop up huge bowl of that, dress it with olive oil and lemon juice, and keep it in the fridge. Then for lunch on Day 1, I might have several cups of that with romaine, black beans, avocado, cilantro, and some chili-lime seasoning. Then Day 2, I might have it with arugula, marinated artichoke hearts, marinated mozzarella, cannelini beans, and fresh basil. Day 3 might include spinach, chickpeas, feta, and mint. So all the chopping is done on one day, and then each day I can have a different salad just by grabbing a few handfuls of greens and then adding things from cans or jars.

I will also chop & roast a bunch of sweet potatoes, red peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, garlic, etc., and use those for various dinners. So I might make a curry with some of the sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and onions plus fresh or frozen spinach and chickpeas or lentils. I'll portion that out into individual servings and store in the fridge or freezer. I'll add roasted peppers, garlic, and broccoli to sautéed kale and mushrooms, and dump it over with pasta with olive oil, lemon juice, capers, fresh basil, and shaved parmesan. I'll throw a little of everything in a bowl with a grain (quinoa or brown rice) and a legume (chickpeas or lentils) and top it with garlic tahini sauce. 

I think the best way to make a habit of eating more veg is to get away from the idea of dinner as meat + starch + veg. Try serving big bowls of soup with tons of veg and a little beef or chicken, served with slices of sourdough toasted in the oven with garlic butter & parmesan. Make black bean chili with carrots, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and just a little beef and serve with tortilla chips or corn bread. Make a stir fry with lots of broccoli, edamame, bok choy or shredded cabbage, carrots, snow or snap peas, red peppers, and strips of chicken breast, served with a small portion of rice. If you have leftovers, dice the veg, mix it with leftover rice and an egg and serve veg-heavy fried rice for breakfast or lunch. Instead of sandwiches for lunch, add whatever you'd put inside the sandwich to a salad — instead of ham & cheese with a slice of tomato and one lettuce leaf on bread, make a chef's salad with lots of lettuce and tomato and cucumber and green onion plus chopped ham & cheese. 

Edited July 7, 2020 by Corraleno

[Soror]

44 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

I usually have a couple of servings of fruit for breakfast (plus toast, oatmeal, or yogurt), a big chopped salad for lunch, and then dinner is some form of vegetable-based curry, pasta, or grain bowl. I also eat a LOT of fruit for snacks, and sometimes hummus with carrots & red pepper strips. So there's at least 4 cups of raw veg in the salad, another 3-4 cups of cooked veg in dinner, and probably 5-6 servings of fruit throughout the day.

I find it much easier to eat healthy if I do a big meal prep thing a couple of times/week. My salad "base" is cherry tomatoes, red & yellow peppers, cucumbers, and green onions, so I will chop up huge bowl of that, dress it with olive oil and lemon juice, and keep it in the fridge. Then for lunch on Day 1, I might have several cups of that with romaine, black beans, avocado, cilantro, and some chili-lime seasoning. Then Day 2, I might have it with arugula, marinated artichoke hearts, marinated mozzarella, cannelini beans, and fresh basil. Day 3 might include spinach, chickpeas, feta, and mint. So all the chopping is done on one day, and then each day I can have a different salad just by grabbing a few handfuls of greens and then adding things from cans or jars.

I will also chop & roast a bunch of sweet potatoes, red peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, garlic, etc., and use those for various dinners. So I might make a curry with some of the sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and onions plus fresh or frozen spinach and chickpeas or lentils. I'll portion that out into individual servings and store in the fridge or freezer. I'll add roasted peppers, garlic, and broccoli to sautéed kale and mushrooms, and dump it over with pasta with olive oil, lemon juice, capers, fresh basil, and shaved parmesan. I'll throw a little of everything in a bowl with a grain (quinoa or brown rice) and a legume (chickpeas or lentils) and top it with garlic tahini sauce. 

I think the best way to make a habit of eating more veg is to get away from the idea of dinner as meat + starch + veg. Try serving big bowls of soup with tons of veg and a little beef or chicken, served with slices of sourdough toasted in the oven with garlic butter & parmesan. Make black bean chili with carrots, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and just a little beef and serve with tortilla chips or corn bread. Make a stir fry with lots of broccoli, edamame, bok choy or shredded cabbage, carrots, snow or snap peas, red peppers, and strips of chicken breast, served with a small portion of rice. If you have leftovers, dice the veg, mix it with leftover rice and an egg and serve veg-heavy fried rice for breakfast or lunch. Instead of sandwiches for lunch, add whatever you'd put inside the sandwich to a salad — instead of ham & cheese with a slice of tomato and one lettuce leaf on bread, make a chef's salad with lots of lettuce and tomato and cucumber and green onion plus chopped ham & cheese. 

I do meal prep too for lunches but I do eat the same thing multiple days in a row. I make meals for lunches and also grains, beans, sauces, vegs etc. Right now in the frig I have extra- coconut curry with chickpea, kale, onion, napa cabbage, and sweet potato; brown rice noodles; batch crispy baked tofu; plain black beans (going to made into black bean brownies tomorrow); black bean patties; mango salsa; lime slaw;whole grain gf bread (extra in freezer).

[regentrude]

I eat mostly plant based and don't count servings. I usually have several servings of fruit for breakfast and snacks. Lunch is mainly vegetables, either roasted, stir fried or as soup in the winter, grain bowls and salads in the summer. Often vegetables with dip or salad for dinner. 

The easiest way to up your raw veggie intake is to make your salads more interesting and add other things to your leafy greens: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, carrot, fennel, beets, cabbage, various fruits, and nuts and seeds for texture. Or make a grain bowl with a variety of raw veggies and some good hummus or peanut sauce for protein.

With a sharp knife and a good cutting board, I do not find meal prep a burden. It really doesn't take that long to cut up the veggies for a meal, unless you have a huge family. I much prefer the taste and texture of freshly prepared veggies.

 

[Carol in Cal.]

I find that the absolute easiest way for me to eat a ton of veggies, which I go in and out of, is to buy those bags of cleaned greens and eat them absent mindedly right out of the bag, like chips.  I don't miss the salad dressing when I do this, although it makes me very thirsty so I drink a lot of water along with it.  Pre-covid I would do this in the car while I was driving around, and it would be super easy to scarf down 5 cups of greens without any effort to speak of.  But now I've fallen out of the habit, since I'm home most of the time.

At the office I like to eat red cabbage or raddicchio -- I peel the next 'few' leaves off the head and eat them while I'm working.

Right now it's apricot season, so I'm eating tons of those off of our tree.  I think I am the only person I know who can gain weight on apricots, I love them so much.

Once I'm more or less done with those, I'll be trying to get back to those salad bags again.

I also drink a ton of steeped ginger, and cook asparagus or artichokes as my preferred warm veggies.  I do like salads, and this time of the year a fairly frequent one is cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzerrella balls, chiffonaded basil, and drizzled olive oil, tossed together to be my light meal.

[KungFuPanda]

I had fried green tomatoes for lunch.  I don't know how healthy that is.  😁

[Shellydon]

Next to none. I seriously hate most vegetables. They are so bitter. I can eat lettuce, some cabbage and peas. That's it. Fruit I eat a bunch of daily, but no veggies.  My kids all eat carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, bell peppers etc daily. I just take a vitamin. I tried to take powdered greens but it tastes terrible. I wish I wasn't a super taster. 

Edited July 8, 2020 by Shellydon

[Jentrovert]

Not enough. I have three main excuses, errrr, reasons. One, it's hard enough to drag myself to the grocery store twice a week for produce in normal times, much less now. Two, we all like roasted veggies best, and it's too hot to use the oven much. I can (and do many weeks) grill up a bunch at a time. But they're not great warmed up. (Maybe I need an air fryer to reheat?) And, three, I don't really like veggies, for the most part. I can eat a ton more than I could in the past, but not very adventurous. I've branched out more in the last few years to try to set a good example for the kids, but it's hard.

Let's see, I would guess that in the first few days after shopping, I eat 3-4 servings a day. It gradually dwindles down to 1-2, and toward the end much of that is canned/frozen.

Lots of good ideas in this thread, thanks for asking the question.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I don't see anything wrong with frozen vegetables.  They are usually frozen quite soon after picking at peak ripeness and are still quite nutritious. 

[Jentrovert]

23 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I don't see anything wrong with frozen vegetables.  They are usually frozen quite soon after picking at peak ripeness and are still quite nutritious. 

I'm not sure if it was my comment that prompted this, but regardless, I agree. It's just that I have the best chance of actually enjoying veggies with fresh. 😂 Frozen in second best, although, oddly, I prefer canned to frozen green beans and green peas.

[Jentrovert]

7 hours ago, Arctic Mama said:

Canned peas?!  REPENT!

I know, it's crazy! The frozen ones always taste like they have freezer burn to me. 

[Kanin]

19 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I want to point out that a serving of cooked vegetables is only 1/2 a cup.  A serving of raw veggies is 1 cup. 

Oh, I thought you meant the opposite and was really surprised for a moment! Never mind 🙂 

Edited July 8, 2020 by Kanin

[marbel]

9 hours ago, Jentrovert said:

I'm not sure if it was my comment that prompted this, but regardless, I agree. It's just that I have the best chance of actually enjoying veggies with fresh. 😂 Frozen in second best, although, oddly, I prefer canned to frozen green beans and green peas.

There is something about canned green beans that I crave now and then.  The salt?  The texture? Childhood memories? (I don't crave canned chow mein though I ate plenty of that as a kid.)  I don't know. I do eat green beans in all their forms, and tend not to buy canned because I'm the only one who prefers them, but now and then... 

Edited July 8, 2020 by marbel

[wintermom]

With a history of Crohn's, I would look at diets and food preparation methods on Crohn's specific websites. Flare ups are so debilitating and can effect your daily life, so your veggie consumption may be very different during these times. Your eating in remission may look completely different, and be a lot more varied. 

Eating When You are in Remission

It’s important to maintain a diverse and nutrient-rich diet even when you are in remission and your symptoms have subsided, or even disappeared. Introduce new foods slowly. Remember to stay hydrated with water, broth, tomato juice, and rehydration solutions. Consult with your doctor or dietitian before making any changes to your diet.

These foods can help you stay healthy and hydrated:

• Fiber-rich foods: oat bran, beans, barley, nuts, and whole grains, unless you have an ostomy, intestinal narrowing, or if your doctor advises you to continue a low-fiber diet due to strictures, or recent surgery

• Protein: lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts, and tofu

• Fruits and vegetables: try to eat as many “colors” as you can, and remove the peel and seeds if they bother you

• Calcium-rich foods: collard greens, yogurt, kefir, and milk (if you are lactose intolerant, choose lactose-free dairy products or use a lactase digestive enzyme)

• Food with probiotics: yogurt, kimchi, miso, sauerkraut, and tempeh

[wintermom]

Personally, my gut responds better if I make dietary changes gradually. A sudden increase in pretty much any new foods will eventually cause flare-ups of gas and pain. 

All the best in your quest!

[Pam in CT]

10 hours ago, Jentrovert said:

Not enough. I have three main excuses, errrr, reasons. One, it's hard enough to drag myself to the grocery store twice a week for produce in normal times, much less now. Two, we all like roasted veggies best, and it's too hot to use the oven much. I can (and do many weeks) grill up a bunch at a time. But they're not great warmed up. (Maybe I need an air fryer to reheat?) And, three, I don't really like veggies, for the most part. I can eat a ton more than I could in the past, but not very adventurous. I've branched out more in the last few years to try to set a good example for the kids, but it's hard.

Let's see, I would guess that in the first few days after shopping, I eat 3-4 servings a day. It gradually dwindles down to 1-2, and toward the end much of that is canned/frozen.

Lots of good ideas in this thread, thanks for asking the question.

Re excuse reason #2: As a fellow roasted-veg lover, I've discovered that just about anything that's great roasted is similarly great grilled (low heat with the cover closed). Once summer rolls around, my in-kitchen cooking dials back to rice and pasta; everything else that needs to be hot gets grilled.

 

re frozen vegetables:

10 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I don't see anything wrong with frozen vegetables.  They are usually frozen quite soon after picking at peak ripeness and are still quite nutritious. 

Absolutely.  Nutrition-wise they've fine, convenience-wise they're awesome, we've always used them for some things (spinach, peas, green beans) and now that I'm super-spreading the food deliveries out we're using more.  And if I'm going to, say, puree up cauliflower to hide it in a white sauce it might as well start soft and cooked.

My issue with frozen isn't nutrition. It's CRUNCH.  I really really really like my broccoli, green beans, stir fried peppers to make a SOUND when I bite into them.  I don't "cook" these things so much as "warm them up."  And you can't get there if you start with frozen (though I've learned that by broiling frozen brussel sprouts cut side up to near-burnt I can achieve something approximating crunch, and with the addition of a fresh barely-warmed up onion both my husband, who does not share my passion for vegetative crunch, and I can be happy).

 

I really haven't found any way to make any canned vegetable taste and sound the way I want vegetables to taste and sound.  And...

9 hours ago, Arctic Mama said:

Canned peas?!  REPENT!

YES.

Frozen peas are fine, and with a bit of fresh mint from the garden, positively delicious.

 

Oh and one final world-rocking vegetative discovery of the last 4 months: there's a form of shrink-wrapped beets that are SHELF STABLE.  Amazon or Walmart or whoever will ship (not deliver) them to you and you can keep them in your PANTRY, unrefrigerated for, like, 5 years or something.  Broiled to near-burnt near-crispness with a bit of feta sprinkled on top, over fresh salad greens if you have them or sauteed frozen spinach with some garlic if you do not, *chef's kiss.*