Help me eat more veggies

[chutch]

I need to eat more veggies. I do well on weekends when I have plenty of free time to make a nice salad, grill some veggies from the garden, or make a big stir fry. But I find that during the week, unless I go out to eat and order a salad, I don't get enough veggies. Fruits are no problem because its easy to grab and apple or banana and take it with me to work- needs no refrigeration or special care, doesn't need anything to dress it up, etc.

Typical work lunches are PBJs and whole grain chips and fruit. I snack on fruit, nuts, pretzels. I prefer not to have to keep anything refrigerated and I bike to work so it needs to be easily portable in a pannier.

Dinners during the week tend to be whatever can be made quickly after working all day and riding in the evenings (pasta, burritos, etc.). I get frustrated with bagged salad because it seems to always go bad before its all eaten.

Any ideas, tips?

[jillm]

This is one of my favorites this time of year--mix blanched green beans, sweet corn (leftover grilled cut off the cob, yum!), and real tomatoes (I mean fresh, august, garden or farmer's market) with pesto sauce (or a little oil and balsamic vinegar) and sprinkle with goat cheese. I make a bunch and we eat it over a few days.

Good luck with the veggies! Looking forward to what others have to say.

[Becky]

I'll buy a bunch of raw veggies, chop/peel/whatever them on the weekend, and use them throughout the week, usually in salads. Prep work doesn't happen during the week. I've been known to make "lettuce-free" salads- all of the salad veggies, but no lettuce or greens. What about buying salad greens in smaller quantities from a store salad bar?

I'm a big fan of using frozen veggies whenever possible. Frozen onions in a recipe instead of freshly chopped, sure! Frozen spinach, thawed and drained, instead of fresh in a cooked dish, you bet! Frozen corn/carrots/broccoli as a side dish instead of steaming fresh, certainly! I prepare fresh veggies when I can, but realistically, that doesn't happen very often during the week.

Low-sodium canned tomatoes are a godsend in recipes, and probably the only canned veggies that I buy (other than beans). Most canned stuff is too mushy and salty for my tastes. A quick rinse in the colander and they're good to go!

[limewave]

I try and do the same thing as Becky. I buy a bunch of fresh veggies over the weekend and then wash, cut, and dice them for easy use during the week. I find that a bag of cut veggies is a great snack for the drive home. Also, when I'm feeling lazy, I cook up some whole-grain pasta or quinoa and throw some frozen veggies in the pot. Or cook veggies in olive oil and mix with the pasta/grain. Add a splash of olive oil or balsamic vinegar for seasoning. It's really easy, light, and tastes good.

I really like the blocks of frozen chopped spinach. I go through a couple of those a week. I'll add it to spaghetti, use as a bed for grilled chicken or stir fry, add as a layer to lasagna or to an omelette . . . it goes on and on. Super easy.

[Smilie]

I really like the blocks of frozen chopped spinach. I go through a couple of those a week. I'll add it to spaghetti, use as a bed for grilled chicken or stir fry, add as a layer to lasagna or to an omelette . . . it goes on and on. Super easy.

Spaghetti with sauce? Can you taste the spinach? I like spinach but my kids not so much.

[kelownagirl]

I mostly eat raw veggies. I'm too lazy to cook them. Baby carrots, snap peas, peppers, and tomatoes are my faves.

[7rider]

I prefer not to have to keep anything refrigerated and I bike to work so it needs to be easily portable in a pannier.

Any ideas, tips?

If you don't already have one, buy yourself a small, insulated lunch bag that can fit in your panniers. Now that stores are having "back to school" sales, you can find one easily. Use a Blue Ice pack or similar to keep things cool without a refridgerator. I obsessively save little plastic containers (like take out deli salad things) to reuse for light-weight lunch containers. All of these ideas (raw veges for snacking, salads, etc), can pack easily in those plastic containers and stay cool in your bag. If it's stuff to reheat, I keep a ceramic bowl/mug at my desk for microwaving....

[gnat23]

My favorite sneakies:

"Pesto" sauce: steam a chopped up head of broccoli. Toss into a food processor or blender with a sprinkle of basil, some broth to thin it out, garlic, parmesan and a splash of olive oil. Make smooth, pour over pasta, good with chicken!

Salad I got from Costa Rica: bag of shredded cabbage, half-a-bag of shredded carrot, slice some seedless cucumbers. Juice of 2-3 limes and some salt to taste. Mix and eat throughout the week.

Snack on baby carrots and celery.

Huge stirfry and a crockpot stew are easy ways to make meals for the week.

-- gnat! (Now I'm hungry...)

[GLC1968]

I also do a lot of grilled veggies during the week. Marinate them in ff italian dressing during the day and grill when you get home (or roast in the oven if it's not too hot out). Very quick and yummy! I always make extra, and throw some in a container to eat with lunch the next day.

I also do the chop veggies on the weekend trick. I even bag them individually so that when I'm putting together food for the day during the week, I can just grab and go.

[chutch]

You are all awesome! These are very doable ideas. Now I'm getting excited

Becky- definitely post the recipe when you get a chance

[Becky]

Spinach and Broccoli Enchiladas (from the June/July 2008 issue of Healthy Cooking magazine)

1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp. olive oil
1 10-oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup finely-chopped fresh broccoli (sometimes I use frozen)
1 cup picante sauce, divided
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
8 8-inch tortillas

In a large skillet, cook onion until tender. Add spinach, broccoli, 1/3 cup picante sauce, garlic powder, and cumin; heat through.

Remove from heat; stir in cottage cheese and ½ cup cheddar cheese. Spoon about 1/3 cup of cheese mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a 13-inch x 9-inch x 2-inch baking dish sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Pour remaining picante sauce over the top.

Cover and bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Uncover, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.


My notes:
I generally use low-fat cheeses and whole wheat tortillas when I make this. If I recall correctly, 1 cup of picante sauce isn't quite enough, but it depends on personal preference. I chop the broccoli in the food processor.

When I'm making this ahead, I'll do it one of two ways: make the filling and keep in the fridge until I'm ready to assemble and bake, or assemble it, but wait to put the sauce on top until right before baking. This isn't a good recipe to freeze or assemble too far ahead because of the cottage cheese IMO, but it works ok if prepped a day ahead. Even if you're making it right before dinner, it goes together pretty quickly.

[Trek420]

OK, I will let you know how it came out. Tonite at Chez Trek there's no recipe eggplant parm. This is what I think I did. Come home, let the dog in.

clean then slice eggplant very thin. Lay slices on a cookie sheet and liberally salt with kosher salt (you can use non kosher whether or not you're Jewish )

Let dog out.

While eggplant sits and sweats wash then slice mushrooms, onions, toss in hot pan with California olive oil and saute.

Let dog in.

Once sauted cheat and add your choice of marinara sauce product.

Simmer.

Let dog out again.

Back to eggplant, rinse, pat dry, put in oven on the cookie sheet and cook till a little limp (the eggplant, not you).

Let dog in.

While this is going on stir sauce, slice mozzarella slices, find bake pan.

Let dog out.

Remove baked eggplant and layer creatively sauce, eggplant, cottage cheese and mozzarella, more sauce, eggplant, cottage cheese etc.

Let dog in and turn on Olympics.

Note: I like to do prep so slicing and dicing is something I like.

[chutch]

OK, I will let you know how it came out. Tonite at Chez Trek there's no recipe eggplant parm. This is what I think I did. Come home, let the dog in.

clean then slice eggplant very thin. Lay slices on a cookie sheet and liberally salt with kosher salt (you can use non kosher whether or not you're Jewish )

Let dog out.

While eggplant sits and sweats wash then slice mushrooms, onions, toss in hot pan with California olive oil and saute.

Let dog in.

Once sauted cheat and add your choice of marinara sauce product.

Simmer.

Let dog out again.

Back to eggplant, rinse, pat dry, put in oven on the cookie sheet and cook till a little limp (the eggplant, not you).

Let dog in.

While this is going on stir sauce, slice mozzarella slices, find bake pan.

Let dog out.

Remove baked eggplant and layer creatively sauce, eggplant, cottage cheese and mozzarella, more sauce, eggplant, cottage cheese etc.

Let dog in and turn on Olympics.

Note: I like to do prep so slicing and dicing is something I like.

Can I substitute petting kitty and feeding fish for letting dog in/out if I have no dog on hand?

[shootingstar]

Don't forget the red radish --they can add zip. I had forgotten how zippy they were until I had 2-3 about a month ago. After not having them for over 20 years.

Raw Japanese radish, which is larger white-creamy root...is nicer and more gentler. Can be eaten raw or stir-fried. Which is what I had mixed into my stir-fry that I banged up together tonight with buckwheat noodle, onion, ginger root, snow peas, garlic and tofu slices.

[3for3]

You mentioned you make burritos. We love breakfast burritos at our house and sometimes even have them for dinner! They're super simple and fast.

I sautee chopped veggies - usually yellow squash, zucchini, onions, bell peppers of any color, and finely chopped potato. Then I beat some eggs with a little milk and add them. On the side I usually make a little turkey bacon (It gives the good flavor with WAY less fat!), then crumble that and add it in the end. Serve up the filling in a whole wheat tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, add some salsa on top, wrap up and enjoy!