Struggling with Veggies

[jldixon]

Here I am on my Day 7 - I find I am really struggling to avoid sugar consumed with fruit. Protein is no problem (though I'm having a problem with beef - I don't digest it well), but I'd much rather reach for fruit than veggies. Mostly because I don't like them raw, and I like quick to go meals without much cooking. Anyways - am I still "on" even if I kind of feel I'm having too much sugar, even if it's only fruit? 

[Irish Rose]

Do some really quick veggies, spinach will wilt down in a pan with olive or coconut oil in minutes. Again, asparagus cooks in minutes with little prep. Chop up and roast a huge tray of starchy veg or peppers , zucchini etc and portion them up and freeze. Replacing veg with fruit isn't ideal, especially if fat loss is a goal or beating sugar cravings. I am going to be a bit brutal here and say that if you aren't willing to prep and cook food, you really aren't giving the whole 30 a proper chance . It's time consuming and tedious but eating 'fast' food has caused us all the problems that we have come to the whole30 to fix. I always cook extra for next days lunch or to freeze for next weeks dinner, so I don't feel tied to the stove. I promise it will get easier, you just have to learn new habits. Good luck!

[Elizabeth!]

You might want to make yourself some mason jar salads. No cooking required. Just prep. I found during the third week, veggies just tasted better and I craved the left over roasted broccoli from the night before. I use to hate leftover veggies. Now I Iove them, except for left over yellow squash, that is still nasty.

[Bet]

Frozen veggies are a great quick way to add some to your meals. I defrost a bag of frozen spinach and keep it in a bowl in the fridge. Each morning I put some on my plate with my premade pork and sweet potato fritters and nuke them. And that's my breakfast.

[Fenderbender]

Steam or boil and then immediately plung into ice water large batches of broccoli ,cauliflower, carrots,brussel sprouts,asparagus,etc and so forth.... Keep them on hand in zip locks so you always have go to veg on hand with no prep...also great cold with EVOO or guacamole

[rachel30]

Roast them! A big, huge 13x9 pan of sweet potato, onion, Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips. Oh my god. So good. You won't even want fruit! (OK, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little bit...)

 

But, you can make an enormous tray and then portion into small Tupperware containers to take & go.

[Delaine Ross]

Throw some garlic in those roasted veggies!

[Irish Rose]

Throw some garlic in those roasted veggies!

A couple of lemons halved and thrown in the roasting tin with starchy veg like sweet potato, squashes carrot and parsnip is also really tasty!

[MrsStick]

If you have to/want to/are too lazy to do anything but raw veggies, then may I suggest a homemade mayo dipping sauce? I don't like plain raw veggies either, but if I have dip...that's another thing entirely!

 

Ranch style: parsley, dill, pepper, salt, maybe a touch of lemon juice

Italian style: parsley, basil, oregano, touch of red pepper

Balsamic: balsamic to taste, Italian seasoning spices (or just oregano)

 

I don't really measure anymore, just go by taste. Then again, my husband and mom will tell you that I never was a big one for measuring...

[Maycat]

I would get the book Well Fed, it has tons of veggies. I invested in a spiral cutter from amazon.com and made the zucchini noodles she has and it was amazing! It was better than pasta. I find myself eating much more veggies now than I ever did. 

[mockingjay]

I would get the book Well Fed, it has tons of veggies. I invested in a spiral cutter from amazon.com and made the zucchini noodles she has and it was amazing! It was better than pasta. I find myself eating much more veggies now than I ever did. 

how much did the spiral cutter cost?  and how did you prepare the "noodles"?

[MrsStick]

I bought a julienne peeler made by OXO and it does just fine for zucchini noodles (although too many carrots or sweet potatoes will eventually make it need replacing...and if you eat them a lot...you might just go through one a year) or just generally prepping veggies for stir fries.

 

For zucchini noodles, olive oil or ghee in a pan, add noodles until they've cooked through. Salt/pepper/garlic powder/fresh garlic/whatever else you want to add.

[Xandra]

I am the queen of convenient cooking. Frozen veggies are my staples, and Costco is a great source. We go through bags of their frozen broccoli and kale, and they have some good mixed varieties, too.  Just avoid the ones that have corn/peas.

 

Also, throwing a whole squash into the oven on 350 for an hour is pretty easy.  And boiling up some sweet potatoes to mash takes very little time.

 

By the time I'm done eating all the veggies, I have little room left for fruit, and for me, that's a good thing.

[Maycat]

how much did the spiral cutter cost?  and how did you prepare the "noodles"?

 

The spiral cutter cost around $31 and seems pretty sturdy http://www.amazon.com/Paderno-World-Cuisine-A4982799-Tri-Blade/dp/B0007Y9WHQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1377192195&sr=1-1&keywords=spiralizer . After I spiraled the noodles I sprinkled salt on the and let them sit in a colander for 20 minutes before rinsing with water, drying, and cooking.

 

Here is a copy of Mel's recipe, as I couldn't find it on her website: http://www.ziplist.com/recipes/1683263-Zucchini_Noodles_Aglio_et_Olio

 

I sauteed  garlic in olive oil. They were delicious and it was a quick way to eat 4 zucchinis!

[Maycat]

I am the queen of convenient cooking. Frozen veggies are my staples, and Costco is a great source. We go through bags of their frozen broccoli and kale, and they have some good mixed varieties, too.  Just avoid the ones that have corn/peas.

 

 

That is a good idea! I forgot about Costco for that. I was lamenting last night how I am running out of veggies before the end of the week. If I bought some frozen ones for backup I wouldn't need to hit the market again.

[lexes42]

If you can actually cut the dang thing, roasting a spaghetti squash is good too.  Even if you do it at night because you don't have an hour to roast it for dinner, you still have it ready to eat the next day.

 

if you cut up any veggie small enough you can pan fry / steam with coconutoil or ghee and add salt and pepper.  Most are pretty palatable that way, for me a veggie newbie anyway

[Xandra]

If you can actually cut the dang thing, roasting a spaghetti squash is good too.  Even if you do it at night because you don't have an hour to roast it for dinner, you still have it ready to eat the next day.

 

 

Roast it whole. No difference in the result; a lot easier to cut when soft.