Questions re: Vegetables and "Mini-meals"

[hiphiptarah]

New to Whole 30 and still in my first week, but I have a couple questions.

 

MAKING VEGGIES DELICIOUS

 

1) Let's be honest for a sec. I am not a veggie fan. Prior to whole 30, I was not a veggie eater. Many days, I would eat 0 servings of vegetables, and on the rare day I had 1 or 2, it was usually only tomato sauce on my pasta, or some lettuce/tomato on a sandwich, or carrots/broccoli dipped in large amounts of ranch dressing.

That being said, I know that it is going to take time for my taste buds to adjust and to like vegetables more. I have been experimenting with many different vegetables and spices, some I have liked more than others. Tasty or not, I still have a very difficult time finishing a full serving of veggies at each meal. So, what are your go-to recipes or flavor combinations to make vegetables taste amazing?

 

MINI-MEALS

 

2) I am not a super active person. (I am working on exercising more, but being in the midst of week 1 general malaise, it's not happening right now at all.) However, my days are very long, and even eating 3 meals every 4-5 hours would make my last meal at like 4pm! (Wake at 5:45, M1 at 6:30, M2 around 11, and M3 at 4:30, bed by 10pm) I know snacking is not encouraged, but I was wondering if in my situation a 2 "mini-meals" would be appropriate (for a total of 4 meals)? I figure I'm not active enough to merit 4 full meals, not to mention I'm adjusting as is to eating larger quantities less often. I just know you are supposed to eat within an hour of waking, but I can't imaging eating my least meal 5 or 6 hours before bed either. Any tips or more info on the spacing of meals would be appreciated!

 

Thanks everyone for your help!

[ladyshanny]

New to Whole 30 and still in my first week, but I have a couple questions.

 

MAKING VEGGIES DELICIOUS

 

1) Let's be honest for a sec. I am not a veggie fan. Prior to whole 30, I was not a veggie eater. Many days, I would eat 0 servings of vegetables, and on the rare day I had 1 or 2, it was usually only tomato sauce on my pasta, or some lettuce/tomato on a sandwich, or carrots/broccoli dipped in large amounts of ranch dressing.

That being said, I know that it is going to take time for my taste buds to adjust and to like vegetables more. I have been experimenting with many different vegetables and spices, some I have liked more than others. Tasty or not, I still have a very difficult time finishing a full serving of veggies at each meal. So, what are your go-to recipes or flavor combinations to make vegetables taste amazing?

 

MINI-MEALS

 

2) I am not a super active person. (I am working on exercising more, but being in the midst of week 1 general malaise, it's not happening right now at all.) However, my days are very long, and even eating 3 meals every 4-5 hours would make my last meal at like 4pm! (Wake at 5:45, M1 at 6:30, M2 around 11, and M3 at 4:30, bed by 10pm) I know snacking is not encouraged, but I was wondering if in my situation a 2 "mini-meals" would be appropriate (for a total of 4 meals)? I figure I'm not active enough to merit 4 full meals, not to mention I'm adjusting as is to eating larger quantities less often. I just know you are supposed to eat within an hour of waking, but I can't imaging eating my least meal 5 or 6 hours before bed either. Any tips or more info on the spacing of meals would be appreciated!

 

Thanks everyone for your help!

Try roasting your veggies.  Throw some brussel sprouts, baby potatoes, carrots, asparagus, sweet onion, brocoli in a pan, toss in olive oil or animal fat, sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt and some fresh pepper and bake at 435F for about 25 minutes.  You can also try stir fries with (my fave) green beans and red cabbage, topped wtih some ground pork and all tossed in Sunshine Sauce.  You don't have to eat boring steamed veggies if you don't want to, the options are endless!  Green beans steam sauteed and then tossed with some sesame oil and sesame seeds.  Brocoli roasted after tossing in cumin and paprika, sprinkled with fresh lemon or lime juice when done.

 

As for your meal combos, I would probably go with your M1 and M2 at your standard times, pack a mini meal for between M2 and M3 and then eat a proper M3 around 6pm.  Would that work?

[Munkers]

If you're hungry, then eat. If that means 4 template meals to keep you full and happy, then do it. Your body is in big-time adjustment mode right now and when you're feeding yourself good, nutrient-dense food, your body may initially respond by saying "Give me more! Feed me!" Monkey around with meal time, meal sizes, how much fat to add, etc. and things will eventually settle down.

 

As for veggies: Your starting point should always be a yummy fat and high quality salt. Those two things alone will put you off to a good start. Also think about how you're cooking the veggies. Boiled veggies usually suck. Roasted or sauteed veggies are a different story. I like to roast a lot of things in the oven--broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, sweet potatoes, cabbage, etc. If it's a veggie that I eat, then I've probably roasted it at some point. I love the cocoa toasted cauliflower from Well Fed and roasted cabbage with lemon and olive is kind of amazing. Broccoli may get garlic, paprika, 21 spice blend, curry, or even a combination of those things. Same goes for the green beans. On sweet potatoes I like cinnamon and salt or sometimes I go with cumin and hot spices.

[frogtox]

I'm a big salad gal... I eat them almost every day.  In each one I usually get a serving of leafy greens and I'll add tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, beets, etc and throw in a handful of grilled chicken or salmon, green olives and a few cashews. I make my own dressing with equal parts avocado oil and balsamic vinegar. 

[DevonMrs]

Hi - I feel the same about veggies so I'm going to try soups!

[ultrarunnergirl]

If you eat according to the Meal Template recommended portions (remember, those are minimums) you might even stay full for more than 5 hours between meals. You may find you aren't hungry for meal 2 until closer to noon and meal 3 closer to 6. Keep tinkering as you go and as you learn about yourself.

 

When starting out, it can seem like a lot of food at one time but it's really just that you're eating nutrient dense food. Don't be afraid to pile it on. Don't skimp on anything, especially fat.

 

If you'd like to post a day or two of what you have eaten we can give you some helpful suggestions if we see anything that might help you.

[Rebe_J]

I love roasted vegetables, especially Brussels sprouts with bacon (I never tried them before W30). Pureed roasted root vegetables will add delicious body to soup, too.

 

I keep a lot of salad vegetables on hand: grape tomatoes, bell peppers in all colors, cucumbers, radishes, etc. They are good dipped in guacamole, or a dressing made with compliant mayo. It takes a few minutes once a week to prep a good supply. I also like bell pepper "boats" filled with egg or tuna salad. 

[Physibeth]

You have gotten lots of great advice here. Just wanted to add my encouragement as a former vegetable hater as well (I could have wrote what you wrote 100% 2 years ago). As you go down this journey your taste buds will adjust. You will start actually tasting the natural sweetness of vegetables. I enjoy such a wider variety of veggies now. It takes time. Keep trying new things and try them multiple times multiple ways. I remember posting to my facebook page that I was trying Brussels sprouts for the first time and actually liked them and one of my friends responded with "who are you and what did you do with Bethany" or something like that. It's a journey you will not regret.