Veggies Unveiled

Your mom fed you smelly canned peas once and you haven't tried them since. Just the thought of spinach on your tongue makes you gag and the only vegetables you'll eat are corn--swimming in butter, and french fries. You'll eat salad on occasion, but only if there's ranch dressing involved.

We need a veggie intervention.

Eat colorful vegetables. Red cabbage is the star of Asian Slaw

After a couple years of marking friends' food logs with a red pen, I can tell you across the board, most people have a veggie void. They just don't eat enough. Maybe they don't want to bother with washing, cutting, and peeling. Or something in their childhood triggers the "ick" reflex.

Veggies are worth the bother. Think color. You'll hear nutritionists say to eat the rainbow-- green broccoli, red cabbage, blueberries. That's because colorful produce is loaded with phytonutrients. What the heck are those? They're natural chemical compounds--only found in fruits and vegetables. These natural chemicals work with other nutrients to keep our bodies operating at optimal levels, fighting cell breakdown, regulating hormones, keeping us healthy. Plus the fiber keeps all systems moving smoothly.

O.K., how many do you have to eat? The general guideline among health experts is 5 a day. 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of veggies will get you in the ball park of feeling energized--giving every cell in your body the proper fuel it needs.

Research recently published in the British Medical Journal looked at more than 65,000 people's veggie intake. What's the magic number? That study found 7 servings a day of produce significantly cut the risk of dying from cancer and heart disease and veggie eaters lived longer overall.

Don't suddenly stuff yourself with 7 servings of produce. Your body has to get used to the idea or you'll be a bit of a gas bag.

Add vegetables like kale to eggs.

Start slowly and ramp it up. At breakfast, saute some chopped spinach in a pan with at touch of olive oil before scrambling your eggs. Put the eggs on top of sliced raw tomato. Save some veggies from the night before and toss them in the pan in the morning with your omelette. This takes less time than waiting for a sugary toaster pastry to pop up out of the toaster.

For snack time, take your veggies to work. Bag up some sliced red bell pepper and dip it in natural hummus. Red pepper is sweet and crunchy and fills you up. Add snap peas to your wraps or turkey sandwich and put it in your chilled lunch bag.  Eat a salad every day. Add sliced radishes, or shredded carrots. Most of these veggies come pre-washed and bagged, so they're super convenient.

Put dark leafy greens on everything and try kale.

Make a salad you haven't tried before--like broccoli apple slaw, or Asian slaw.(see recipes below)

To steam vegetables, put an inch of water in a pot and bring it to a boil. Place a metal steamer basket in the pot, and put your veggies on top. Put a lid on it and steam for a few minutes until the produce is tender crisp. All veggies are delicious with a squirt of lemon juice or brush them with olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper, or fresh herbs.

A steamer basket keeps veggies from getting soggy.

Roasted Brussels sprouts are a favorite at my house. Wash them, then remove the stems and loose outer leaves. Slice them in half and brush with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper and tiny pieces of real bacon.  To roast any vegetable, bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 for about 15-20 minutes. Always brush them with olive oil or hit them with cooking spray first.

Experiment with roasting veggies. Just make sure the pieces are about the same size so the broccoli doesn't burn before the onions are cooked. Baby red potatoes, onions and fresh minced rosemary make a delicious roasted combo.

Stir frying is another way to meld all those flavors together. Give everything a good chop, preheat your oiled pan, and keep those veggies moving. Add some low sodium soy sauce, fresh grated ginger and garlic too. Toss in a little chicken broth at the end, along with your cooked meat, and call it dinner.

Soon, you'll be on your way to 7 a day!

What's your favorite way to eat veggies? Please, share your ideas and recipes with me in the comments section.

Apple Broccoli Slaw

Apple Broccoli Slaw

½ bag broccoli slaw or rainbow salad, coarsely chopped

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup apple juice or white grape juice

1 gala or honey crisp apples, washed, cored and diced

Juice of one lemon

Sprinkle of sugar, Splenda or Stevia.

Combine chopped apples with lemon juice. Add chopped Broccoli slaw ( I take it out of the bag, and chop it all again to make it easier to eat.)

Add fruit juice and combine. Top with cranberries. Add sweetener to taste.

This is an awesome side salad or veggie with any protein. My children love this and don’t know it’s broccoli. It’s really good next to salmon, grilled chicken or turkey.

Serving size, one cup.

Carbs, approx: not counting broccoli, 16

Calories: about 75

Asian Slaw

4 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 small red onion chopped
1 cup shelled edamame (it comes frozen)
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1/3 cup fat free may or plain Greek yogurt
1 1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sriracha chili sauce
1/4 tsp sugar or Stevia
Low sodium soy sauce to taste
Asian noodles, peanuts or sunflower seeds

Toss chopped cabbage, carrots, onion and edamame in a bowl. Season with pepper. Whisk together vinegar, mayo, sesame oil, chili sauce and sweetener until smooth. Taste and add soy sauce as needed. Pour dressing over slaw and toss to combine. Top with crispy noodles or peanuts before serving. 1 cup serving is about 80 cals, 8 carbs.