ialwayshatedmichelle

well, i posted this as a goal a year ago and have been doing pretty well but keep it here because i tend to fall off the wagon, particularly when i’m out of town. i definitely feel better, and my diet has certainly expanded. here’s some things that have helped me, though, these past months.

-i am not above pre-packaged food. shredded cabbage and carrots in a bag becomes easy coleslaw with lite ranch, vinegar, s&p.
-i save time by steaming hard veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans in the microwave. oil, vinegar, s&p. hot or cold. easy peasy.
-i use my least sexy, least social meal of the day to consume veggies en masse. right now i am sitting in front of my computer at work, as i do every day, so i try to pack a fruit, and at least a cup of veggies along with protein/starch. there’s 3 out of 5 suggested fruit/veg for the day. then i don’t feel so bad consuming beer and nachoes at happy hour.
-i buy a lot of veggies, particularly at the asian market because it’s cheap. then i have to eat them. same with my small garden, i feel bad to let them go to waste. my diet is often dictated by what’s going to go bad first. red peppers not gonna last another day? roast them and throw them in a sandwich. extra cukes and tomatoes? toss with olive oil, lemon juice, lots of parsley, s&p for an easy mediterranean salad. bok choy turning yellow? yummy stirfry with meat or tofu. i’m a cookbook junkie so i can always find a recipe to use my soon-to-toss veggies.

hope this helps, and let me know what tricks you’ve discovered!

I wrote about it here.

i agree with the other folks out there that eating more fruits and vegetables is the right path to a healthy diet. i began introducing more into my diet a few months ago—which very promptly ended years of stomach problems. seems like i just needed to lay off all the junk.

two things have helped immensely. i go to farmer’s markets each week. the food in season and local, is at it’s most flavorful and nutritious. coming from the land of frozen/canned vegetables, i had no idea they could be so good. naturally curious, i end up going home with the weirdest vegetables available and try to cook it.

the second thing that’s helped is buying “vegetables every day” by jack bishop—the recipes are easy and taste good, too.

but i’m keeping this as a goal, because god knows i fall off the bandwagon at the first mention of pizza or chocolate. the more i eat out, then all those great vegetables in my fridge go bad. i also noticed that as i introduced better veggies into my diet, i realized how subpar veggies were at the average restaurant and i’d rather eat the country fried steak than the wilting iceberg lettuce. any tips, folks?