7/9/11

2011: The Year of the Vegetable?

It's a pretty well-known fact that I am not a good eater.  I used to say "picky," but let's just tell the truth: If I were truly picky, I would be much more selective about what I put in my body, like lots of sweets and processed foods.  The truth is that I am just bad at eating.  I often eat too much of the wrong things, and not even a little of the right things.

So you get the idea of the severity of this problem, here is a list of the vegetables I like:
  • Green beans (from a can only)
  • Carrots
  • Potatoes (do they really count?)
  • Sometimes lettuce, but only Romaine lettuce (no salad dressing!), and only occasionally
That's it.  Please allow yourself a moment to feel the weight of all the many vegetables NOT on that list.  Not much in the way of plant life.

Here's the thing: I want to like veggies.  I really, really want to.  Life would be easier if I did.  I LOVE to grow them.  I love to look at them and take pictures of them.  I like watching other people eat them.  Well, that is, except for mushrooms. I don't even like to think about mushrooms. *Shiver*

IMG_01021

So, what I want to know is, have you ever forced yourself to like a food?  Is it even possible?  My blog friend Jenna thinks it is.  I would march on over to the market and buy me a bushel and a peck of vegetables if I thought I could like them, but I'm skeptical.  I periodically try different veggies prepared in different ways just to see if maybe I like them now.  I don't.  Do you think I can be converted?

Do you have any KILLER vegetable recipes that will magically change the way I feel about a particular vegetable?  If you convince me, I will try it.  I'll even blog about trying it!  Should I just shut up about liking them and eat them anyway because they are good for me?  That's probably right.

Please help me.  I crave the nutrients.  Also, it's super cool and trendy to eat things you grow.  I like being super cool.

8 comments:

Chase Abner said...

Is this limited to vegetables not on your list? I have a great potato wedge recipe*.


*Meaning I can tell you roughly what I do. I rarely measure.

Unknown said...

Chase, I would like any recipe that you share.

Chase Abner said...

Also I've started eating handfuls of baby spinach with random meals. Baby spinach isn't that flavorful, in my opinion. For instance, I've stirred fresh leaves into my pasta w/ meat sauce. I hardly notice it's there, but it's giving me the benefits of green ruffage.

Cathy Allison said...

Chelsea-As you can probably tell through my twitter and facebook posts, we have recently become a vegetable family. This is mainly because of the diet I am doing with Joshua in hopes to heal him from his many digestive issues/allergies, but an added blessing to this diet is that it is encouraging Jason and me to be healthy eaters as well. With that said, I have always hated and attested vegetables my whole life. No joke. If I had my way, I would probably just eat potatoes, potatoes and potatoes (which is really just a starch not really considered a vegetable). Anyway, potatoes (besides sweet potatoes) had to practically be limited or taken out of our diet for a while, so now I am forced to cook the real vegetables. I have found that the more times you make a vegetable and force yourself to eat it, then eventually you will grow to liking the vegetable. I find this the case with Joshua, Jason and myself. For example: Joshua hated any vegetable except green beans and peas occasionally. Now the boy will eat pretty much any veggie you give him. He loves, loves, loves, zucchini, egg plant, squash, celery, spinach, carrots, onions (lol), and green peppers. I can't even think of a vegetable he doesn't like. He probably wouldn't like these vegetables had they not been the only food I made him for a while. I do believe, and I have read several healthy food blogs that say the more you offer a food (that same food) to someone eventually they will grow accustomed to eating it just because or to eating it because they love it! Joshua loves vegetables. I love and crave zucchini all the time, and Jason doesn't always need corn for his vegetable any more (which is also a starch). Anyway, I have recently been loving a lot of the different ways that Rachel Ray makes her amazing vegetables. You should check out her stuffed zucchini vegetable dishes. They are amazing, and I do mean amazing. Of course you have to add some cheese to your veggie sides, and then it's a true hit in my family! Hope that helps give you some ideas, and encourages you.


P.S. For what its worth, I'm planning and designing a vegetable garden for my family, too! I'm not much of a gardener, so I would love for your input, ideas, advice, resources, etc. I need all the help I can possibly get! Thanks Girl!

Unknown said...

Yes, Cathy, that is VERY encouraging. That definitely gives me hope that if I keep trying, I might like them. I will check out Rachel Ray.

I can definitely give you gardening pointers! Pioneer Woman and Martha Stewart also have a lot of tips on gardening, and I got this awesome book called "You Grow Girl," that has very simple instructions.

Luann Baker said...

I must confess that my daughter's dislike of vegetables comes from her mother. I like a few more than she does, broccoli and cauliflower (cooked with cheese on top) peas and red/yellow peppers. The only time that I enjoyed asparagus is when it came out deep fried and dipped in ranch dressing. Again, do you see the similarity? I have tried spaghetti sauce on spaghetti squash - yuck! I dislike brussel sprouts, zucchini, green peppers, lima beans, cucumbers, tomatoes (fresh) and many others. I do love mushrooms though! I could never get her to eat vegetables! I hope that the new recipes help you to learn to like them.

Keli B. said...

cathy is right, you just have to keep eating them. then you'll like 'em. promise! or hide them in things. fresh baby spinach can be hidden in tons of stuff. i make smoothies for the kids and always add spinach. also, you can put it in sauces, soups, etc. you can't taste it if there's enough other flavors in there.

i have deceptively delicious by jessica seinfeld and it's all about hiding vegetable purees in food. it's pretty interesting. i'm sure you can google it and find some of the recipes posted online.

singingdoll said...

Chelsea, your words reminded me so much of myself it's crazy. I hate vegetables, and the ones you like are pretty much the ones I like (with 1 or 2 differences)... and mushrooms, I cannot even fathom. I must keep reading your blog because I need ways to introduce them into my diet.

I have heard that Jessica Seinfeld's book is good, and I did introduce asparagus into my diet a few years back. It is very good grilled, sprinkled with sea salt, and drizzled with olive oil. The grilled flavor makes it much easier to stomach. I wonder how many other vegetables one can grill. I have also become a big fan of sweet potatoes and zucchini and have introduced peppers a little bit into my diet.

The other vegetables I will eat are green beans, potatoes (if they count), corn (on the cob only), celery, occasionally peas, very rarely carrots, and onions if it's French onion soup. I'm sure you really wanted to know all this... but I will say that there was once a day when I couldn't even eat a potato (and still I really only eat them if they're baked, fried, mashed, or cheesy). I think it is possible to like vegetables, but I'm very very nervous about it. haha.