It's a good idea in theory. I can deal with eating yogurt over cake. I can work with mixing in some whole wheat with my pancakes. I'm ok with eating less of what I love. (usually)
It's the eating more of what is good for me that is hard. There is one giant hurdle to all that. I hate vegetables. There's just something about them that makes it difficult to force them down my throat. Even when the taste isn't offensive, the texture is usually enough to push me over the edge.
As a kid, I would only eat frozen peas and other vegetables that I could swallow whole with a milk chaser, like pills. I consider it a victory that I can now enjoy a good salad now and then. Granted there is so much dressing, bacon and other goodies on them that I'm not so sure that is an actual nutritional victory, but I'm still counting it. And I've grown to accept some good grilled zucchini and veggies mixed in very well with other things. I can enjoy some fruit. But generally speaking, veggies are not my friend.
But every guide to healthy living all seems to focus on eating more of the veggies. Really, there isn't anyway to get enough nutrition without eating too much food without a majorly plant enthused diet. Trust me, I've tried.
So now I get to try to find a way to eat veggies without gagging. Lucky me.
Tonight I got ambitious and made Smitten Kitchen's ratatouille, in the hopes that the pretty colors and pixar reference would be enough for me. Plus, I kind of like tomatoes, onions, red peppers and zucchini. And the other ingredients didn't seem to bad. It seemed worth a try.
The verdict? Well, it was very pretty. I could make myself eat enough to constitute a light dinner. The pioneer woman's red pepper risotto certainly helped it go down smooth. I suppose it was kind of a victory.
Still, I'm looking for a little more than just food I can force down. I'm sure this is a great recipe for some people. It's just not enough to combat the fact that I just don't like the basic ingredients.
So, it's back to the drawing board. Any suggestions for a ridiculously picky adult?
Have you thought about blending the veggies??
ReplyDeleteThis is Em btw I'm on my iPod I don't want to login !
Perhaps you could get a copy of that cookbook- deceptively delicious. It's all about blending veggies into stuff so you don't have to taste them. Kind of like how you can use applesauce instead of shortening in cookies.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Roasted asparagus is delish - 400 degrees for 6 or 7 minutes, drizzled in olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Yum.
ReplyDeleteWhat about baking yam fries?
We always toss extra veggies in with what we're making (for example the veg pad thai recipe I have calls for almost no veggies, but we toss some in. They're all covered in delicious pad thai sauce that way. :)
I'm a veggie lover though, so I'm not sure if this is helpful at all. I hate most fruit though. We'd make a good team. ;)
That looks so good. I am totally going to put it on my to-make list.
ReplyDeleteAs for adding more veggies, I'm all about spinach right now. Do you make smoothies? You can add a few handfuls of baby spinach into a smoothie and I promise you your banana-strawberry shake will not taste like spinach. I also add frozen spinach to pasta sauces -- just straight out of the bag. Grated carrots and zucchini are another great thing to add to sauces and meatloafs, etc.
I have a good friend who also hates vegetables. She just can't eat them. So she juices them. She'll have spinach and carrots, combined with oranges, strawberries and bananas. She gets her servings of veggies, but all she can taste is the fruit.
ReplyDeleteMy suggestion is this zucchini orzo. It's really great, and even though it has three whole zucchini in it, you really don't taste the zucchini - and the texture is the same as the orzo pasta.
Disappearing Zucchini Orzo
¾ lb pkg orzo pasta
1 chopped onion, garlic to taste
3 large zucchini
olive oil for sauté
thyme & oregano
¼ cup grated parmesan or any hard yellow cheese (I usually end up doubling this because I also have a debilitating addiction to cheese)
Boil & cook the orzo. While you're doing that, sauté the onion and garlic. Using a cheese grater or food processer, shred the zucchini and throw it in with the onion/garlic until lightly golden. Add spices to zucchini mixture, stir thoroughly, and then remove mixture from heat.
Combine with cheese and cooked orzo, salt to taste.
Seriously delicious.