Easy Vegetables

I stumbled upon an economical and easy way to prepare vegetables.

Last week at Costco, I pondered a giant bag of vegetables:  cauliflower, broccoli and carrots.  So huge but only about $6.00.  I bought it both because of its size and price, but wondered how I'd fit it into my freezer.  (I have an extra big freezer, but the kitchen freezer is more handy. )

When I got the vegetables home, I remembered that I had some GLAD Steam Lock bags.  I immediately divvied up the giant bag into smaller portions, placing them directly into the GLAD Steam Lock bags.  The enormous bag made eight smaller bags each full with a very generous vegetable serving.

Now, all I do it pop that bag into the microwave for five minutes and voila!  Healthy vegetables without any fuss or muss.  

Now it's your turn.  Any easy dinner-preparation tips you'd like to share?

Comments

[Tish]

A great go-to soup--maybe good for those snowy Seattle days you've been having!

Hamburger Soup (core)

1 pounds ground beef (93% fat free)
2 cans diced tomatoes (I use fire roasted)
1 can tomato sauce
4 cans water
3 carrots–sliced
1 can frozen corn (or canned—rinsed drained)
1 cup frozen green beans (or canned—rinsed drained)
1 can rinsed black beans
celery–3 or four ribs chopped
onion–1 large chopped
barley about 1/4 cup
2 or 3 bouillon cubes, vegetable or chicken (I like the Knorr brand)
salt and pepper to taste

Makes about 10 generous servings.

I start this just after church for Sunday supper. Brown the beef (and drain if beef is not lean) add onion, celery cans of tomatoes and sauce and about half of the water. Simmer for a few hours, then add vegetables and barley. Add more water as needed if soup boils down too much Simmer for 1-2 hours more. Great first day and even better the next. This is the “can” way from things you may have on your shelf. You can substitute fresh or frozen vegetables for any of the canned. I particularly like to add zucchini slices, fresh sliced mushrooms or fresh green beans–added about 1 ½ hours before serving.

[Carol in Oregon]

This will sound bizarre. It IS bizarre.

A friend told me about this Sunday and I did it yesterday. I took a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and dried them in my food dryer. Then I scooped all those little weird pieces into baggies for snacks.

Frozen and then dehydrated. Ya think there is *any* nutrition left? But the green beans had a satisfying crunch and the corn and peas were fun. The carrots, however, were loathesome.

Will I do it again? I think so. The benefit is like a photo-negative: it's what ISN'T in your fingers and teeth--Pringles or Fritos or Ritz crackers--more than them being inherently good.

[Dana]

Hi I'm new to the whole blogging world and I would just like to say how much I am enjoying following your blog (and a few others)! They are really motivating me, keeping me on track...well sometimes! and it's just generally nice to know there are others out there struggling with similar issues! So thank you and wishing you every success :) Dana

[liz]

I always keep a spaghetti squash and jarred pesto on hand. There are nights when I return home exhausted from work and not in the mood to cook (something I normally enjoy). The kids are easy to give something quick to - they'd happily eat boxed mac & cheese four nights a week. But I need something low-GI/South Beach appropriate. And spaghetti squash comes to the rescue!

I cut it in half and cover each half with plastic wrap. 7-8 minutes in the microwave and it's done! I scrape out all the spaghettis from the squash, toss with a little pesto and, just like that, dinner is done.

(Oh, and then I have the other half to take for lunch the next day!)

What's nice is that the squash keeps forever so it's not one of those produce items that will go bad if not used within days of my grocery trip.

[valecia]

I'm really interested in those bags its ashame that I cooked dinner last night and my boyfriend completely scoffed at the idea of steamed green beans

[Lola Fierce]

I make the whole spaghetti squash and then freeze individual portions. If I want to "bulk" up a meal...I throw it in. For example, I made the kids spaghetti...saved some meat for myself and added extra vegetables and poured it over my spaghetti squash. SO good.

I separate my fruit/snacks as soon as i get home. For example, I wash and bag grapes in individual zip lock bags so that the portions are already ready for me or whoever to eat. I do the same thing with chips, crackers or any other "snacky" type food so I'm not eating from the bag.

I bought a pound of lean ground turkey. I added in bell peppers, onions, other spices and I cooked 8 patties out that pound (2oz a piece). I ate one then and froze the rest. When I dont' have time to pack a lunch or need a quick snack, I'll grab a turkey patty, smear some laughing cow cheese on an english muffin, some spinach and I have a mini hamburger that is delicious. :o)

[Carrie]

I brown a lb. of lean ground meat and add it to a container of Pomi Marina Sauce
(any sauce you like is good... but I love the garlicky-goodness of Pomi). Then I make a pot of "cabbage soup": chicken broth, cabbage, and a can of diced tomatoes. (You can add more veggies if you like- but my 6 yr. old loves it just like this).

Then for dinner I cook up spaghetti for my clan, and for myself, I just heat up a big bowl of cabbage soup and add 1/2 cup sauce and meat. The leftovers make easy meals for the rest of the week.

[Carrie]

You know what has gotten me to eat a whole lot more vegetables? Signing up for a weekly CSA box. (CSA's are Community Supported Agriculture- where once a week you get a box of produce direct from a local farm-here is California they are all organic) Then I have a whole fridge filled with vegetables and need to eat them.

Tricks I have learned:
1)wash all you lettuce at once- then it is easy to grab of a salad.
2) When cooking greens ( or any vegetable)- cook up a mess of them and you will have easy leftover veggies to add to any meal.
3) If you start with a few slices of bacon- cut up small- and then add a big bunch of kale/collards/turnip greens you have made a big pot of something yummy and healthy. I have even started heating a bowl of this for breakfast.
4) butternut squash rocks! Cut it in half- lay face down on a greased baking pan- bake at 375 until soft and then eat a serving and put the rest into the fridge. ( I am the queen of planned leftovers!) I usually eat mine with only salt and pepper- but this week I wanted butter so instead tried a teaspoon of flax oil- it was great.

[maxie]

I agree about joining a CSA. They deliver the freshest, best tasting, and all organic, veggies you've ever seen. The smallest box is a tiny bit too much for the two of us, but it forces us to eat more veggies/fruit and not as much meat. It's also fun to open that box on Saturday morning to see what you've got. Kind of like opening a present!

Here (I'm in California, too) they operate year round.

[Melodee]

I intend to join a CSA this year. We only have it during the summer and fall, though, but I am looking forward to that.

[Citycat]

Hi! I've been reading your blog and am also trying to eat healthy whole foods to get down to my "dream" weight (or at least further away from my drop dead weight that I hate). I like salad, but I find that it gets tiring after awhile. So I started to do this to replace a normal salad:

Cut up and roast a huge slew of vegetables. (I do red onion, peppers, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and zucchini). I just toss them with a tablespoon or so of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, and some dried herbs and bake them at 400 or so until they brown. Then I put them in the fridge.

Every day I have a cup of two of baby spinach leaves topped with a cup or so of the veggies. I microwave everything so the spinach wilts just a bit. The veggies have enough flavor that I don't add any additional dressing. I find a huge plate of warm roasted veggies and spinach (superfood!) fills me up and tricks me into feeling less deprived than just a regular salad does.

[Suzy]

One thing I do is to buy ground beef in bulk and cook it all at once. Then drain, RINSE with hot water, and baggie them up in 10 oz portions. Give me a quick start on any ground beef based meal and you can use the cheapest ground beef and you rinse away most of the fat. I read a scientifically based article on ground beef once regarding this method and I've never bought the expensive low fat % kind again.

Just found your blog through a list mentioned on Recipe Girls blog. I will have fun exploring. Thanks

[Suzy]

One thing I do is to buy ground beef in bulk and cook it all at once. Then drain, RINSE with hot water, and baggie them up in 10 oz portions. Give me a quick start on any ground beef based meal and you can use the cheapest ground beef and you rinse away most of the fat. I read a scientifically based article on ground beef once regarding this method and I've never bought the expensive low fat % kind again.

Just found your blog through a list mentioned on Recipe Girls blog. I will have fun exploring. Thanks