Vegetables for Weightloss

My most successful weightloss clients find creative ways to add vegetables to their day. It's critical to our weightloss but it's ESSENTIAL for our long term health. Remember, it's all fine and good to lose your weight but if you do it in a way that doesn't put you on the earth looking HAWT a long time...well, what's the point?

I work hard at making sure that veggies get into not only my menu, but also Chris and Logan's menu. Too often I read where my clients work hard at eating right and then forget to start changing some of the habits of those around them.  No wonder so many people have a hard time staying on the weightloss wagon. You eat super healthy while everyone around you continues to live it up on sugar bombs and fried pies. By slowly changing the habits of your loved ones you make their health better and you rid yourself of tempting no-no's.

Today I want to focus on ways to get those vegetables in your daily diet. I routinely eat my 5-9 servings a day. It's much easier than you think if you get creative about adding them to your day.

Adding Vegetables Is EASY!

• Start your day with a vegetable omelet.
• Drink V8 with your oatmeal.
• Eat a huge salad with loads of mixed vegetables every night with dinner.
• Do like Mammy! Eat veggie soup with your dinner if you don't like salads.
• Buy spaghetti sauce and add in stir fried peppers, spinach and broccoli. Serve on top of a potato, whole grain pasta, or quinoa.

This is Asian Weight Watcher Veggie Soup. It looks delicious and you can easily pair this with some grilled chicken or a veggie burger.

This website, A Veggie Venture, actually has several wonderful recipes for soups and vegetable dishes.

One of my own favorites is Roasted Brocolli.

Simply take one bag of broccoli. It needs to be dry. Using a spritzer, spray the broccoli a couple of times with EVOO. Use salt, pepper, and diced garlic and mix the broccoli. Place in shallow cooking dish and cook for 15-20 min. at 425 degrees. Toss one time in middle of cooking. When it comes out, spray a little lemon juice on top. DELICIOUS.

Anyone have good ideas or recipes for incorporating more vegetables into your day?

Comments

[Brooke]

We make home made marinara. You take about 5 carrots, an onion, 5 celery stalks and some garlic and I actually puree it in the food processor. Then I cook them in a little evoo and add in tomato sauce. It makes a delicious (and very authentic, my dh learned it in Italy!) marinara that we can use immediately or freeze for later. Its great over chicken, with lean beef, over ww pasta, and countless other ways and it sneaks in some of those veggies!

[Mammy (Corinne's Mom)]

Somebody at Phat-Camp asked for this recipe and I just now remembered to post it. I've been kind of busy...
Chicken Salad

3 Cups Diced cooked chicken (from your crock-pot chicken)
1/2 cup Diced celery
2-3 TB Chopped red onion
1/2 cup Diced red apple
1/4 cup Chopped walnuts (optional)
3-6 TB of Lite Mayo (I use Helmans)
2 Tsp Lemon juice
1/8 Curry powder or to taste (optional)
1/4 Tsp Salt or to taste
1/8 Tsp Black pepper

Combine the chicken, celery, onion apple and walnuts
In a small bowl, combine the other ingredients adding your mayo (I use Helmans Lite) starting with 3TB first. Mix well, then combine with chicken mixture slowly adding mayo to desired consistency.

[Mammy (Corinne's Mom)]

Also, for those of you struggling to eat a "good vegetable" here's a modified Broccoli Casserole Recipe

Broccoli-Corn Casserole

1pkg frozen chopped broccoli. Thaw, do not cook. Put in bottom of casserole dish.

Mix:
1 can cream style corn
2 Table spoons chopped onion
1 beaten egg substitue equivalent
salt and pepper to taste.

Spread mixture over broccoli. Cover with 1/3 cup of 2% shredded cheddar cheese. Bake 1 hour at 350.

[Mammy (Corinne's Mom)]

Mammy's on a roll...I'm trying to plan my menu for next week and my grocery list. Here's another recipe to get lots of green, red or orange bell peppers in your diet. Red are the most heathful by the way. This is really good....
Spanish Garlic Shrimp

2 tsp Olive Oil
1 Cup each chopped onion and bell pepper
1 1/2 Cups chicken broth (1 can)
2 Tbsp chopped garlic
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp water mixed with 2 tsp flour
1/4 tsp each paprika, salt, pepper
1 1/2 lbs. of Peeled large shrimp

Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 4 minutes. Stir in everything else except the shrimp. Bring to a simmer and cook 2 minutes. Add shrimp stirring often and cook 2 more minutes. Serve with rice (says yellow rice but I would prefer brown).

[Mammy (Corinne's Mom)]

This is one of my favorite veggie soup recipes; I use fresh corn when in season.

Hot 'n Sour Vegetable Soup
2/3 c sliced carrots
1/2 c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 c vegetable broth
1 1/2 c sliced green cabbage
2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes (preferably with onions and garlic, or basil and oregano)
1/2 c cut fresh green beans
1/2 c frozen corn, thawed
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Hot red-pepper sauce (optional)

1. Coat large saucepan with cooking spray, and add carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Add broth, cabbage, tomatoes (with juice), beans, corn, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes, or until beans are tender.

3. Add vinegar. Stir. Add hot sauce to taste if using.

Makes 8 servings

Per cup: 78 cal, 3 g pro, 17 g carb, 0 g fat, 0 g sat. fat, 0 mg chol, 2 g fiber, 880 mg sodium

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

[Kris Katz]

Wow Mammy...thanks for posting those recipes! The only idea I have for now is throwing in a few handfuls of spinach into smoothies. "Green Monsters" they are called on many food blogs. Sure, it turns your smoothie green or some other funky color (depending on which other fruit you add in), but you can't taste it and it is a great way to sneak some veggies in.

[Pam]

I add spinach leaves to my smoothies. Yes, it turns the smoothie a strange shade of green, but you only taste the fruit, not the spinach.

[Mammy (Corinne's Mom)]

Corinne here's that Roasted Veggie Stuff I made

1 package of Private Selection Baby gold potatoes halved
1 cup squash sliced
1 cup of zuchinni sliced
8oz of Private Selection Sweet Potato spears
1 red onion quartered
1 TB chopped fresh thyme
2 TB chopped fresh rosemary
drizzle EVOO
2 TB balsamic vinegar
Salt, pepper to taste
I added some cayenne pepper
Preheat oven 475. In a large bowl combine the veggies. Separate the onions into to pieces. In a bowl, mix thyme, rosemary, EVOO, vinegar, salt, pepper, cayenne. Toss with veggies. Spread in a roasting pan. Cook 35-40 minutes stirring the veggies about every 10 minutes; or until the veggies are cooked through.

Other recipe:
Chicken and Stuffing bake
2 cups (or 2 good sized breast) chicken cubed
1 can fatfree carnation evaporated milk
1 can Healthy Request cream of chicken soup
3 cups of Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Bread cubes (Whichever flavor you like)
1/8 tsp Pepper
1/2 cup Onion
1 cup Celery
Sage (optional) to taste
Spray crockpot with butter flavored cooking spray. Combine everything but the bread. Mix well. Then add bread cubes. Mix well, cover and cook on low ab out 4 hours. Mix well before serving

Serves 6
256 calories, 4grams fat, 25 grams protein, 30 carbs, 485 Sodium, 197 calcium, 2 grams fiber.

If you are diabetic 2 meats, 1 starch, 1/2 skim milk, 1/2 vegetable.