Vegetables and Stuff

Back to food!

Soooo Vegetables. The ever important part of a meal that we often forego...or at least I have a bad habit of doing so. Let's back track a bit so I can explain my history with vegetables. Where I grew up, there are four vegetables...potatoes, corn, peas, and green beans. Tomatoes are in there too, but some consider it a fruit (I'm on team veggie!). Needless to say, I was not raised eating many vegetables, therefore "hated" them whenever they were offered. When I got to college, I forced...literally....myself to learn to eat new things, most of which were vegetables. I've had to learn many ways to incorporate vegetables into meals where I won't hate eating every bite.

So why are we told to eat our veggies? Why is there so much hype about them? Well, in terms on nutrition, they are like a gold mine for vitamins and minerals, like seriously the mecca of nutrition availability. Eating a diet rich in veggies may lower your risk of developing cancer and/or heart disease. They are low in fat and calories and carbs! Well, most are low in carbs... except the good ones I mentioned earlier in this post. Veggies are also good for your skin, eyes, and teeth.

Green, leafy vegetables are where it's at. In my vitamins class I took in college (yes, a whole class devoted to vitamins...I actually took two) if I didn't know the answer to a question, I'd put green leafy vegetables, and usually got the question right. Colors are important when it comes to vegetables. A variety of colors means a variety of nutrients, so "eating the rainbow" is a good rule of thumb. Skittles was headed in the right direction with their slogan.

The USDA has a general guideline of making half of your plate vegetables (and fruits). That may seem like a lot of vegetables, but most of the times the "plates" we are thinking of are much larger than the plate they are referring to.

Vegetables have a bad rep for being expensive, and it's true, they can be...if you don't know what to look for. Buying in season is extremely important if you want to buy totally fresh. But if you live in the midwest like I do, seasons are ever changing, and man do they change fast. Frozen is your next best choice. I like to stock up on bulk and always have a few different veggies on hand. Canned is a last resort, however it is usually the cheapest option. Canned foods have a bad rep right now because of high sodium content and other chemicals used to preserve them. Just wash them! Wash the food after you take it out of the can and before you cook them. Part of the problem solved! Buy buy fresh if you can ;)

I'm planning on posting some recipes that I use to "hide" my veggies so I can eat them. Hopefully sooner rather than later!

IN OTHER NEWS! I purchased a Kitchen Aid mixer like 20 minutes ago. I AM SO EXCITED! Here's to more cooking!