3 servings, really? Each day? Now don't get me wrong, I am all for vegetables. My mom was a stickler about making sure we had them at every dinner we ate at her table. I try to do the same thing with my dinners and I even manage to get a serving in at lunch once in a while. But 3?! That can be a challenge. Here's a few thoughts I had that I thought I'd share with you guys:
- Remember how much one serving is. Take out a measuring cup once in a while and see how much you are actually putting on your plate. When you dish up those carrots at dinner, you may actually be getting 1.5 to 2 servings in just that one helping.
- If you have a big salad, you are probably getting all of your servings in one shot. But a salad is not the only way to get them. I personally am not a big salad fan.
- Some of your dishes may have vegetables in them already, so you may not need to add a side of veggies. Half of a cup of spaghetti sauce is a serving in itself.
- Butter is not the devil. I almost always put a modest amount of butter on my steamed vegetables. It makes them taste wonderful and as long as they aren't drowning in it, it's ok. If your food taste good, you are more likely to enjoy it and keep enjoying it. And that is certainly desirable for vegetables.
Sometimes, I find myself making the same 3 or 4 vegetables as sides to my meals over and over again. I was really bored with it one day and found a cool green bean recipe. Wow! That side dish stole the show from the main dish. I've also made this easy roasted balsamic asparagus (it's a little healthier than the bacon infused green beans).
The recipe I wanted to share today is my new fav. Broccoli can go really, really wrong. But if you do it right, it can be tasty. I'm obsessed with this recipe and it's super easy with only a few ingredients. It's got this wonderful, roasted flavor that is amazing. Even if you don't like broccoli, you should give this a try.
Oven-Roasted Broccoli
-- 4-5 cups broccoli, cleaned and stems trimmed (about 2 regular sized heads)
-- 3 Tbsp olive oil
-- 1/2 tsp kosher salt (you can do regular table salt or sea salt, but Kosher salt is amazing. Try it!)
-- 1/2 tsp pepper (if you can use a little grinder to grind it fresh, it's more tasty)
-- 1-2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan (see note at the end of recipe)
Preheat oven to 425 deg. Put cut broccoli on foil lined baking sheet (makes for easy clean up). Drizzle the olive oil over it and toss it with your fingers until it's all coated. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
Put it in the oven for 15-20 min or until the stems are golden brown and a little crisp looking. Remove it from the oven and immediately sprinkle with Parmesan and toss.
Note: you can use the pre shredded parmesan in a bag or canned stuff, but it's best if you splurge and buy a wedge and shred it yourself. It's a little more expensive but you can store the shredded cheese in the freezer and just pull it out when you want it for this recipe. And the stuff from the wedge will actually melt on the broccoli, even straight from the freezer. A little goes a long way, the cheese will last you a while.
From Our Best Bites cookbook
- Remember how much one serving is. Take out a measuring cup once in a while and see how much you are actually putting on your plate. When you dish up those carrots at dinner, you may actually be getting 1.5 to 2 servings in just that one helping.
- If you have a big salad, you are probably getting all of your servings in one shot. But a salad is not the only way to get them. I personally am not a big salad fan.
- Some of your dishes may have vegetables in them already, so you may not need to add a side of veggies. Half of a cup of spaghetti sauce is a serving in itself.
- Butter is not the devil. I almost always put a modest amount of butter on my steamed vegetables. It makes them taste wonderful and as long as they aren't drowning in it, it's ok. If your food taste good, you are more likely to enjoy it and keep enjoying it. And that is certainly desirable for vegetables.
Sometimes, I find myself making the same 3 or 4 vegetables as sides to my meals over and over again. I was really bored with it one day and found a cool green bean recipe. Wow! That side dish stole the show from the main dish. I've also made this easy roasted balsamic asparagus (it's a little healthier than the bacon infused green beans).
The recipe I wanted to share today is my new fav. Broccoli can go really, really wrong. But if you do it right, it can be tasty. I'm obsessed with this recipe and it's super easy with only a few ingredients. It's got this wonderful, roasted flavor that is amazing. Even if you don't like broccoli, you should give this a try.
Oven-Roasted Broccoli
-- 3 Tbsp olive oil
-- 1/2 tsp kosher salt (you can do regular table salt or sea salt, but Kosher salt is amazing. Try it!)
-- 1/2 tsp pepper (if you can use a little grinder to grind it fresh, it's more tasty)
-- 1-2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan (see note at the end of recipe)
Preheat oven to 425 deg. Put cut broccoli on foil lined baking sheet (makes for easy clean up). Drizzle the olive oil over it and toss it with your fingers until it's all coated. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
Put it in the oven for 15-20 min or until the stems are golden brown and a little crisp looking. Remove it from the oven and immediately sprinkle with Parmesan and toss.
Note: you can use the pre shredded parmesan in a bag or canned stuff, but it's best if you splurge and buy a wedge and shred it yourself. It's a little more expensive but you can store the shredded cheese in the freezer and just pull it out when you want it for this recipe. And the stuff from the wedge will actually melt on the broccoli, even straight from the freezer. A little goes a long way, the cheese will last you a while.
From Our Best Bites cookbook
I agree, the veggies have been really hard for me and I wasn't expecting that. Plus, I should be replacing all these veggies for my carb cravings. Still working on that. One night, I had to force myself to eat more veggies. oh my!
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