5 (for V)

Ah, no V in Greek alphabet. Oh well! We are getting near the end, and almost out of letters! V is Five in Roman and Arabic. Novody's pervect!

From the messy countertop of the Lazy Housewife...

Veggies & Fruits! Again, I ask, Why can't veggies taste wonderful? Especially to kids! No one has to say, "Finish your dessert or you don't get your veggies!" This is one area I wish we could all go back to the basics about. We eat so much processed food with so many enhancers, chemical additives, perservatives, etc. It's terrible! We really need to go back to home grown. I honestly can't say I really like or crave any vegetables, I wish I did - I force myself to eat them. They are tolerable as we get older because we MUST eat them! That's why we need to get our kids used to eating them and liking them when they are young. Well, here are my TIPS for making Veggies easier to swallow:

• Veggies don't count - On any weight loss program, I never count fruits and vegetables as negatives, encouraging myself to eat them when I'm hungry instead of trying to squeeze in bad calories (not to mention their nutrition info isn't on the package!)
• Snack Size - when fresh fruits & veggies are in convenient, snack size portions, all you have to do is grab one and go. While many fruits come this way, the healthiest ones don't. When I first dig into my grapes or celery or cantalope, etc, I cut the whole thing and split them up, sealing the servings in ziplocs. Handy, healthy snacks! And great for lunches too!
• Taste the Rainbow - no, not Skittles. Not all fruits & veggies are created equally - and you can't judge them by their covers. (I think I need a few more cliches here) The more colorful the "meat" of fruits and veggies is, the more nutrients they have (and by meat, I mean the part you eat)
• Berry Best - berries are one of the best sources of nutrition. But they are hard to maintain. My skinny, veggie loving mother-in-law has great advice for healthy eating and she recommends not washing fruits and veggies until you are about to eat them to keep them fresher longer. And in my experience, this is the order to eat berries before they turn: Raspberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, Blueberries
• Bagged Veggies - bagged salads and precut veggies are awesome time-savers and stay fresh for just as long as their whole counterparts
• Take a Dip! - I love the individual cups of ranch and peanut butter for putting in lunches - perfect with celery, carrots, apples, etc.

Extra V TIP: Vodka, et al - one drink a day keeps high cholesterol away...

Other V stuff:

Do you know when Velcro was invented? (Will reveal tomorrow)

I'd love to know where you like to Vacation. We need some ideas. If you'd like, give a response to the poll in the margin. Or give us recommendations in the comments.

And if you ever decide to Vacation abroad, my friend Rhonda and her family visited the whole world in a year! Her A to Z theme is travel tips! You'd be surprised at some of the ways things work in other countries (or don't work!) Funny stuff! Check her out!

Editing Tips

commonly confused "V" words:
vice (bad habit or sin) / vise (a clamping device or motion)
vicious (evil, spiteful, malicious) / viscous (thick, non-flowing)

Find more A to Z posts here.