Thursday, April 25, 2013

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 TIPVodka, 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.

    32 comments:

    Nick Wilford said...

    What a packed post! Hey, V is fifth from last too. :)

    I actually do like the taste of veggies, especially properly cooked in things like cauliflower cheese. School meals here in the UK tend to put kids off, unfortunately!

    Fida Islaih said...

    I don't have to worry about this. There are some great recipes out there! I just had chicken and veggies in soy sauce, yum! Also, there is different ways to make fruit salad. Either way, thanks for reminding us! (:

    Rob-bear said...

    I'm trying to eat a lot more veggies and fruit. All part of the goal of more healthy living. Thanks.

    Blessings and Bear hugs!
    Bears Noting

    Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

    While I rarely crave veggies, I do sometimes crave fruit. :)

    Unknown said...

    I do like certain veggies....where do I like to vacation? Anywhere where I can get time by myself! lol. Hawaii is great, but I'm heading to PR tonight for a much needed vacation.

    Unknown said...

    I do like certain veggies....where do I like to vacation? Anywhere where I can get time by myself! lol. Hawaii is great, but I'm heading to PR tonight for a much needed vacation.

    Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

    We eat fruit and vegetables every day. I think I've taken an apple in my lunch for the past ten years.

    Dana said...

    I love vegetables and often crave stir-fry for that reason. It's too bad I'm (often) too lazy to prep the veggies. :P

    Christine Rains said...

    I'm horrible with fruits and veggies. I only like so very few, and thus it's hard to get my son to eat them. He eats more fruits than I do, but it's rough trying to get veggies into him. I'm curious as to some good family vacation spots too.

    Unknown said...

    I like almost all fruits and veggies but still need to be better about making them my go-to snack food. Good reminder!

    Rena said...

    I hate to admit it because I am a huge fan of cake and cookies (Bill Cosby as Himself "what are the ingredients of chocolate cake?"), but I feel so much better when I actually eat my veggies.

    And as for vacations, it depends on what you want from a vacation. I prefer a place with sand, sun, entertainment and the opportunity to go for hikes.

    Anonymous said...

    Mmm... now I am craving apple slices and peanut butter, which would make a good and healthy lunch!

    Optimistic Existentialist said...

    I am really bad about neglecting veggies in my diet...but I do eat potatoes and I still consider those a vegetable!

    Carrie-Anne said...

    Velcro was invented in 1941. I actually just looked it up a few days ago, to see if homemade cloth diapers in 1937 could've had velcro sewn in to avoid the hassle and danger of pins.

    M.J. Fifield said...

    I'm not a fan of fruits or veggies, but I do try to have some every day.

    I like to visit Mount Desert Island in Maine in the summer because you get the ocean, lake, and mountain vacation all in one.

    Sheena-kay Graham said...

    Great tips for V today. We had a cherry tree once but it got sick and died. So sad but we still have our ackee tree and have grown pumpkins in the past. Today's editing tip is one I think I've never had trouble with.

    Gina Gao said...

    This is a very enjoyable post! I liked reading this very much.

    www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

    Carol said...

    Some great veggie tips, thanks. My daughter has actually ordered corn for dessert before.

    Carol's Notebook

    TaMara Sloan said...

    I am always trying to get my kids to eat more veggies. They do a much better job eating our homegrown ones than the storebought ones.

    TaMara

    Mark Means said...

    I like, pretty much, all fruits and veggies...except lima beans!

    Great tips, as usual, and I've really enjoyed checking out all your helpful posts this April.

    Very well done :)

    Samantha May said...

    I love veggies! I didn't when I was younger, but I do now. I keep track of my food in a food journal, but I don't really count veggies and fruits as anything bad. I try to eat as much of those as humanly possible.

    VikLit said...

    I don't really like veggies, I make myself eat them!

    mooderino said...

    thank heavens for carrots, I say.

    mood
    Moody Writing

    Carol Kilgore said...

    Blueberries last a long time. I love not having to hustle to eat something before it goes bad. I throw out more fruit than I eat, I think. Love those little baby carrots :)

    mshatch said...

    the best vacation I ever took was to Sanibel Island. *sigh*

    Melissa said...

    Veggies taste wonderful and have so much flavour. I'm torn between the beach and Disney World but I reckon the beach will be more relaxing (sans ride queues!)

    www.eachparent.com

    Heather M. Gardner said...

    I never thought to cut it all up and store it. I bet it does stay better than all stuffed in a bowl. One grape goes and they all go.

    Heather

    Elizabeth Seckman said...

    Your mother-in-law may be onto something...my cousin had thyroid cancer and couldn't eat iodine before her treatment. As part of that treatment, she had to wash her fruits and vegies well...they are treated with iodine to keep them from spoiling in transport.

    Unknown said...

    Definitely dip!
    I love your blog, 8 look forward to seeing what you post for the rest of the challenge!

    Nanmock.blogspot.com

    colbymarshall said...

    I'm not a peanut butter fan, but I love the fruit yogurt dips they have now! Mmmm!

    I don't know when velcro was invented, but I love the self-adhesive velcro. I use it for everything :-)

    Patricia Stoltey said...

    I one of those crazy people who loves her veggies, maybe because I grew up on a farm and we had a huge garden. My favorite is asparagus.

    Rhonda Albom said...

    Wow! Thank you so much!! Glad you are enjoying my tips. When my girls were little. In a cafe we ordered cooked food and got a big cookies to eat "now." When the food arrived, my youngest put down the cookie and picked up her broccoli. My oldest said, "Mom, if she's not going to eat that can I have it?"

    Rhonda from Laugh Quotes

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