VEGGIES! VEGGIES! How to incorporate more vegetables into my diet??

[mumznet]

Please share your tips, I am trying to lose weight, 4 kg more to go. I'm on a sugar free and caffeine free diet (no tea, coffee).

But I want to keep the weight off long term. people say fill half your plate with veggies, but I'm not sure how? Should I get a steamer? Should I eat it as a salad? salad is hard to eat in large amounts as it's raw.

I'm thinking to get a steamer, is that useful, and will the veggies still be nutritious? I don't eat tinned and frozen food, no freezer at home. is there any other way other than a steamer, boiling or grilling? Is sauerkraut useful, I haven't tasted it for a while, but does that count as veggies?

thank you

I chop a load of salad every couple of days and eat it with almost everything.
Also hide veg in stuff. Like spag bol - grate carrots, turnip, sweet pots etc and add in with some lentils, if you cook it long enough you can't tell they're there.
If it more of a meat and two veg type dinner, just incase whatever veg you are having on the side, and decrease the calorific bit.

If you want specific suggestions, maybe post a list of what meals you eat regularly?

2 or 3 times a week make a dish like ratatouille or chana masala (loads of veg in each dish)

Put herbs and flavourings in salad dressings

Use vegetables as containers:

• stuffed peppers or mushrooms
• put hummous type dips along celery or cucumber sticks
• wrap dahls or veggie curry in cabbage leaves

Roast lots of veggies in the oven

Many dishes or sauces can be started with a mix of finely chopped celery, onions and carrots

Eat vegetables in season so they are cheaper and make them the star of the show eg asparagus

Buy a soup maker (don't have to watch the pot)

I’m vegan so eat a ton of veggies

My favourite way of broccoli and cauliflower is to roast it in the oven. A little sprinkle of chilli flakes, garlic or whatever and fifteen minutes later it’s ready.

I batch cook so always have something I can grab to eat or heat in the microwave

I roast a load of veg (peppers, onions, sweet potato, squash, broccolli, cauliflower- basically anything) and then store in the fridge. For weekday lunches, I heat through a portion by frying in a dry non stick pan and top with a fried egg and chilli sauce, with a handful of spinach.

I have various steamers and find them great. I used a mix of frozen and fresh foods.

For lunch I'll usually steam some carrots and leek, then add sweetcorn, beetroot, pickles, pickled onions. Most evenings I then steam four or five whole carrots, with fresh chopped up courgette and leek, and frozen broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and peas. Maybe some cabbage, onions, sweet potatoes too,

I usually do the carrots and sweet potatoes for 5 minutes then add the rest for another 10, I also stir a few times but a minimum of effort all round. Can be done on hob or microwave.

Probably takes more than three quarters of the plate though - half doesn't seem like enough to me?

Roasting tastes nicer but I don't want the extra olive oil calories.

I use the Buddha bowl method for salads.
Basically:
A grain + a protein + cooked veg + raw veg + seeds + salad dressing

So it could be:
Quinoa with hard boiled eggs, steamed kale, grated carrot, pumpkin seeds and a mustard vinegar dressing.
Or
Brown rice with crispy tofu, green beans, lettuce, spring onions, sesame seeds in a soy-sesame dressing.
Or
Cous cous with grilled halloumi, roasted red peppers & aubergine, spinach, tomatoes, toasted pumpkin seeds with a herby dressing

You can obviously use more than two types of veg but this formula has changed my life and makes it soo easy. I have a crib sheet of different salad dressings that I keep in my kitchen drawer. It's like I don't even have to think anymore, I just follow this and it works.
Veg I add regularly include: grated carrot or beetroot, edamame or french beans (from frozen), steamed broccoli, sliced lettuce, sliced red onion, pickled ginger, pickled other veg, roasted peppers and courgettes, lettuce... The world is your oyster.

I make big batches of soup to liquidise, which are v filling for lunches. Favourites include courgette with cumin and coriander,
roasted cauliflower with turmeric, fenugreek and cumin,
Chinese leaf and petit pois with fresh mint leaves
Carrot and butternut squash with coriander
I also make smoothies with baby spinach leaves, ginger, banana and a little coconut fat.
You can add finely chopped broccoli to any pasta sauce.
Pittas and wraps are nice stuffed with chopped avocado, tomato, lambs lettuce and hummus.
There are endless ways to get more veggies, OP! Just google recipe suggestions if you are short of ideas.

@LouisaLovesMice this is a great idea, I eat Pakistani food, so chapatti and curry. Rice and curry. Mine isn't heavy on oil, but I think carbs rice and chapatti are a large part. Will post more details.....

@Sixlegsfoward88 great idea, can you recommend which soup maker to buy? how do you use it, I have never heard of this machine

@Libertynan that sounds delish. can you please post me a pic?

@GeoffLynton I;m going to try that, sounds lovely. thanks

@ what a fab idea, never heard of this method. Could you also upload some pics would be nice to see the food ? thanks :-)

@MoonSpoonSoon what a fab idea, never heard of this method. Could you also upload some pics would be nice to see the food ? thanks :-)

@Babdoc you've given so many ideas thanks, I know google is always there, but nothing can beat mumsnet advice for me :-)

I aim to have at least 2 types of veg preparations per meal (including snacks, if you do that) out of the 3: raw (salad, crudites), cooked (roasted, sauteed, pureed, etc.) and fermented/pickled (kimchi, sauerkraut, gherkins, roast peppers, any no-sugar pickles). That way the meals are interesting, and I can cope with adding variety (as the jarred options keep longer than fresh veg).

Sometimes this is literally 2 veg, such as a mushroom omelette with some radishes on the side. Other times it's a Med veg roast tray of courgette, aubergine, peppers, red onion, garlic and olives (lasts for several meals) plus a rocket & watercress salad, plus a couple of gherkins. As PP said, it makes more than 50%, maybe about 2/3 of my plate, the rest is high-quality protein.

[quote mumznet]@Sixlegsfoward88 great idea, can you recommend which soup maker to buy? how do you use it, I have never heard of this machine[/quote]
Sure, it's a Morphy Richards Sauté & Soup.

Sorry, name change every so often! And it's very easy to use! Chop up all veg, in partic stringy things like leeks and celery , and then add a couple of pots for texture, one or two stock cubes and fill up with (boiling) water up to line if visible. Choose "blended" prog but you can also have it chunky. Put lid on and it does the rest for you.

I was sceptical because I am happy cooking soup with an old fashioned pot and wooden spoon but I was bought this as a present because it's quick, always produces right texture, and you don't have to watch it, you can go off and do other things.

Try Lentils in curry if the rice is taking up too many calories. Lots more protein and fewer calories.