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Monday, April 21, 2008

Did You Eat Your Veggies Today?

Without so much as an attempt at explaining why, I feel compelled to report that I was meditating this morning on the subject of "Vegetables." As unpopular as this may be to admit, I really like most of them:

Freshly steamed asparagus.
Chinese peapods, straw mushrooms and bell peppers stir-fried together in happy harmony.
Light tomato sauces made thick with carrots, zucchini, portabellos and onions.
A delectable chopped salad tossed with a chunky cucumber dressing.
Mmmmm, good!

Quite seriously, with the notable exception of celery (which may be the world's most horrible food), I'll eat almost every kind of vegetable--from above or below the ground. So why then am I not eating more of them? (Yes, I asked myself this very question as I munched on tortilla chips before lunch...)

My answer came quick and sure: Because, unless I buy some prepackaged thing, which often isn't especially appetizing, vegetables take actual work to prepare. And I don't like chopping tomatoes, grating carrots, dicing cucumbers, slicing peppers or shredding lettuce. I'm exceptionally lazy when I'm hungry.

Which is why some less-healthy product like, say, Oreos (just using this as an example, mind you :-), can be so tempting. Just open...and eat.

Know what I mean?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nom nom I LOVE vegetables. I think my farmers market starts in a couple of weeks! It is asparagus season! Soon there will be lettuce and peppers and CORN, oh the corn.

L.A. Mitchell said...

I cannot personally gag down V-8, but this might be a logical solution to your lazy vegetable issue.

K.M. Saint James said...

I can totally relate. I cheat and buy the baby organic carrots -- no work and I'm eating right.

Every once in awhile I get really energetic when I first come home from the store and chop and put veggies in ziplock bags for later use. I wish I was energetic more often; they certainly are a nice treat when I want them.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget how wonderful a pizza can be when you load it with everything from black olives to corn!! :)

Have you ever tried asparagus brushed with olive oil and sea salt on a pan in the oven? Tasty!! Brussels sprouts are also really good this way.

Brettski

Marilyn Brant said...

Oh, thanks for all these suggestions--I feel healthier just reading them!!

I've been trying lately to use romaine (or some other) lettuce leaves as sandwich wraps and feel virtuous whenever I do so. It's kind of fun to roll up (with sliced turkey and bits of tomato and avocado inside). I'm still pretty lazy, though...