It’s day 10 of the challenge and hopefully you’re still going strong. We’re about a third of the way through and by now you should be noticing a difference in how you feel and possibly how you look. While the toughest part of the challenge is over, you might be starting to feel a little bored with what you’ve been eating. We tend to eat the same things over and over, especially when we’re trying to eat a certain way. This can quickly lead to boredom and cravings for things that we shouldn’t be eating.
Trust me, I’ve been there. In fact, this week I just didn’t feel like grocery shopping or cooking much at all. I found myself ordering takeout much more than I normally would but I made sure to order things that aligned with the challenge. It’s fine to do this. You don’t have to cook all your meals, you just have to make sure to order well when you don’t.
Last night some friends and I ended up picking up dinner from In N Out Burger. While you wouldn’t think that In N Out is a great choice for healthy food, sometimes it’s just where you end up going. I ordered a Double Double, no cheese, Protein style. Protein style means it was wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun. It was delicious and was just enough food to not feel hungry anymore, although I could have totally eaten another one after I finished it!
Anyway, with all that said I want to start giving you some new ideas of what you can eat, so the next several blog posts will be focused on food. Today we’re talking about veggies!!
I love veggies and I think that if prepared well, they can be the most delicious part of any meal. It doesn’t have to be hard either. Today I’m going to share with you what I think is the easiest way to prepare veggies.
ROASTING!
Not only is roasting your vegetables easy, it’s often the tastiest way to prepare them. For a beginner cook, it’s definitely where you want to start. One of the hardest things when you start cooking is learning to multi-task and time your preparation. Roasting makes this so much easier because you just throw them in the oven and set a timer. The oven does all the work for you while you prepare the rest of the meal.
Most of my meals involve a protein and some sort of roasted vegetables. It’s quick, easy and most importantly, DELICIOUS! With all that said, here are some of my favorite vegetables to roast and how I go about roasting them.
Zucchini
Cut up the zucchini in rounds or on the bias. You can either leave the skin on or use a vegetable peeler to take it off. I leave it on if my zucchini is organic and I peel it if it’s not.
I toss it in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and garlic powder. Once all of the pieces are coated, I lay them out on a pan and roast at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Super easy and super delicious!
Asparagus
I don’t remember when I discovered fresh asparagus, but I do remember seeing the canned stuff when I was younger and not wanting to try it at all. I still haven’t tried the canned stuff, but fresh asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables and one I always pick up at the grocery store.
I trim the bottoms off the asparagus, as these can be a little woody. I then pour a little bit of olive oil into a ramekin or tiny bowl. I dip my fingers in the oil and I rub it onto each asparagus stalk until they are all lightly coated with olive oil. I used to pour oil over them and toss, but that method often led to too much oil in the pan. I tried this new method recently and loved it, so this is how I do it now.
Once they are coated with oil, I sprinkle them with salt and fresh ground pepper, lay them in a pan and roast at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. They are so delicious. You definitely have to try these. In fact, the Asparagus and Zucchini are easy to roast together. Just oil and season them separately, then place them on the same pan and roast.
Brussels Sprouts
We never had brussels sprouts when I was growing up. I don’t think my dad had a good experience with them as a kid, so he never cooked them for us. This might have been a good thing because brussels sprouts have a pretty bad reputation with most kids. I didn’t have an opinion about them, so I think I was much more open to trying them as an adult, and I’m really glad that I did. I absolutely love them and I think that roasting them is definitely the way to go.
Trim the bottom off the sprout and remove the outer leaves. Cut them in half, through the stalk, and toss in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Once they are coated, place into a pan and roast at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. They should be browned and a little crispy. If you hated brussels sprouts as a kid, you should give them another shot but make sure to prepare them this way. You might be surprised by how much you like them.
Sweet Potatoes
These are always a big hit when I prepare them this way. I cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces. You can leave the skin on or peel it if you prefer. I then toss them with olive oil, salt and a good amount of cinnamon. I roast them at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. They are so delicious and almost taste like desert.
Another way to prepare these is by replacing the cinnamon with fresh rosemary. I pair the sweet potatoes with pearl onions and toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a handful of fresh, chopped rosemary. You can also do this with regular potatoes. Roast them for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. The pearl onions will caramelize and taste like candy while the rosemary adds the most amazing fragrance and flavor to the potatoes. Definitely worth trying!
These are my go-to vegetables most days of the week. As you can see they are really easy to prepare and I promise they are tasty. Just toss with a little bit of oil and some seasonings and you’re good to go.
Hopefully I’ve given you a new idea or two as far as vegetables go. Let me know if you try any of them and also let me know what your go-to veggies are and how you prepare them. I’m alway looking for easy ways to make dinner delicious.
