Best Veggies to Eat

During the main, strict portion of my plan I was very limited on the vegetables I could eat. Let me share the list with you:

Lettuce (darker leafed forms of lettuce is best)
Spinach
Onions
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Celery
Red radishes
Cabbage
Fennel
Asparagus
Chard
Chicory
Beet-greens

I listed the fully available vegetables, but I didn't personally like all those listed so for my 7 weeks of strict dieting, I was limited to lettuce, spinach, onions, cucumbers and celery. I had radishes once, but they're just not that exciting to me. :)

So, how much can/should you eat? Well, it was suggested that you eat one handful of one vegetable for lunch and one handful for supper. It has been suggested that you can eat larger quantities than one handful, if needed, of this list since they are lower in caloric value.

It is best to not have the same exact meal for lunch and supper in the same day. So, if you have beef and onions for lunch, then try to have chicken and lettuce or some other vegetable other than onion for supper.

So, go now and enjoy some great vegetables that are also good for you and your weight loss effort!

Roasted Vegetables - A Recipe Great for Dieters!

Veggies... how many of you like eating vegetables every day? I haven't been much of a veggie eater. There are few of them that I really like, and most that I do like aren't found on "diet" lists. :) Thus comes the challenge when trying a new weight loss/diet plan.

I've spent the past year on this new "eating plan", traditionally known as a diet. For me, it's a new way of living, a new way of eating. I have a list of vegetables that I can eat on a regular basis. Of course, it's not always easy to find ways to eat your veggies without overcooking them or just eating them raw all the time.

Well, my husband (the cook of the house) has come up with a couple ways to roast vegetables in the oven that is simply delicious! I ask for roasted veggies every night. My kids are kind of sick of them now, but I still love them.

Set your oven to 450 degrees. Spread out your vegetables (in our case, we usually do carrots or a combination of carrots and onions) on a 9 x 13 jelly roll pan. Pour 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over the veggies. Stir briefly, if needed. Sprinkle with seasonings (I'll list a few of my favorites). Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring half way through. The carrots should look half wrinkled up with blackened edges to them. They should be tender to the touch, but not smooshy.

Season options include:

• Dill weed (best when roasting just carrots)
• Garlic powder (great on carrots or combination of veggies)
• Sea salt & pepper (great when including red onions, or when also including potatoe wedges for your family)

Be creative with your vegetable choices. We tried zucchini and onions the other night. The zucchini cooked a little too much, so it would probably be better to start with only the onions in the oven, then add the zucchini 10 minutes later.

Enjoy! Bon appetit!