5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

[mitzimarie]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

Unless the store gets in some more celery root, I guess swiss chard will have to be my new veggie, not very many that I haven't tried outside of things like sorrel and mache' which I have never seen for sale, and a bit too late to try to grow lol!

Got my sparkpeople account dusted off and ready to go, ready to have veggie fun with all you challengers!

I'm so glad that you are preparing already - nice!

Remember, if you can't find a new veggie, you can get creative and think up a new way to have one you've already had. I'll be posting some ideas, and I'm sure that I will learn something new here, too. As a matter of fact, those recipes posted by Georgiana are something I have never seen before. (that fried artichoke heart looks wild!)

[OzLover]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

Mitzi could you please switch me to OWL. Thanks!

[mitzimarie]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

Mitzi could you please switch me to OWL. Thanks!

Yes, indeed! Consider it done.

Our updated roster:

mitzimarie - Maintenance
Georgiana - OWL
Luvmybabies - Induction
allie - Induction
Fancy1952 - Induction
jimmie48 - Maintenance
blueberrylady - OWL
ThinSoon - Induction
imagood1 - OWL
momtomany1 - OWL
Niko - Induction
C P - OWL
Sunny_One - OWL
gemgirl - OWL
EverLosing - OWL
OzLover - OWL
emmie30 - Induction
quiltkat - OWL
ldyj - OWL
boonie stomper - OWL

[GHB]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

Count me in too I'm on OWL so 17 net grams for me! Cheers :3

[Sherri]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

Count me in on the challenge Mitzi girl.
I'll be eating Rung 1 veggies starting tomorrow.
I'm really looking forward to this challenge. Thanks for hostessing it.

[mitzimarie]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

Yay! New challengers!


GHB, it's nice to meet you.

Sherri! You've just made my day.

Our updated roster:

mitzimarie - Maintenance
Georgiana - OWL
Luvmybabies - Induction
allie - Induction
Fancy1952 - Induction
jimmie48 - Maintenance
blueberrylady - OWL
ThinSoon - Induction
imagood1 - OWL
momtomany1 - OWL
Niko - Induction
C P - OWL
Sunny_One - OWL
gemgirl - OWL
EverLosing - OWL
OzLover - OWL
emmie30 - Induction
quiltkat - OWL
ldyj - OWL
boonie stomper - OWL
GHB - OWL
Sherri - OWL

[planetclaire]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

Okay! I'm in

mitzimarie - Maintenance
Georgiana - OWL
Luvmybabies - Induction
allie - Induction
Fancy1952 - Induction
jimmie48 - Maintenance
blueberrylady - OWL
ThinSoon - Induction
imagood1 - OWL
momtomany1 - OWL
Niko - Induction
C P - OWL
Sunny_One - OWL
gemgirl - OWL
EverLosing - OWL
OzLover - OWL
emmie30 - Induction
quiltkat - OWL
ldyj - OWL
boonie stomper - OWL
GHB - OWL
Sherri - OWL
PlanetClaire - OWL

[mitzimarie]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

Okay! I'm in

EXCELLENT!

Thank you for joining, Laurie

[Slapshot]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

I'm in too!

mitzimarie - Maintenance
Georgiana - OWL
Luvmybabies - Induction
allie - Induction
Fancy1952 - Induction
jimmie48 - Maintenance
blueberrylady - OWL
ThinSoon - Induction
imagood1 - OWL
momtomany1 - OWL
Niko - Induction
C P - OWL
Sunny_One - OWL
gemgirl - OWL
EverLosing - OWL
OzLover - OWL
emmie30 - Induction
quiltkat - OWL
ldyj - OWL
boonie stomper - OWL
GHB - OWL
Sherri - OWL
PlanetClaire - OWL
Slapshot - Induction

[mitzimarie]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

I'm in too!

Woo Hoo! I'm so excited!!

[OzLover]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

I've gone to the grocery store & stocked up on veggies. I've chosen a few new recipes to try during this challenge. I have not figured out what new veggie I will be trying as of yet.

Good luck challengers! Thanks Mitzi!

[planetclaire]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

I went to the store today and bought a bunch of veggies. Eggplant, zucchini - old standbys for me....spaghetti squash - a new fave.....and jicama, which I have never had before! So now I'm looking for recipes

[mitzimarie]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

spaghetti squash - a new fave.....and jicama, which I have never had before! So now I'm looking for recipes

Laurie, jicama has become a daily staple for me. While I have seen recipes for cooking it, I have always eaten mine raw, plain, with a piece of string cheese on the side as a snack. I must admit, though, that I wasn't impressed the first time that I tasted it. It is a root vegetable, and it tasted kind of "root-y" to me. After having it a few more times, I got used to it and now enjoy it. I'm a fiber freak, and I love the fact that I can get 6g of fiber from 1 cup. Only thing, though... I find them to be a pain in the butt to peel. I'm pretty sure there's an easier way to do it, but I've always just kind of cut the peel off with a knife. It's not the most precise method, but it gets the job done. I cut it up and bag it in snack-sized ziplocs so I can grab and go with them. I work in a boutique all day, and eat between customers. Jicama and string cheese is great for that. If you search jicama in the recipe forum, I'll bet that you can find some different suggestions.

Spaghetti squash - I'll definitely be having that one night this week! But speaking of pain in the butt... I think spaghetti squash wins the prize on that. Hard to get into! But, oh, so worth it. Here is the recipe for my favorite way to have it:

Shrimp Scampi Bake



Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 45 Minutes
Servings: 6

"This rendition of a classic dish of shrimp baked in butter, garlic, lemon juice and parsley, is even better with the help of Dijon-style mustard."
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 pounds medium raw shrimp, shelled,
deveined, with tails attached

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley. When the butter melts completely, remove from heat.
3. Arrange shrimp in a shallow baking dish. Pour the butter mixture over the shrimp.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.comPrinted from Allrecipes.com 5/2/2009

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This is in my short list of all-time favorite meals. I pour it over spaghetti squash... mmmmm.... I always eat too much!

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spaghetti squash = calabash = vegetable spaghetti Notes: After it's cooked, you can dig a fork into the flesh of a spaghetti squash and pull out long yellow strands that resemble spaghetti. Though they taste like squash, the "noodles" can serve as a low-carb substitute for pasta.

[mitzimarie]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

I've gone to the grocery store & stocked up on veggies.

Way to go, Glenda!

I'll be starting the day with veggies for breakfast. Since you've known me for a while, I'll bet that you can guess what it will be. Yep, it's MUP!

A lot of you already know what MUP is, but for those who don't, I'll post the recipe. It is a great way to get in veggies, and of course, I'm loving the fiber. (13.6g fiber!)

MUP is a name that one of the members gave to a recipe I came up with... it stands for Mitzi's Ultimate Pumpkin. I have even been dubbed the "Pumpkin Patch Princess" by another member (and she gave me a really cool graphic saying that, for my siggie).

About the pumpkin - I use Libby's canned pumpkin that is probably located next to the baking items in the grocery store. Make sure to read the label carefully so that you pick up the 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling, which is also made by Libby's and looks a lot like the pie filling, which has sugar in it. Here is the recipe for what I eat:

In a bowl, I mix 1/2 of a can of pumpkin (which is .88 cups) with 2 ounces of cream cheese. I put this in the microwave for 1 minute, then take it out and stir well. I then add a few drops of liquid Splenda (just use sweetener of your choice), 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and .5 teaspoon of allspice and stir. Once I passed rung 3 in OWL (seeds/nuts), I started adding 1 ounce of almonds, which is about 22 nuts that I cut in half (so I can have 44 nuts ). I then put it back in the microwave for about 40 seconds, stir, and it is done. I find that the warmer it is, the better it tastes (although I have had one member tell me that they like it better cold). Beware, though! This concoction contains 12.4 net carbs (10.1 net carbs without the nuts), with 7g of those being net veggie carbs. So anyone who doesn't want to use up that many carbs can leave out the nuts and/or cut back on portion sizes of the ingredients. I ate it for a long time without the nuts, and it is good that way, as well. It does have a high fat percentage because of the 2 ounces of cream cheese, but I don't stress over that. Lots of people get by with only 1 ounce of cream cheese, but I like how creamy it is with the 2 ounces. This makes a pretty big bowl, too, so you may not need to make this much. My husband always talked about how good it smells when I make it, so I made it for him one day. He couldn't finish it all because it is kinda rich. Cutting this in half would have been enough for him. I always finish mine, though.

Tomorrow is my long day at work, so I just wanted to let everyone know that I'll be "out of pocket" around the board during the day. I will check in for a minute early in the morning before I leave, but then won't be back until the evening. Please feel free to hang out here as you wish, ask some questions, share some recipes, and I look forward to getting together with you as soon as I can.

Go, Veggies!

[momtomany1]

Re: 5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!

I will start my day simply with a mushroom omelette. On the menu for the day will also be saute'd radishes and likely the simplest sort of coleslaw. (Mix a little shredded cabbage with a plop of mayo and a splash of pickle juice.) I have a romaine and raddichio salad with grilled chicken pieces all ready to take to lunch. Gonna be a veggie-licious day....