Our health insurance has a thing going where if you track your health habits and aim to do better, they will give you money. Beth bought some cool bedroom stuff with her money last year, and Deborah told me, “Sign up. It is a no-brainer.” Well, having no brain, I signed up.
Lloyd and I are in the beginning stages. We filled out our health questionnaire, which is worth some money, and then he went to the ‘healthy eating’ part of the website and said that he would eat five servings of fruits and vegetables…. a day.
Lauren: “A day?!? Not a week?”
Lloyd: “Yes. That is totally do-able for me. Our school lunches are spectacular.”
Lauren: “Hmmmm…my bath soap says something about cucumber in it, so I guess I’m good, too.”
Lloyd: “That’s not what they mean.”
Lauren: “And my chapstick is strawberry! Don’t topical applications count?”
So, I am going to venture out and try some new veggies, because my standard fallback is canned green beans – the only vegetable I actually like. We eat a lot of green beans around here.
I decided that if we sampled one new veggie a week, that would be a healthy option, and also a guaranteed post! Up this week: Brussel sprouts, the tiny little cabbages that make you feel like a giant.
I roasted some up (not a bunch, because this was an experiment) and glazed them with a balsamic reduction and added a few dried cranberries a’la Pioneer Woman, and I have to say – they were not disgusting. They did stink up the house, though, but not as bad as the rotten garbage. (They also did not stink us up, since I bought some Beano to take ahead of time. I’m a planner.)
I think I sort of liked brussel sprouts when I was a kid. I don’t remember how my mom made them. She probably boiled them. That’s how we ate most of our vegetables: boiled, and topped with butter and salt. Mmm.. butter and salt…
Wait- maybe I didn’t like brussel sprouts. Maybe I liked butter and salt!
No, no, no…she microwaved them. Remember? The microwave that sat on that homemade shelf just above the dishwasher? The shelf that always rested at a perilous angle, rather than parallel to the floor?
And we all liked them. Along with lima beans and artichokes and asparagus and peas. But not cooked carrots. We never ate those.
Ha! I do remember that microwave! It was stolen one of the times we were robbed. …or was it both times we were robbed?
And the scary slanty shelf. I remember that too.
Wait. You were robbed in Knoxville? Twice?
Yes. Robbed. Twice.
Yes, the microwave was taken in one of the heists. (And it did rest on a perilously slanted shelf.)
Dad was a gun collector. And there’s still serious suspicion that is was someone within the law enforcement offices that engineered the robbery…because if I recall correctly it happened right after Dad was required to register his guns with them or some such nonsense. Perhaps it was only conincidence.
They got a lot of guns.
And my change purse.
We’re doing the same thing this year (although I’m not so sure about the brussel sprouts).
The V8 Fusion drinks are worth a try. Veggies & Fruit servings in one glass without all that tiresome chewing. My daughters love the Blueberry-Pomegranate.
Alisha and I made those!
They’re great 🙂
Did you roast your little cabbages on the stovetop?
I’ve been meaning to try roasted fresh vegetables in the oven. A lady from our book club brought roasted asparagus once, and it was DEEELICIOUS!!! But I’ve only gotten as far as: Buying the fresh vegetables; Resting them in the frig for 2-3 weeks; Throwing away mushy, slimy vegetables; Serving microwaved corn in a bag instead.
Year #2 for us on the healthy rewards plan.
I’ve debated trying to grow brussel sprouts for the aesthetic pleasure, not the taste. See here: http://www.vegetable-garden-guide.com/how-to-grow-brussel-sprouts.html
Here’s a non-recommendation: roasted broccoli. I saw raves about it on pinterest and since we already like broccoli I thought it would bring it to a whole new level. Sadly, I got a very enthusiastic thumbs down from every family member.