Eat Your Vegetables

I like vegetables. I really do.

But when you live alone like I do, it’s hard to get in the daily requirement of five to seven servings of vegetables per day that we’re supposed to be eating.

I have all these good intentions when I go grocery shopping. For example, I’ll buy dark, leafy lettuce and salad fixings which I usually end up throwing away after the Romaine turns to a puddle in the crisper. It’s just so time consuming to chop up a bunch of salad stuff for yourself and I’m too frugal to pay for those ready-made bags of designer leaves.

I’ve thrown away lots of fresh green beans too. It’s just way too tedious to “top and tail” all those beans, wash them, cook them, etc. Same for broccoli. And again, I’m too cheap to pay for frozen, ready-to-eat veggies.

Sure, it would be nice to have someone to cook for. Yeah, I’ve done that bit where you lovingly prepare a meal and with each slice-n-dice you think about how much you love that person.

But then, love goes flapping out the window when I have to share a Tivo with them. I'm kind of maniacal when it comes to my Tivo. I don't know how married couples get along with just one. The secret to a successful relationship? Separate Tivos.

Miss Healthypants got her name because she orders LOTS of salads. She substitutes salads for lots of things on the menu:

“Do you want fries or a baked potato with that?”

“Ummm. Could I have a salad instead?”

Mexican food comes with rice and beans. She’ll ask for salad. Burgers come with fries. She’ll substitute a salad. I’m waiting for the day when she asks that her fortune cookie be replaced with a salad.

But she’s got the right idea. Pack those veggies in whenever you get the chance.

I guess I should treat myself to the veggies that I really, really like. Here’s a list of my favorites:
Brussels sprouts
Asparagus
Collard, turnip, or mustard greens
Parsnips
Red bell peppers
Corn
Cilantro

Here are the vegetables I really, really don’t like:

Radishes
Sweet potatoes
Lima beans
Tom Cruise

I could get lots of veggies in me if I used my Juiceman. I really love a big glass carrot-beet-apple-parsley juice. I know that sounds disgusting but it’s really really good. It’s just such a pain in the butt to clean everything afterwards. Beet pulp festooned on the ceiling is a bitch to clean.

Tivo and Diet Coke is so much more practical.