Vegetables, Fast, Fresh and Good for You!

An easy, quick way I maximize my weekday time is loading up on fresh veggies that store and marinate well. Marinate? you might ask? Yes. Marinate.

I have to confess, I do a little prep each night for the next day. Just a little.

If I know I want to roast some veggies for a Roast Dinner the next day, while I am making lunches for the kids for the next day, I will grab the veggies and cut them all up in to chunks and get them seasoned and in a sealed bowl.

My favorite, go to veggies to use year round are...

Broccoli

Sweet Potatoes

Red Rose Potatoes

Eggplant

Onions

Baby Carrots

Queen Table Squash

Butternut Squash

And the flavoring/seasoning I use is

Salt

Pepper

ANY Pampered Chef seasoning

and Costco's

Mesquite Steak Rub

First I chunk all the veggies up, place in a stainless steel bowl, drizzle with a little Olive Oil,

sprinkle on the seasonings, toss them around a bit,

and put a lid on the bowl and place it in the fridge. YUM!

All I have to do when I am ready to use them is preheat my oven to 400, place them on a sheet pan or stone with sides, and bake them for about 30 minutes.

We fight over them!

I keep all the skins on, for more nutrients and phytochemicals,

and they are all fresh so they are very flavorful.

You can use any veggies that you and your family love... but don't be afraid to experiment with something your family 'thinks' it doesn't like. Sometimes it is just the way the "hated" food was prepared for the reason for it being "hated". My kids love all veggies. They eat everything.

We attended a dinner at a friends house years back and she had a bunch of bowls of cooked vegetables on the table. My boys took spoonsful on their plates, but when they tasted them, they left them on the plate, whispering to me that they no longer liked peas, corn, or beans.

I noticed the peas weren't really green, and the corn looked a little mushy.

I peeked into the trash can and noticed what I suspected. Canned vegetables.

NOT THE SAME FLAVOR AT ALL!

I had to re-educated their palates that they DID like those foods.

Preparation and seasoning is key to kids eating well.

There is still a plethora of winter produce in the markets for great prices. Try some of them this week and let me know how you liked the recipe!

Enjoy!

Ciao!