I know vegetables aren’t everyone’s favorite food, especially if you’re a kid, but they are good for you and a very important part of your diet. Here are some tips from the American Heart Association on how to shop for fruits and vegetables. It’s important to buy plenty of fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. The ones that are deeply colored throughout, like spinach, carrots, peaches and berries are higher in vitamins and minerals than vegetables like potatoes and corn. If fresh isn’t available, you can buy frozen or canned as long as they are in water without added sugars, saturated and trans fat or salt. I am glad that you can buy frozen because sometimes I need something fast, and don’t have the time to cut the fresh vegetables. Frozen vegetables are affordable too and sometimes even go on sale! I always stock up when they do.
Beans, peas, oranges, bananas, strawberries and apples are good sources of fiber. Whole fruit is much better at providing fiber and satisfying hunger than fruit juice. Fiber is also an important part of your diet.
Raw vegetables are good for snacks; some examples are carrot and celery sticks, broccoli, cherry tomatoes and cauliflower. We like to dip them in a low fat homemade dip (I will share that recipe another time) or low fat Ranch dressing. On Sunday, I cut up enough vegetables for several days of snacks to save time during the week. You can also use canned fruits, dried fruits (without added sugars), and gelatin that contains fruit for dessert, rather than having baked goods or sweets.
Talk to your doctor before having grapefruit, grapefruit juice, pomegranate and pomegranate juice because they may interact with cholesterol-lowering medications. I know my husband can’t have those fruits for that reason; there’s a warning label on his medicine.
So, after all this talk about fruits and vegetables, I wanted to share a recipe with you for Garlic Oregano Zucchini. We usually grow zucchini in our garden, so I’m always looking for things to make with it. It’s also on sale often in the grocery store.
This recipe is great because it’s quick to make and only has 6 ingredients.
In a large skillet, cook and stir the garlic in oil for 1 minute. My daughter came downstairs during this step and asked what smelled so good!
Add the zucchini and the spices and cook until tender. By the way, I ran out of oregano right before I made this, so I used Italian seasoning instead. It turned out really good.
Here’s the delicious zucchini, ready to eat.
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 4 medium zucchini, sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- In a large skillet, cook and stir the garlic in oil over medium heat for 1 minute.
- Add the zucchini, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Cook and stir for 4-6 minutes or until the zucchini is crisp - tender.