One thing I do like about eating more vegetables is it means more eating. I realize this is not a new and startling concept, and yet it surprises me afresh each time. Like, here is two scrambled eggs:
And here is two scrambled eggs with broccoli, red bell pepper, and corn (and some hot sauce and a little cheddar cheese):
That is a much bigger breakfast! I LIKE bigger meals!
I am so happy that MomQueenBee recommended Ziploc steam bags, because I am using them CONSTANTLY. Or rather, I am using ONE, over and over, and I’m happy she mentioned this could be done because I never would have paid $2-something for a box of 10 otherwise. I fill it to the halfway mark with frozen broccoli and frozen corn, put it in the microwave for 4 minutes (the instructions say 3, but our microwave is a little underpowered), and work on getting the pan and eggs and plate and cheese and sriracha sauce ready. After I add the vegetables to the pan, I give the bag a quick rinse and put it upside down to dry for the next day. I’ve done this at least 10 times so far; the zipper is getting a little warped but still works.
Incidentally, at FIRST I thought the bag experiment was a failure, because I looked down the little list of “how long to cook which things,” and I came to broccoli and it said 1.5 minutes, so that’s what I did. I didn’t read the rest of the list. If I HAD read the rest of the list, I would have come to “all frozen vegetables, 3 minutes” at the bottom of the list. It seems like the more general instruction should be HIGHER UP on the list.
I have this song going through my head:
Bebe Rexha “I’m Gonna Show You Crazy.” If you want only the song, you can skip the first minute, which is story set-up for the song. I will note there is a lot of swearing in the song, in case you have kids milling around you.
I found the song because I looked up Hey Mama, hoping I could justify enjoying the bizarre catchiness of the appalling lyrics by seeing it was sung satirically by, say, a grown-up version of the robot Vicki from Small Wonder. Close: it’s sung by a holographic Nicki Minaj, who makes me want light pink hair. I looked in the comments to make sure we all agreed the lyrics were appalling but catchy, and I found a lot of people talking about how unfair it was that Nicki Minaj was getting credit for Bebe Rexha’s singing. (Nicki Minaj does the rapping, and BeBe Rexha sings the chorus—but I don’t see Bebe Rexha in the video.)
So then I searched Bebe Rexha, found I’m Gonna Show You Crazy, and now I go around humming “I’m gonna show you LOco MAniac, SICK bi_ch, psychopath!,” even though I’m about as likely to show you any of those things as I am to find it fresh and new to think craziness is accurately and freshly represented by youth, super-sexy clothes, and artistic talent.
I am also so pleased by the SIZE of my salad bowl and the TIME I get to spend enjoying it. I am also a fan of bigger meals.
I just sang that bit in front of my 7 year old yesterday and managed to sort of change the lyrics and self bleep JUST IN TIME. Lord that is not a conversation I want to have.
You might like the pampered chef micro-cooker.
https://www.pamperedchef.com/shop/Cookware/Microwave+Cookware/Small+Micro-Cooker/2776
I do not sell pampered chef, I am not affiliated with them in any way, I just LOVE my micro cooker. I cook frozen veggies in it daily. I’ve had it for over 10 years and it’s still perfect.
I just dump the veggies (frozen or fresh) in the cooker, add a little water (.5 – 1 c) and microwave for a few minutes. The top has drain holes so you don’t need a strainer to drain the water. It’s soooo easy to use and clean. I normally just rinse with water and use again but it’s dishwasher safe.
They make a large version but It’s just two of us so we don’t have a need for the big one.
I’m sure the ziploc steam bags are great but I hate to keep spending money on things like that.
Ooo, and I particularly like this idea because I have several acquaintances who sell Pampered Chef, and although it hasn’t come up YET, I can imagine a situation in the relatively near future where I would WANT to purchase SOMETHING, just to have PURCHASED SOMETHING SUPPORTIVELY, but not really WANT anything. So this gives me something to want!
I have been OUT OF THE COUNTRY (I so rarely get to use that phrase) so I’ve missed this entire discussion. But to jump back in: I have the Pampered Chef micro-cooker as well, and it is awesome. I think I went to the Ziploc bags because they were Something New, and that made them exciting. I finally threw away the first Steamer Bag I had used many, many times, because I was going out of the country. (Oh–did I already mention that? :-))
So are we back to all thinking it’s safe to use plastic in the microwave again? Was that a no-no because plastics had BPA in them and now they are all BPA free? I mean, I do it occasionally and then feel super guilty that I’m going to give my whole family cancer or something, but generally I thought the new rule was not to use anything plastic in the microwave. If it’s all kosher again then bring on the ziploc bags, b/c that’s better than washing more dishes!
Also I, too, have been using veggies as filler lately. My husband bought one of those huge bags of mini peppers and for awhile it sat in the fridge before I realized I could just start chopping them up to throw in everything from eggs to salads to putting them on the grill.
I’m not sure, but the package says “Product not formulated with BPA.”
The rainbow fork looks very nice next to the owl plate! I remember enjoying the silverware posts. Any problems with the enamel chips? Looks intact to me!
Sadly yes: lots of enamel chips have fallen out. But it was really good to know that going in, and to be prepared for this to be Temporary Silverware. Now I just sigh when I see the ones missing lots of pieces, and reach for the ones that still have the pieces intact.
Where did you get the owl plate? It is fabulous! And now I am wishing for scrambled eggs…yum!
It’s from West Elm!
I love the plate and mug, especially the mug with all sorts of owls! I second the second breakfast. Zucchini, tomato, mushrooms has been my go to this WW round.
I had never heard of this BeBe gal or this song, but I LIKE!! This is an *excellent* addition to work out playlists, I’m thinking.