In the Zone

Want to know how I know I'm in the "weight loss/healthy eating" zone?  (I know I know, you're all on the edge of your seats).  Over half my plate at dinner was veggies, and my snacks today were mainly fruits and vegetables.  I had protein and dairy and grains (blah blah blah) for part of my meals and as part of some of my snacks, but there were VEGGIES GALORE today!  You might find yourself asking, "But Colleen, veggies are SO boring!"  And to that I would say, "NO NO, YOU are boring!"  Just kidding.  No, I would say, "you have to know how to prepare your veggies!"  Some things I like to do?  Add caramelized onions to steamed veggies.  I make the onions with EVOO and about two tsp of sugar and balsamic vinegar, then I take a portion of them and add them to steamed broccoli/carrots/green beans and cut it all up together.  It really takes boring steamed veggies to a whole new level.  I've also started steaming broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens etc. in a large saute pan/skillet in vegetable broth.  It gives the veggies a nice flavor instead of steaming in water alone.  Sometimes I saute veggies (even frozen ones) with EVOO and then add a little bit of parmesan cheese or feta cheese to them...a little bit of these cheeses goes a long way and adds such great flavor.  Of course there's always raw veggies that can be dipped in humus or low fat dressing, but I find that boring and I got burnt out on making salads a few years ago.  Honestly, making salads is one of my least favorite things to do, especially in the winter.  Oh, and one more thing, I have a food processor and I LOVE cooking squash, cauliflower or potatoes in vegetable broth and then pureeing them to make soups.  You don't need cream or butter to have an awesome and totally flavorful creamed soup...just season to taste.  YUMMY!