# 79 - Taking the Vegetable Challenge

I know I am vegetable-y challenged. I know it. If you've read my Aim Well Blog # 76, you know it. And from our round table discussions, all the women of the Efrat Women's Health Center know it. 
I have made many positive changes on my road to better health, but the most difficult one is eating more vegetables.
I try to have a giant salad most every day. I've given up Shabbat potato kugel - replacing it with different baked vegetables. But that's just too little. My nutritionist Judy Kizer would really like me to eat about seven servings of vegetables every day. SEVEN?? 
I've finally gotten up to about seven fruits a day, which is TOO MUCH. I know. But I'm eating fruit instead of cake, instead of cookies, instead of something less healthy.
When I eat a fruit, I feel sweet, tingly, happy...fruity. When I eat a vegetable, I feel a bit green and sometimes mushy. Not amazing, like that fruity-feel.
But Judy wants me to switch some of the fruit for some vegetables.
Okay!
So, this week at the Women's Health Center, I decided to take THE VEGETABLE CHALLENGE.
BTW, I'm the only one participating (unless YOU join me :) ).
Judy and our Social Worker Alizah Shapiro had asked us to write down our goals for the next three months, and then share them with the gang.
I wrote - Eat more vegetables instead of other things.
Then we had to break down our plan. 
I wrote: 
* Prepare veggies in the morning (in plastic bags or containers). Truthfully, this is a task that I hate. I'm not the domestic type and I can't see wasting a half hour of my time, but then again... I want to be healthy, so I'll try.
* Ask husband to make salad if I have no time :) (well, why not? he's great in the kitchen!) My husband has been humongously helpful throughout my journey to good health, and he's always willing to pitch in to help me, so, I guess this one will be easy. 
* Buy more different kinds of vegetables so it's more interesting. Some folks like to make the same dinner every night to simplify things. I usually do too, but I'm not such a vegetable-o-phile. If I can try all kinds of great vegetables, perhaps I'll find some winners and build up a nice vegetable repertoire. (BTW, if you've got any suggestions, please send them to me.)
* Try to rotate vegetables (tonight string beans, tomorrow baked potato, the next day asparagus). 
* Bake veggies at the beginning of the week, so they're on hand at home.
* Buy extra vegetables on shopping trips.
So, I woke up on my first day of my Vegetable Challenge. I wanted to take my sweet daughter and granddaughters to the museum. I was running around the house like a whirling dervish, and I remembered the vegetables. I called upstairs to my daughter, "Would you mind peeling carrots for me?" Well, she did it happily. We put them in a bag and took them along for everyone to share.
Then I had my customary salad for lunch. And when I got home for dinner, I took out all the leftover vegetable side dishes that were in the fridge, heated them all up, and ate Chinese vegetables, sweet potato, broccoli and cauliflower. Yum. I was going to put a protein in there, but it was such an interesting vegetable medley, I couldn't think of any protein that would fit. So, I ate my veggies, cleared my plate and am at my desk chatting with you.
Tomorrow, IY"H, I'll try to start the day cutting vegetables again. This time, I think I'll add in some cucumbers and celery. How's that for variety? Well, it's only the beginning.