How to make green beans taste better?

[ceyoung]

i might try that. the main reason why im leaving out salt is because it can make you look a little bloated and its just not that great for health reasons. also, im not overweight or out of shape. i just want to cut down the BF% a bit and it's kind of a fun challenge to do it properly, and this is the most effective way to do it. i've done it a couple times before, 2-3lbs/week just takes dedication.

[ceyoung]

oddly enough i don't mind the plain chicken. i just have a hard time eating the vegetables.

[Matt Flynn]

butter and bacon naturally. this is true of all non-mushy vegetables and some mushy ones. but if bad fats and salt are out try basalmic vinegar with a little lemon and a dash of olive oil. or sautee onions and garlic in olive oil then add the beans.

[Dynasty]

I'd reccomend adding this to your green beans.

[itsmesteve]

Garlic Salt and Olive Oil were mentioned, i also like to throw in some crushed red pepper. Butter would be the key ingredient if it weren't for the whole diet thing. Asian cooking would be a place to look for good spice/sauce combos that may be diet friendly.

[Ulysses]

Soy sauce.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
blanch them quickly, then finish with lemon juice and finely chopped parsley. (a la julia child in 'the way to cook')

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a good idea. Lemon really adds a great flavor to vegetables and a surprising range of things. Hot pepper can do the same, waking up the taste buds and making bland food taste better.

White pepper also dresses them up nicely. Garlic adds a powerful flavor to both chicken and green beens, and anything else, as does finely chopped onion.

You can eat an incredible amount of non-starchy vegetables and still lose weight. If you want to add broccoli, peppers, onion, garlic, chives, brussel sprouts, whatever -- they are mostly very low calorie and water and fiber, all of which are quite good for you. So are herbs, which you can eat as much of as you want. There is no reason to eat anything completely unspiced unless that's just the taste you prefer. Cutting out the salt, though is a good idea. Almost everything we eat that is a prepared food has salt in it, and often extremely high amounts, as in much canned and frozen prepared dishes -- perhaps most famously Campbell's soup, which has about a weak's worth of salt in a single can.

Don't be afraid to eat healthy oils, like olive oil and flaxseed oil. They help our bodies work and actually provide the ability to get rid of cholesterol and metabolize other fats. We do need fats for optimum health; just not the wrong fats or excessive amounts. You won't harm yourself by stir-frying some vegetables in a tablespoon of olive oil, and will add a huge burst of nutrients and flavor to your dull routine.

Chicken and green beans are nutritious and wonderfully low calorie, but you can still loose an awful lot of weight, and get much better nutrition, by eating a variety of vegetables. Just stay away from starches(healthy helpings of vegetables and fruit supply adequate carbs), salt, and fatty dressings, and exercise at least 15 or 20 minutes per day to keep your metabolism slightly raised to burn more fat. And be sure to take a one-a-day vitamin, especially if you are indulging in restricted diets, which are almost always nutritionally unsound.

[turnipmonster]

saute them with roasted garlic. buy a head of garlic, wrap it in foil and stick it in the oven on 450 for 15 minutes. let it cool then squeeze out the cloves. saute beans and garlic w/a little olive oil.

[ceyoung]

good advice for the whole forum on the diet.

but, you are preaching to the choir here. I used to be really into nutrition and bodybuilding. I've done a couple mass/cutting cycles where I added about 25lbs in 12 weeks, then cut back down in 12 weeks retaining most of the muscle i put on. which is pretty stressful for the body, but i find it works the best.

i do take fish oils which are my main fats for the day. and i take multivitamins. I just like the green beans and chicken because its simple and i can batch cook the stuff to last 3 days.

i will definitely start adding some lemon and pepper to the green beans to add some much needed flavor. it's sounds exactly what i was looking for, simple.

[ceyoung]

[ QUOTE ]
saute them with roasted garlic. buy a head of garlic, wrap it in foil and stick it in the oven on 450 for 15 minutes. let it cool then squeeze out the cloves. saute beans and garlic w/a little olive oil.

[/ QUOTE ]

way too much work for me, even as good as it sounds. ( yes i realize it's only 15 minutes.)